By Katharine Gilbert
The casting of Steve Gulick as the Franciscan Provincial in the staged reading of Rendezvous in Bangkok…Who Killed Thomas Merton? written by Sabina Clarke and Thom Nickels was brilliant.
Gulick has a natural sense of historic figures which lends his performances tremendous credibility. He has, in the past, portrayed William Penn and Thomas Paine among others
In the 2016 Sabina Clarke production Actors and Artists Remember 1916, Gulick’s reading of Padraig Pearse letters was spellbinding.
In Rendezvous In Bangkok…, so commanding was Gulick’s presence as the Franciscan Provincial that some in the audience may have found themselves somewhat chastened.
1. What inspires you to perform?
I have always enjoyed stories. As a child, stories were read to me sometimes with different voices for different characters. My family had many Broadway cast recordings and comedy albums that my brother and I listened to incessantly. So, we were exposed to many impersonations and accents which we took immense pleasure in re-creating. I remember vividly portraying the Innkeeper in third grade Christmas Play. Following that I acted in children’s theater productions led by Carolina Playmakers. Junior and Senior High School involved many roles in plays and operettas I have had various performing and training ever since.
2. Are you drawn to portray mostly historic figures or is it the writing that first attracts you?
I was first drawn to portray an historical person when a friend asked me to play John Woolman, an early Quaker abolitionist for the fourth and sixth grades at her school. I said, “Sure! Tell me something about him”. For years I portrayed Woolman and slowly added other historical and composite people.
3. How did you find out about Rendezvous In Bangkok…?
Because of my participation in the commemoration of the Irish Martyrs of 1916, Sabina reached out to me about the Merton play.
4. Do you research your characters and become them ala Daniel Day Lewis most notably did in Lincoln?
I suspect I may not be as thorough as Daniel Day Lewis …but yes, I do try to learn all I can about the person. For example, if the person wrote anything, I use the writing to learn how that person may have spoken. When I decided I wanted to bring Thomas Paine back to life, since he has no final resting place, I read many biographies and many of his writings and spent six months trying to figure out what he would have sounded like in his early 18th century East Anglian accent.
5. What impressed you the most about the audience at the play Rendezvous In Bangkok Who Killed Thomas Merton?
What caught my attention about the audience at the performance of the Thomas Merton play was how many members of the audience there were, first of all, and how attentive they were during the show. Most impressive.