Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Entertainment

Matt de Rogatis opens up about ‘Lone Star’ play in New York City (Includes interview)

Lone Star, a gem written by James McLure, is the second act of a 1970’s period play set behind Angel’s Bar, a hard-edged roadhouse in Maynard, Texas,” he said. “Joe Battista is our wonderful director and we will be performing at the historical 13th Street Repertory Theatre in New York for eight performances only from June 6 until June 16.”

On his character, he said, “I play ‘Roy,’ a steady patron and a returning home Vietnam vet suffering from PTSD. Roy’s coping mechanism has evolved as his nightly mind trips into his pre-war past. Chris Loupos, as my brother Ray, must contend with these excursions with my recollections of the glory days in high school: carousing with girls, cars, and the wild times he had with his friends.”

Each day, he is inspired as an actor by his drive to “be the best.” “I don’t care about having the most money or being the most famous or being the best looking or anything like that. I just want to be the best actor I can possibly be,” he said.

He continued, “I want to blaze my own trail and hopefully inspire others to do the same. So when it comes to acting, the only thoughts that run through my head are, how can I get better? How can I be the best? What do I have to do? It’s a journey and I have come a long way from where I started.”

For young and aspiring actors, he said, “our craft is not as glamorous as people think.” “It’s hard work and it requires tremendous sacrifice and stamina. If you can do something else with your life and be happy, I would say: ‘do it.’ But, If you really want to pursue an acting career, it’s best to surround yourself with people who think and feel the same,” he said.

He continued, “I have heard people say that actors should audition for everything, which is something I would not advise. If you audition for everything you’ll end up in just any show and it may be hard to break that cycle. You need to be serious and have the right mindset. You also must remember that you are a brand and should come up with a plan and execute it.”

“Dedication is a must and you have to make the decision, ‘I am going to do this no matter what. No matter how long it takes.’ It’s total commitment. If you can’t do that, then acting is not for you,” he added.

Digital transformation of the entertainment business

On the impact of technology on the acting and entertainment industry, he said, “I think there are positives and negatives. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other streaming services have created many more opportunities for actors. I do think it has also had diluted things as well. It’s overload. There is just too much out there. Who can keep up? I don’t even watch Netflix.”

Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine as an actor, he said, “I’m on my phone so much when in the throws of a show. I’m sending texts and emails to get people involved. I’m responding to texts from our press agent Glenna Freedman. I’m posting on Instagram. I’m inviting people to like our page on Facebook.”

He continued, “I’m talking to our web designer, Lou Gutowski, about site updates and texting him about posters and print graphics for Twitter. It’s endless. Honestly, without technology, it would be super hard to spread the word. The days of flyers and postcards in the mail are almost a thing of the past. It’s mostly about the digital age now which is of major importance.”

“The other day, John Constantine, who is featured in Lone Star, said to me, ‘you should be a Wall Street trader. You are constantly on your phone,’ and he’s right, I am, but believe me, it’s all about the show,” he added.

For fans and viewers, he said, “Lone Star is the best deal in town. It will be pretty hard to find the caliber of acting and music and the atmosphere we are creating for such a great price.”

To learn more about Lone Star, check out its official website. “If you go to our website to purchase tickets and use the code: THUNDERBIRD, you will get two hours of high-quality theater for about the price of a New York deli sandwich and bottled water. I mean, really, you can’t beat it and it’s going to be great fun,” he concluded.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Business

The cathedral is on track to reopen on December 8 - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARINParis’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, ravaged by fire in 2019, is on...

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal infers that some workers might be falling out of the job market altogether.