Encounter #4: A Monologue in Sign by John
This week's Encounter is with 9 to 5'er artist, John McGinty. John works as a professional actor in New York City. For his Encounter, John has chosen to share a monologue from the play Tribes by Nina Raine, which was put on by Steppenwolf Theatre in 2013 . If you would like to learn more about John, please check out his bio on The Characters page of this website.
I Encountered John and his passion for acting about 2 years ago. John is the fiance of my friend and from several get-togethers, I got to know John and became fascinated with his story and his accomplishments as an actor in New York City who also happens to be deaf.
Having briefly pursued acting after graduate school, I can attest to the fact that life as a working actor in New York City is not as easy or glamorous as one may think. This is largely because working is a difficult term to apply to actor. While in pursuit of the elusive big break, many actors have to balance auditions, rehearsals, and performances with multiple non-acting jobs just to make ends meet. Waitressing was a common job amongst my actor friends because it was the most conducive to the sporadic nature of auditions and call-backs. Top exhausting jobs with constant rejection and scrutiny of your headshots (which to me is literally a resume of your face) in the competitive and grueling audition process and that is the tough life of an actor.
Despite how tough the performing arts industry can be, I have Encountered people who are so brave, so resilient, and above all, so passionate about their art form that they choose to take the road less traveled, no matter how difficult, in pursuit of their dreams. In my book, John is one of those fearless people and that is why I wanted to share his story and his talent with the Encounters community.
When I first saw John's monologue in Tribes, I was amazed. John's acting transcends the boundaries of spoken word. Through his signing, he blends the beauty of movement with the beauty of expression and as a result, his performance is both aesthetically captivating and emotional. John opened my eyes to the world of sign acting. The passion with which he tells his stories requires no captions or knowledge of sign language; John tells it all with just a look.
I am so grateful to have Encountered someone like John who is truly inspirational and I am happy that he will now share his unique artistic voice with the Encounters community. With that said, without further ado, I introduce to you our Encounter with the actor, John McGinty:
