Bruce French is a 2009/2010 Ovation Nominee in the Ensemble category for his work on THE BROWNING VERSION with Pacific Resident Theatre.
LA Stage asked Bruce the following questions:
What was the first theatrical production you ever attended and what impact did it have on you?
Lil Abner on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. The impact was to never buy seats in the third balcony in the back row.
What is your most cherished theatre memory?
It’s a tossup. Playing Lucky in Waiting for Godot at LAAT in the early part of my career–and playing Andrew Crocker-Harris in The Browning Version at PRT in what I hope is not the twilight of my career.
Which LA theatre artists’ work do you consider a ‘Must See’?
Do you mean artists like David Hockney?
Getting to play roles like the ones I have had the opportunity to play at the Pacific Resident Theatre Company.
If you could change one thing about theatre in Los Angeles, what would it be?
A subway from the Van Nuys to PRT in Venice.
Who’s the first person you texted or tweeted when you got the news about your nomination?
I do not text or tweet–I print and hum. (My wife called me after the Ovation announcements to let me know and she tells everyone she sees.)
Biography:
Bruce French was born in Reinbeck, Iowa on July 4. He received a BA in Theatre from the University of Iowa and did graduate work at NYU School of the Arts. While in New York, he played the lead in an off-Broadway production of Sean O’Casey’s SHADOW OF A GUNMAN. Upon arriving in LA he fell in with some NYC expat actors who had formed the Los Angeles Actors’ Theatre. As a member of that company he played Lucky in the critically acclaimed production of WAITING FOR GODOT, which was later filmed for GREAT PERFORMANCES on PBS. Since then he has appeared in plays at the Ahmanson Theatre, San Jose Rep and leading roles at Mark Taper Forum, Seattle Rep and South Coast Rep. He has appeared in scores of movies and TV show and was a series regular on THE RICHES with Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver. He also played the compassionate, blind priest in the non-critically acclaimed Daytime Drama, PASSIONS. Since 2000 he has been a member of The Pacific Resident Theatre Company. While there he played, among others, Chris Christoferson in ANNIE CHRISTIE, Tobias in A DELICATE BALANCE and Andrew Crocker-Harris in THE BROWNING VERSION for which he received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award. He is married to the talented, beautiful Eileen Barnett. He keeps company with her and their five previously-homeless dogs in the San Fernando Valley.
For a full list of Ovation nominees, or for information about the Ovation Awards Ceremony on January 17th, click here!
