Stretch Armstrong and Evil Knievel.
If you are child of the seventies, as I am - then Stretch Armstrong and Evil Knievel may be names with which you are quite familiar. Stretch was a toy 'wrestler' whose body could be pulled and twisted in weird ways so as to overwhelm his opponent. Knievel, on the other hand, was an iconic figure of the time known for his daring motorcycle feats and whose popularity spawned a variety of different action figure toys, all of which were very popular with kids of a certain age.
For an only child, Stretch and Knievel were great playmates. They were my first scene partners in made up adventures of complex mayhem; also, they were the first 'actors' that I 'directed'. Through these elaborately created scenes, I became hooked on telling stories.
I am still telling stories, but now I do it with real people instead of toys. The passion and unabashed excitement of that 10-year old me lives at the center of my life in the arts. And I take great joy in collaborating with fellow artists to find the best way to communicate a good story. As an actor and director, nothing gives me greater satisfaction than to feel and witness the strong emotional connection that can be made between an artist and the audience. It is the life blood of this work. And the reason why I do it.
I am always looking for the next story to tell. Have a look around my site, and feel free to reach out if you think that we might do that together.
"I regard the theatre as a serious business, one that makes or should make man more human, which is to say less alone."
- Arthur Miller
©2019 Sean W. Byrd