Even for seasoned actors, Broadway is a different beast. There is the physical toll of performing eight shows a week, and the pressure of being the face of a splashy, big-budget production. Then there’s the sheer size of the theaters, with audiences of up to 1,900 people. We spoke to five screen actors making their debuts this season about the high-stakes demands of Broadway, and returning to the stage after years of TV and film work. (Or in the case of Ben Ahlers, toggling between the two: He is shooting the new season of “The Gilded Age” while performing in “Death of a Salesman.”) Their responses have been condensed and edited.
Patrick Ball
The actor from “The Pitt” is playing Andrew Porter in “Becky Shaw” at the Helen Hayes Theater.
“The transition between screen and stage is a new one for me. This feels normal. Being onstage feels normal. It sort of feels like being home.”
Tessa Thompson
The “Hedda” star is playing Jacki Miles in “The Fear of 13” at the James Earl Jones Theater.
“Every night it’s a new conversation with the people that are out here, and that is so uniquely different than working for the camera.”
Ben Ahlers
The “Gilded Age” actor is playing Happy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” at the Winter Garden Theater.
“Just trying to stay as relaxed as possible and trust the work and trust the preparation that has gone into both projects has been its own sort of meditation.”
Melissa Barrera
The star of the “In the Heights” film is playing Rose DeWitt Bukater in “Titaníque” at the St. James Theater.
“It’s unlike any other job I’ve ever done. It feels right in my body.”
Adrien Brody
The two-time Oscar-winning actor is playing Nick Yarris in “The Fear of 13.”
