On August 26, an Off-Off Broadway fan event took place with “General Hospital” alum Johnny Wactor in New York City.
Johnny Wactor is known for his portrayal of Brando Corbin on the ABC daytime drama “General Hospital,” which he played for well over 160 episodes. In April of 2023, the soap opera celebrated its 60th anniversary on the air.
Wactor also appeared in the weather action thriller “Supercell,” which was directed by Herbert James “Jamie” Winterstern, which starred the late Anne Heche.
This fan event, hosted by CaliBx Experience, was held at Cre8ive Studios NYC, and it featured an intimate group of “General Hospital” viewers.
Wactor participated in improv activities with the audience, and they also acted out some of his prior scenes from “General Hospital,” where the fans took on the roles of different characters that were affiliated in Brando’s multiple storylines.
He even brought props (wigs, hats, and other accessories) with him, in an effort to make the scenes more authentic and realistic.
Wactor underscored his passion and love for the acting profession, and that was apparent over the course of the afternoon.
Before the improv portion of the show began, Wactor got the audience up on stage with him and they all participated in an icebreaker activity, which helped shake off some of their nerves.
They went on to act out several scenes from “General Hospital,” where they took on the roles of such characters as Gladys (his on-screen mother), Sasha Gilmore (his significant other on the show), as well as Maurice Benard (the mob boss).
This journalist had the chance to take on the role of Sonny (normally played by three-time Emmy winner Maurice Benard) and act out a scene opposite Wactor (as Brando) which was set in Sonny’s office at the mob restaurant, where they discuss the complex emotions revolving around relationships, and the people that they love (and the things that they would do for those people).
A neat moment was when several fans allowed Wactor to act out a few scenes that he didn’t have the opportunity to do on air (due to his character being temporarily recast by Brad Schmidt due to COVID). This was quite a moment of closure for Wactor.
Towards the end of the show, several fans even had the opportunity to act out original scenes that were written by Wactor himself.
He also partook in photo opportunities, selfies, and he signed autographed for the fans; moreover, they serenaded “Happy Birthday” to Wactor, a few days early, especially since he would be celebrating his birthday officially on August 31.
They all cut a cookie cake in his honor, and also enjoyed refreshments and pizza as part of the subsequent festivities.
Speaking of Maurice Benard, Wactor appeared in his “State of Mind” podcast on mental health back in early 2022.
The Verdict
Overall, it was a pleasant Off-Off Broadway afternoon in Manhattan with Johnny Wactor, and he made many of the audience members more comfortable with the acting process, and he created a safe space for them, which was a fun and liberating feeling.
It was interesting to see firsthand how much goes into a scene and a script (and all the blocking and preparation that needs to be done for a convincing execution). It was an impressive workshop on improv and scene studies.
Kudos to Johnny Wactor for sharing his tools of the trade and craft with his dedicated fans and followers.
To learn more about actor Johnny Wactor, follow him on Instagram, and check out his IMDb page.
