Upclose with Stark Raven Mad
Scott Sauer stars in the one-man show “Stark Raven Mad.” Based on the creepy, crazy stories of 19th century author Edgar Allan Poe, the show is scheduled for this Halloween weekend. Sauer talks to Hayley Thomas about going mad and dancing like Gumby.
HK Magazine: Why Poe? Is he really still scary?
Scott Sauer: I love the characters; they are just so odd. They have the dark elements that reside in all of us. One thing that I think about often is when you are driving a car on a mountain road and you have that flash of instinct to drive right off the cliff, or when you are standing on a ferry and something inside you makes you want to plunge into the water. I have this - I think all people have these impulses. But Poe’s characters don’t just think about it, they take the plunge.
HK: Any history of insanity in the family?
SS: I don’t prostrate myself in the street, screaming and yelling obscenities. That’s why I act because I get to do those things in a socially acceptable situation. Poe’s characters all have an element of insanity in their lives and yeah, I’ve felt it a few times and I think that it’s always there. It’s a valuable thing to feel and understand.
HK: Have any of your roles driven you mad?
SS: A few years ago I was involved with the “Glass Menagerie,” where I played Tom Winfield. As an actor you experience a lot of situations you wouldn’t otherwise experience. I put myself in a flat with a very controlling mother and disabled sister whom I was supporting and I abandoned them. That was a lot to deal with. You have to be careful that you don’t go too far. You need to keep that division between yourself and the character.
HK: How do you let loose?
SS: I’m rubber, I can dance like rubber, a certain thing happens in my limbs, they just become Gumby-ish. It feels good.
HK: Poe is a suitable Halloween show – any favorite trick or treat moments from when you were young?
SS: When I was a kid I dressed up as a militant, went into a convenience store and stole some candy. They were even giving stuff away for free but instead, I went to the aisles and filled a pillowcase with candy. My mother will kill me when she reads this but I got away with it - I was crafty.