Artist Story: Molly Brennan

An interview with CAR Theater Researcher Dan Granata

Molly Brennan is a singular performer—both in her animate, physical presence onstage and in the unique swath of Chicago theater experiences she has amassed. Though many know her name from her much-talked-about (and to some “controversial”) turn as Harpo in the Goodman’s staging of Animal Crackers, Chicago audiences have come to know her through a host of dynamic roles on storefront stages across the city, including the acrobatic “Mikako the Flying Samurai” in House Theatre’s Curse of the Crying Heart (for which she was given a Joseph Jefferson Award in 2006). For the past decade she has made her artistic home with 500 Clown, the circus act/improvisation-based ensemble that has become renowned for an original, off-kilter, and unpredictable blend of high concepts and old-fashioned clowning. Molly Brennan is an artist who makes increasingly frequent jumps between the fringiest of fringe work and some of the biggest regional houses. We asked her to share her perspective on building a life in the theater, how she measures success, and how she views the traditional “actor’s career ladder.”

How did you get your start performing? I imagine you were not a quiet kid.
I have always used theater as a way to experience the world. Making theater and performing were part of my family’s vocabulary. I found it was my favorite way to be with other people. As for being a quiet kid, I was, actually, when I was very young and interacting with non-family members. I was a pretty serious teenager, and in college, studying Shakespeare, I never saw myself as a comic actress—until I played Lady Bracknell my senior year…and I liked riding the laughs.

You’ve said that seeing 500 Clown Macbeth changed your life. How? Were there things you were doing at the time—either on or offstage—that you completely reevaluated after that experience?

500 Clown changed my life. At that time, I was acting on the storefront scene as a company member of Factory, where I did a ton of stuff with fantastically creative folks and had a lot of great opportunities to write and perform. I was making my living as a variety performer, mostly at Navy Pier, which at the time was home to some of the finest talent in the area. I liked making my living as an improviser and atmospheric character to support my “legitimate theater” work in the evenings. Then I got hired to be a Clown Doctor at Comer Children’s Hospital with Big Apple Circus, so I already had a foot in the door of the clown world.

In 1999, I saw 500 Clown Macbeth at Charybdis. The liveness, the humor, the physicality, and the one-foot-on-the-earth-the-other-in-a dream was pure freaking magic. ‘How do I get to do this work?’ I asked myself. The original third clown left for New York. Paul, Adrian and Leslie held auditions and adopted me.

[500 Clown’s motto] “Life Is Worth the Risk” is more than a tagline. When I started working with Paul and Adrian, I was challenged in a way I had never been before, physically and emotionally: the celebration of the impulse; the struggle of stageworthiness; the pleasure and pain of complicit partnership. It was an exploration of recognizing limits and honoring them and smashing them. The last ten years of my life with 500 Clown have not only yielded an incredible onstage toolset, but they’ve also provided a guide for living off the stage as well. They have also made me more mad! Constantly busting myself open and ripping into painful places and sailing on the love and generosity of a sports-event-style audience can mess one up! But it’s the kind of “messed up” that I think is valuable, and I like the way I’m living.

You got a lot of attention for playing Harpo at the Goodman, and I would almost say the coverage verged on “local girl makes good”—the idea that this hard-working, long-suffering Chicago artist had finally hit the big time. But you’ve hit “big” stages before: at Second City, Steppenwolf, and Lookingglass, all the while performing with 500 Clown all over the country. As an actor, how do you put these opportunities in perspective, and how do they relate to your artistic development and your career development?

My way of being onstage [combines] every interest, want, and experience of mine with conscious choices about character and state. My 500 Clown exploration has been all about figuring out the most beautiful and hideous pieces of myself and celebrating them with my partners. Now this process is second nature. I’ve developed a fascination with my own fears and limits and work constantly to push toward those, instead of turning away from them.
Playing Harpo ruled for so many reasons: the cast was incredible and I loved all of them; the role was an absolute pleasure to perform; the things they have [at the Goodman] and can do make for a comfortable and rich experience. It was just a great place to go to work, and I felt very much like Harpo. I was a clown in this rich setting, thinking ‘I can’t quite figure out how I got here, but damn—are those free sandwiches?’

The “suffering artist girl makes good” story is great for others. It provides an allegory for people who feel like they’re working hard and not being rewarded, maybe. For me, it was a sweet role with a sweet paycheck and some awesome exposure and articles for my resume. Don’t get me wrong: I could get used to working at theatres like the Goodman all year round, but it’s not a goal of mine. It’s part of the whole ride…

One of the best times I ever had was my first show with 500 Clown in 2000. We performed on the bar at the Pontiac in Wicker Park. I will never forget it. The Tribune wasn’t there, and I didn’t have a dresser—and it was one of the best nights of my life. Examining the role of “big exposure” shows, I would say the contribution they make…is legitimizing me to people who don’t know who I am. There is great value in that; it helps me get my next job. Of course, the thing we all hope for is that the artistic experience is as valuable as the promotional benefits. In the case of Animal Crackers, I got both in abundance!

Do you have dreams of a “conventional” acting career: prominent stage roles at the big equity houses and/or commercial/film/TV success? If not, did you ever?
I don’t. I haven’t. Here is my dream: to wake up every morning, looking forward to what I have to do that day. How is that dream going? Well, I don’t sleep a whole lot. I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning, drink my coffee, and get whatever it is started. And it’s been years of that. I am enjoying mind-blowing success.

Do you have any advice for folks trying to make their way as performers?

Advice, once put in to words, seems to jinx itself. Here is what I do: I imagine what the perfect life is for me and what qualities I most want as a person. Then I allow the gifts that are given me to enhance and change these ideas, so I'm not on a straight path without flexibility or imagination. Here are some examples:

I want to begin every day pleasantly.

Every morning, I’ll have a nice stretch or go for a brisk walk with my dog. I’ll make breakfast for myself and sit by the window having coffee and something delicious and read or listen to the news.

I want to work as an actor.

Every time a project begins and concludes, I’ll send out a friendly letter and updated resume to casting directors. I’ll drink coffee with potential collaborators whenever I have the time. I’ll make up stuff to do onstage and keep my eyes and ears and heart open for inspiration. I’ll see a lot of things and be good to work with.

I want to be healthy. 

I will exercise every day and eat five different kinds of vegetables daily. I’ll have a cocktail every once in a while. I will go to sleep (working really hard on this one!)

This isn’t really advice—just what I'm doing, what works for me. Making the life [you] want to live is not just about dreams or wanting; it's about doing things to make stuff happen and not having too rigid an idea of what that stuff is. Magical things happen, but it's because we gather the materials and chant the spell. Find delight in the dragon that appears even if you really wanted a princess.

Molly Brennan was most recently seen as The Professor (Harpo Marx) in Animal Crackers at the Goodman Theatre. She is a company member of Barrel of Monkeys and has enjoyed performing with the House Theatre of Chicago, Factory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theater, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Lifeline, and Second City Theatricals. In February 2010, she joined the cast of Lookingglass Alice, touring cities in the U.S. and landing in Chicago this summer. As a company member of 500 Clown, Molly has proudly played Madame Barker in 500 Clown and the Elephant Deal, and Kevin in 500 Clown Frankenstein, 500 Clown Macbeth, and 500 Clown Christmas.