Interview: John Colella's Never BLUE Reuniting With Past Cohorts

Next up for Rogue Machine, the world premiere of June Carryl's Blue opening April 7, 2023 at The Matrix Theatre. Michael Matthews directs the cast of John Colella and Julanne Chidi Hill. John managed to find some time after returning from working out of the country to answer a few of my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, John!

My pleasure, Gil. Delighted to chat with you.

You just got back into the country. How are your rehearsals going?

Fantastic. Brilliant and insightful minds in the room and wonderful collaboration going on right out of the gate. We've hit the ground running. It's very exciting to get to work with everyone.

What initially attracted you to want to be a part of this Rogue Machine production of Blue? (Script? Collaborators?)

June Carryl's script and characters. June Carryl as a person. To get to collaborate with Michael Matthews again and the chance to be opposite Julanne Childe Hill. And of course, to work with the amazing Rogue Machine. It's win, win, win for me. I'm grateful to be a part of this production.

What would your three-line pitch for Blue be?

A Black officer must investigate an old friend in an officer-involved shooting of a Black motorist. What follows is an exploration of race and history in a play that asks, "in the gathering of facts, where does the truth lie?"

How would you describe your character Sully in terms of qualities you would list on a dating site?

Hard working, loyal, dedicated, and a man's man.

What character flaws would you definitely omit?

Cemented in his ways and opinions, blunt to a fault, working on his fourth divorce.

This is not your first time working with Michael Matthews. Is this your fifth play under his directorial reins (The Producers, The Seafarer, Cabaret, Twelve Angry Men)?

This is correct. Number five and counting. I love working with Michael. We found that we both were trained in the theatre back in Chicago. We approach the work very similarly, speak the same theatrical language, and share the same work ethic. We've earned each other's trust and are eager and open to each other's ideas. It's always a true collaboration.

Have you and Michael developed a shorthand in communicating?

Yes, for sure. Michael has a wonderful way of letting you in on his vision of the piece and your character that allows you to take and shape it in your own way. When it's time for notes, most of the time I see where he's coming from before he even finishes the sentence.

Other than Michael, have you worked with any of Blue's cast or creatives before?

I've had the pleasure of acting opposite both June and Julanne in Cabaret and a few other past readings of Blue. It's my first time working with Rogue and everyone has just been stellar.

Besides your long list of television and film credits, you've done a lot of work on the Los Angeles stages. Do you still audition for L.A. theatre roles? Or do directors have you on their shortlist of actors to call?

It's a little of both. I'm grateful for the offers that come but am not above auditioning even if I've worked with the director.

You earned a BFA in acting at the Theatre School at De Paul University (Goodman School of Drama). How old were you when you realized you wanted to become an actor?

When I was fourteen as a freshman in high school, I didn't know what spring sport I wanted to try out for and heard over the morning announcements the musical was going to be West Side Story. I somehow faked my way into playing Bernardo. When I stepped out on stage for the first time in front of a 500-seat house, I was hooked.

Who were your acting idols growing up?

Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro. Did I mention I'm Italian?

What is the one lesson you've learned from an acting teacher/mentor that you strive to utilize to this day?

Leave your life's problems at the door and live moment to moment down to the specificity of an animation flip book on the stage.

Any theatrical roles you're looking to tackle when you're at the more aligned age?

I'd kill to play Henry Lehman. Would love to revisit Cyrano again. George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and take your pick from any of Arthur Miller's rich older characters.

What's in the near future for John Colella?

More Blue in August when we take it to The Edinburgh Festival. Will be my first time there. Very excited for the experience. Also, this Fall at The Ruskin Group Theatre and directed by Michael Matthews, I'll be debuting my very first solo show, An Extraordinary Ordinary Life, about my father, family, and growing up in the family's Italian Bakery.

Thank you again, John! I look forward to meeting your Sully.

Thank you, Gil! I'm looking forward to sharing him and this new piece with you and audiences here and abroad.

For tickets to the live performances of Blue through May 14, 2023; click on the button below:

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