Timothy Jacob Brown Interview by Jen Bush

Timothy Jacob Brown will be starring in an exciting new production that re-tells the Rip Van Winkle tale called Impossible But True.  As a youth he was bitten by the acting bug in community theater and feels immense joy sharing his artistic gifts with eager audiences.  “As an actor, I started just learning how to express myself as a sad little, OCD-ridden nine year old in summer community theater. As theater helped me find my voice and my purest form of expression, I began seeing the beauty in sharing an experience with other people. To whisk someone away from a humdrum day here on earth and bring them to somewhere powerful beyond words, or funny as hell… that is what I live for. Acting is no longer just for me; it’s for everyone.”

While crafting his character, instead of injecting history into the role, he created a fully actualized character within the confines of the context of the piece.  “In regards to history and this show, it’s funny because I actually rejected the ideas of realistic American history and that’s what brought my performance to a place of such humor and realism. I think that the way our country was founded is an amazing story of over-throwing oppression… for some. So, when joining such a wonderful cast of people of all kinds of different backgrounds, races, genders, and loving relationships, I couldn’t help but think that this probably isn’t what many people of the time period necessarily wanted, but in asking for freedom for “all” you don’t get to choose who everyone is.”

Mr. Brown’s creative process is highly personal and dependent upon his character’s interactions with his fellow cast members.  “My creative process is typically to see how the show affects me as a performer and person. From there, I can adequately decide who this person is and I can play with their attitude towards other characters in the show. For instance, my character, Hubert, and another character, Anna, are an unlikely couple but end up married by the second act. After putting the work together and seeing how Hubert represents himself, Molly (who plays Anna) and I decided that the reason these two end up together is that through it all, they make each other laugh. It doesn’t mean anything to the rest of the story, but it allows us to influence each other’s performance every time we are together.”

This show is steeped in history and being presented in a historical location.  Some actors might feel an added sense of responsibility to portray their characters with a certain level of historical accuracy.  For Mr. Brown, his portrayal was all about the emotional lives of these characters in all of their glory and with all their flaws.  “I don’t really feel any reverence for American History. I think a lot of the thinking of the time was very hypocritical and, well, violent. But when it comes to this show, I found it really important to show these characters as real people who had feelings and humor and sexiness and sadness everyday just like everyone. So while I don’t think it’s important to show the realism of many of the horrendous things that made American culture at the time, I do think it’s important for any character I play to have a life, be a person, and not be perfect. Because if we can accept that these people weren’t perfect, we can accept that neither are we. We all need to keep striving for… as the show calls for, PROGRESS.”

Mr. Brown wants his audiences walking away happy and humming!  “Honestly, I just want the audience to come away from this show with a tune in their heads, some magic in their hearts, and hopefully not too much sway in their steps; gotta take it easy on the flip!”

The subject matter of this production might cause one to think of how the events of January 6^th were allowed to happen.  Mr. Brown has some sound and heartfelt thoughts on the matter.  “When it comes to January sixth, I feel rather compelled to discuss my multitude of emotions about it. Number one, to address the question, no. We should not be forgetting about the idea that hard-core nationalists infiltrated the capital building and made hundreds of leaders of our country scared for their lives. The fact that those who participated unironically claimed to be patriots is also something that will never leave my mind personally. Two, as a student who grew up in the public school system after the Kent State shooting and the Columbine shooting, and during the Parkland shooting and the Sandy Hook shooting, the amount of times that children’s literal screams for help went completely unheard by those in power is absurd. And what gets to me the most is that senators and those in power had the audacity to speak about how scared they were, when this is what children, teens, and young adults go through every single day. So for me, as a student at the time, January sixth was not about those people who were so misled by those in power, but rather about how those in power couldn’t listen to children dying until they were threatened themselves.”

California, here he comes!  After Impossible But True, Mr. Brown will be getting into the holiday spirit with his next gig.  “Up next, I actually have a job lined up out in California to perform on the Polar Express Train. I’m extremely excited, and so happy I get to go from one amazing group of people to another. Then, as always, I will be applying for more acting jobs and seeing what comes down the road after the Polar Express ends on December 28th. I’m always throwing my hat in the ring for all kinds of acting jobs!”