The Center for Tomorrow - a small, squat building at the corner of Flint and Maple Roads - might be as far from Broadway as any place in New York state.
But the gap was bridged Thursday afternoon when Steven Henderson, a theater and dance professor who appeared on Broadway this spring, spoke to a group of about 100 alumni.
During a lecture titled "Surviving in the Theater," Henderson discussed how to confront the task of keeping a job on Broadway.
"Survival is so personal as an artist, you want to put your DNA in it, your fingerprint," Henderson said. "You have to juggle three balls. If you drop two your have two hands to catch the last one."
Henderson starred as Sammy Bow in Regina Taylor's"Drowning Crows," an adaptation of Chekhov's "The Seagull." The production ran from Feb. 19 to April 4 at the Biltmore Theater.
In his career Henderson has received acclaim from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Los Angeles Drama Circle. Henderson's role as Turbow in "Jitney," an August Wilson play, led to an Obey award.
Henderson has acted in three August Wilson plays. He has been on Broadway twice and has also appeared off Broadway and in the London theater.
Born in Kansas City and educated at the Julliard School in New York, Henderson attributes his success to being an ensemble member. Henderson said he realized, early on, that he was not always going to play the largest role.
"It takes everybody to do it," he said. "Be prepared to play all the roles within the show. Be mission oriented towards the show and company minded. You have to ask yourself, what is it about? What are we trying to say here?"
Keeping a strong personal life is also important, Henderson said.
"My secret to success is my wife," he said. "There are support groups and help available, but my wife is a business woman, and she knew she was marrying an actor."
One of the most rewarding aspects of the theater is the response actors get from audiences, Henderson said.
"There is nothing more fulfilling then having someone walk up to you and say they enjoyed what the performance they saw you in," Henderson said. "The actors role is to serve society."
Often, even ensemble members who are in the back of the cast can be noticed by audience members, he said.
"An audience member approached me after a performance," Henderson said. "He had only seen my dramatic work. He stated was pleased to see me on stage, when I removed my costume. I later found out from his wife he was a physician. He had lost a patient that day, and she had brought him to the performance to cheer him up."
Sometimes actors need cheering up too, said Henderson, especially because finding and keeping jobs in the Broadway theater is so challenging. Henderson said the adversity of Broadway can motivate performers to do their best work.
Henderson said finding work in big theater markets is easy with the proper attitude and the realization that theater is a business.
"An attitude of gratitude is necessary where you should be thankful for work," Henderson said. "Appreciate other people's work. It's good to be around success. Remember it's a business - don't dress down to auditions. And be willing to take a risk. Every fear you overcome gives you freedom."
"I took so many steps backward I wound up in first," Henderson said, quoting Broadway star Shirley MacLaine.
Henderson's audience at the Center for Tomorrow, made up of many theater fans, was nearly as starry-eyed as his Broadway audiences.
"The lecture was exhilarating," said Cynthia Olszewski of the Class of 1957. "I got caught up in it. I especially remember the Shirley MacLaine quote. I loved that."
"He spoke from the heart," said Mary Lorich, a member of the class of 1959. "I like the theater but have never had any particular interest in acting. I found the lecture refreshing."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
