Questions For And Answers From Steve Hauck (Arthur)

 

1.  When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

When I was a senior in high school in Austin, Texas, two friends and I staged our own production of The Zoo Story by Edward Albee. After the play was over the theater was absolutely silent for what seemed like forever. The audience was stunned. Then they erupted from their seats with applause. I’m still seeking to recreate that effect with a performance.

 

2.  What are some of your career highlights?

My first professional gig out of college was the Ft. Worth Shakespeare in the Park. I played Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Angus in Macbeth. It was a real kick working with veteran performers and getting paid to act. My first Equity show was The 1940's Radio Hour at the Melody Top-in-the-Round Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It felt like a definite milestone. My first Broadway show was Irena's Vow at the Walter Kerr Theater. Walking out onto that historic stage for the first time is a moment I will never forget. 

 

3.  What has acting taught you?

Acting has taught me that life is a balance between grandiosity and humility. You have to be confident enough to risk the judgement of others, and humble enough know that you will never be perfect. You’re always learning. And you’re always just one small part of a much larger project.

 

4.  Do you prefer one medium to another?

I’m still more at home on the stage than in front of a camera. The process of rehearsal is uniquely challenging and satisfying. Performing for a live audience feels so electric and immediate.

 

5.  What are your passion projects or hobbies outside of acting?

For several years I have been on the Board of Trustees of my spiritual center, Unity of New York. Our vision is “a world consciously unified in love, that leaves no one out and invited everyone in.” I also love to play tennis!

 

6.  Is there a teacher, acting or otherwise, who has inspired you?

I’ve had many wonderful teachers. The most influential was probably Mary Ann Colias at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She directed me in Seascape by Edward Albee and Whose Life Is It Anyway by Brian Clark. She believed in me, and pushed me beyond my fears and self-imposed limitations.

 

7.  Do you have any particularly distinctive special skills?

Not really.

 

8. Do you have a favorite blog/site where you like to learn about what's going on in the entertainment industry?

Not really.

 

9. Have you ever taken on another position besides acting in the entertainment business?

I have directed and taught acting, and I started writing a play during the pandemic. We shall see...

 

10. Do you have a dream role?

I made a list at one time but I’m getting too old for most of them. Kevin Kline played Gary Essendine in Noel Coward’s Present Laughter to perfection at 70, so I still have time to put my stamp on that one. Hank Hadley in Paul Rudnick’s Regrets Only is a wonderful role. I played King Lear at 25 and would love another chance at him.