Scrumptious."
That’s how Bob Buseick, 80, describes theater.
When he was just 6 years old, Buseick, who’s from Oregon, was chosen to perform in a high school production.
"They needed a little boy in it who only had one word to say but he said it many times during the course of the play," Buseick said.
The word: Scrumptious.
"So that’s when I got bit by the theater bug, and since that time I’ve really found theater to be scrumptious," said Buseick, who is directing the River City Repertory Theatre production of "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
But this isn’t Buseick’s first go-round with "Virginia Woolf."
"In my early 30s, back about 1965, I was cast as Nick in the University of Oregon’s production," he said. "Then I went back to Portland where I was teaching and I was cast in the Portland Civic Theatre production of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ as Nick and during the course of a year, I ended up playing Nick 78 times.
But this time around instead of acting, Buseick will be directing. And one of the actors he’ll direct is River City Repertory artistic director Patric McWilliams, whom he has known for quite some time.
"Patric and I go back to when he was 14 and his mother was my secretary at Centenary," Buseick said. "He did his education with me and then went off to New York and then he came back."
Buseick was chairman of the theater department at Centenary College for 36 years. But before that he taught junior high school for nine years and high school for six years in Oregon.
Buseick said directing McWilliams has been a true delight.
"I watched him from a student ... and I saw him open the door to what acting is all about," he said. "He’s the ultimate professional actor in the community."
And McWilliams, who portrays George, is excited about working with Buseick.
"I have worked with him for decades," McWilliams said. "I’m very used to his techniques and the way he works."
Buseick first became involved with River City Rep after retiring from Centenary in 2005.
"When I left Centenary, Patric had this dream that he wanted to fulfill of creating a professional theater in Shreveport, and I’ve been chairman of the board of that," Buseick said. "I’m a very loyal supporter and believe in the dream that he believes in of the professional theater."
McWilliams said working with Buseick is inspiring.
"The interesting thing about this is watching someone at 80 years old have the energy of someone in their early 20s," he said. "And it all comes from his passion for what he is doing. In rehearsals it just sort of lifts all of the rest of us and inspires us to really work hard and give our all to it."
Actress Susan Kirton agrees.
Kirton went to Centenary and was in the drama department before switching to business.
"He is such a perfectionist," Kirton said of Buseick. "With artistic people, perfectionists often have an edge. Bob has that edge but in such a wonderful, creative way."
Kirton said with Buseick directing, you know everything is going to be perfect when you step on stage.
"The stage is going to be perfect, the timing and the pace of the play is going to be perfect and you just know you’re in great hands," she said.
Kirton added that Buseick has produced many theater professionals around the community and beyond.
"He has such a prolific history of producing theater professionals," she said. "You can hardly throw a stick without running into someone he’s coached or taught or directed."
In the production, Kirton performs the role of Martha.
"Usually when people hear about the play ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ they ask me if I’m playing Virginia," she said, laughing. "Virginia Woolf was an author who was known for her mood swings. It’s a play based on ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
The characters in the production all have deep-seated, twisted back stories, Kirton said.
"And they mask those and how they bubble up later," she said. "It is the Super Bowl of dramatic roles. You just don’t get more intense than this role of Martha."
McWilliams said this is the 50th anniversary of "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
"Something that’s really interesting in working in shows that are old is sometimes you kind of feel their age," McWilliams said. "But this script feels as modern and contemporary and relevant as if it were written two weeks ago, and I find that very interesting about it."
And what about McWilliams acting instead of directing?
"For decades and decades that’s what I did," he said. "It’s a different mind-set to get back into it. It’s been a situation of getting the gears and cogs moving and working again."
Kirton said a major draw for her to do the play was having the opportunity to work alongside McWilliams as a fellow actor.
"I’ve been directed by him, which I love because he really does have a great way of communicating roles to me," she said. "We speak the same language where that’s concerned."
Buseick said it is great working with the four actors in the play, three of whom are former Centenary students.
"He (McWilliams) is an ex-student, Susie (Kirton) is an ex-student, Logan (Sledge) is an ex-student and Ellen (Lindsay) almost was an ex-student but she chose to go to Tulane and LSU, so it was great to bring her back as a professional actor," he said.
"So I felt like wow, what a perfect cast to work with; people I’ve worked with at different stages of their development and get them all together to do a show that I feel passionate about."
So what’s Buseick’s favorite production?
"I don’t have a favorite," said Buseick, who has directed more than 200 productions. "Usually when people ask me that, it’s the show I’m working on that’s my favorite."
IF YOU GO:
What:
"Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
When: 7:30 p.m. June 26-29; 3 p.m. June 30. East Bank Theatre, 630 Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City, Louisiana
Admission: $35; $10 for students and military with ID.
Information: (318) 868-5888
• Susan Kirton — Martha.
• Patric McWilliams — George.
• Logan Sledge — Nick.
• Ellen Lindsay — Honey.
Written by :Sherry P. ShephardThanx Sherry .... Nee
Photos by Neil Johnson/Special to The Times
