Spotlight On...Nick Abeel

Name: Nick Abeel

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Education: BFA University of Evansville

Select Credits: Anatomy of Gray (Homer, Kennedy Center); Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Joe Harper/Others, Denver Center); Checks and Balances (Rogers Little Theatre)

Why theater?: I have a lot of interests and I tend to get obsessed with things. Lately I've been obsessed with politics, fueled by "The West Wing" on Netflix and the NY Times app on my phone. I get really immersed in the world for a while and start having crazy thoughts like: "Maybe I want to be a politician..." But the beauty of theatre is that I could be a politician - and for a lot less than it costs to go to law school! Right now of course, grizzly bears are my other obsession. I just watched the documentary Grizzly Man - it's crazy - go watch it.  But really, theatre is all I've ever known. I started doing it as a kid and never stopped - never really seriously considered doing anything else. I love performing and theatre has always been my community - I like hanging out with creative people.

Tell us about Bears: Well bears, or Ursos arctos horribilis, are solitary creatures that - oh you mean the show. Woops. Bears tells the story of a post-apocalypitc world in which three zoo bears leave the world of human influence and go back to the wild. It's about the tension between instinct and intellect.

What is it like being a part of Bears?: Well, it's a unique challenge, being Bears. Haha. I guess I've tried to approach it like anything else. How do you portray a politician? We're still discovering in rehearsal which distinctly ursine qualities are helpful and where the line is. There's a great energy around the show. We've been selling these tote bags to promote the show and it's been fun to spot our friends using them around town. 59E59 has been wonderful so far.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like theater that is inherently theatrical - things with a lot of movement. Knee High Theatre. Theatre with music - Philip Glass.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Hal in Henry IV

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Being Alive" from Company

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Itamar Moses. I'd kill to be in a premiere of one of his plays.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Daniel Radcliffe in the live action version of "The Little Engine That Could"

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Circle Mirror Transformation

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Definitely gummy bears.

What’s up next?: I'm a company member at Amios and work in various capacities on their monthly show called Shotz! It goes up at Under St. Mark's the first Monday of every month. Check us out.

For more on Nick, visit http://www.nickabeel.com/. For more on Sans A, visit http://sansaproductions.org/