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Adam Owens Discusses Extensive Local Acting Career

Adam Owens has been seen directing and performing in a multitude of musicals, plays and productions throughout the Greater Jamestown area. Submitted photos

Adam Owens is a man of many hats, costumes and talents.

Over the past several years, Owens has been seen directing and performing in a multitude of musicals, plays and productions throughout the greater Jamestown area. In the following interview, he discusses with The Post-Journal how his passion for the art developed, as well as his various projects and involvements, past and present.

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P-J: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about your extensive acting career in our area. So, first things first, how were you first introduced to acting and performing?

Owens: I always enjoyed putting on skits and plays during the holidays with cousins and friends — making silly movies and putting on plays in the basement, that sort of thing. In high school they announced auditions for “Bye Bye Birdie.” I got a ride to the auditions from my older brother and was cast in a few ensemble roles. After that, I continued to perform in the high school musicals as well as other community theater productions.

P-J: What were some of your earliest performances, and how did those help prepare you for the kind of work you’re doing now?

Owens: After high school I went to Jamestown Community College and was in several productions there. Working with Skip Broska was the beginning of the work I have put into my theater career. He made us study the classics and the history of theater; something every serious actor should do.

P-J: Can you tell us about the various organizations and groups in our area that you’ve worked with and performed for?

Owens: I first performed at Southwestern High School, my favorite role being that of Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.” I was also lucky enough to be cast in an original musical by three local women called “60 Characters in Search of a Play,” which I recently had the pleasure or reviving during a theater camp at Infinity Visual and Performing Arts. I now also teach theater and film at Infinity, which allows students an opportunity to get involved in the arts and participate in the same things I was interested in at their age.

At age 19, Helen Merrill asked me to be part of the 60th Anniversary Celebration performance at The Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown, and I subsequently appeared in several plays and musicals there under the direction of Ms. Merrill, as well as Bob Terreberry and Michelle Mudge Buhite.

After JCC, I attended Fredonia State University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

P-J: Do you have any particular shows that you would consider highlights of your career, or that you might consider some of your best work?

Owens: Playing Edna Turnblad in “Hairspray” at JCC last fall was really the most fun I’ve had onstage in a very long time. I certainly have had so many great experiences though, and I’ve met and worked with a huge number of talented and awesome people.

P-J: What do you enjoy so much about acting, and what might you say to someone who is considering taking up the craft?

Owens: I first got into acting because I just enjoyed performing, and making people laugh especially. I rarely felt uncomfortable in front of people — speaking, singing or doing something goofy. But when I started studying acting, I realized that there is so much more to it than my own talents and abilities. There’s a lot of work to do to become successful and I’m finally past scratching the surface, but there’s always something new to learn. No two days are the same, and it’s not easy.

P-J: Anything else you’d like to include or discuss?

Owens: I am currently directing the spring play at JCC, called “Speech and Debate” by Stephen Karam, which will play April 13-15; and then I will be directing a musical at The Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown, set to open in June. I will be teaching an acting class at JCC in the fall, and hopefully I will continue to be involved in producing, directing and acting in the area for a long, long time.

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