I met Eric Martindale
when we were working on a local independent film. There we became fast friends
by avoiding work and talked about LOST. During our years at Ball State, Eric
was a major player in the theatre section where he acted in shows like GOD’S EAR and directed one of my favorite productions at Ball State, ART.
Since graduating from
Ball State, Eric has moved to Chicago and started up the On Deck Theatre Company. Their first
production is a show called EMPTY BOTTLES (co-written by yours truly). It is
about a young man named Andy who is starting a new life with a
beautiful stranger named Charlotte and Jacob, the brother he never really
connected with.
The show opens on July
18th at the Straw Dog Theatre in Chicago for a limited three-night
engagement. Last night I chatted with Eric online to ask him about the origins
of the show and what his methods are like.
Austin Lugar: We're going to start off with an easy one. What
were you up to tonight?
Eric Martindale: Just got out of rehearsal. Listening to "Cannon
in D"... not sure why.
Austin: You're a classy guy. As we're getting down to
the final days, how have the rehearsals been?
Eric: Educational, frantic, stressful, wonderful... it's amazing
I'm always one second way from swelling with pride or having a heart attack.
There is a whole other element I've never contended with and that's being both
the writer and the director. Directing comes easy to me, but when it's my words
(and yours) I sometimes forget what it is I'm actually suppose to be doing. I
feel more on the line than ever.
