Robert Hofler
TV and movie stars continue lining up en masse to make their
This article is not about them. Rather, the flipside of that phenomenon -- working theater actors doing notable TV and film gigs -- can increasingly enhance a thespian's stage profile, expand their career options and boost a production's appeal.
This week,
"I've never had a film director recognize me from a play," says the 47-year-old thespian, who has clocked eight
The tube, surprisingly, is much more legit savvy.
"TV writers are usually avid theatergoers," O'Hare adds, "or have a background in writing plays themselves,"
TV has been especially good to legit actors.
That audition, obviously, went well. "But from the producing standpoint of the play, my being on 'Glee' and 'Glee' being a huge success in
Sometimes it's just an emotional boost.
During his run in "Next to Normal,"
In a roundabout way, the movies, if not the CW skein, have helped him land other
Whether all that TV/pic exposure puts people in "Catch Me" Broadway seats in spring is another question. Theatergoers may come to see
It's what legit producers call having "added value." It may not sell tix but it makes for happier customers, all of whom help create good buzz. Or as casting director
But can you build a show around it?
"I would never have been a lead in 'Elling' had I not raised my profile in movies and 'True Blood,'" says O'Hare. "But if it was just me in 'Elling,' it wouldn't work, not without
According to O'Hare, you can be a 21-year-old theater actor and find work on
Like O'Hare, the actress points to the age factor for her own impetus to do more film and TV.
"
She cites Linney as "greatest example" of the stage-TV-film actress.
There are those theater animals, however, who do get away. After a 12-year career on
As for the theater, he recently did a one-night fundraiser of "The Normal Heart," which could resurface as a
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(c) 2010 Brian Lowry, Variety