This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Alan Seales: Hey, everyone. Welcome back to The Theatre Podcast. I'm Alan Seales, and today's guest, Eric Sirakian, continues our takeover from The Kite Runner on Broadway. Gosh, an amazing show, an amazing story. Again, if you haven't seen this, you've got to go see it. It sheds so much light on regions of the world and things that everybody needs to know about. Eric is such an amazing dude as well. He's a shy kid who found his home on the stage, which is a story we hear a lot of. He found his tribe and his chosen family. He's already had this amazing experience both in New York and in London's West End, and his career is just taking off. This is his Broadway debut. He went both here in the States to Yale and in London in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Something he said resonated with me. He said he called Yale an education, but the Royal Academy acting training. So one was an education, one was training. Two different approaches to the craft. I'll let him tell it because I'm about to butcher the story. But Eric, if you're listening, thank you for sharing. An amazing, amazing time. And the vulnerability he has to have on stage every night is admirable. And we talk about how to come back from that, how to come back, go to that character, go to that dark place, and then come back and be Eric again. You have to, you have to let it go. So cannot wait to share this episode with you. Find me online, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok. Is there anywhere else?

Facebook. Yeah, I'm still on Facebook. Follow, give a like, give a rating, give a review. Five stars, please. That's what the Uber drivers say, right? I don't know. And now everybody, please enjoy this episode with Eric Sirakian. Here you go. One, two, three.

[1:57] Alan Seales: Today's guest is making his Broadway debut in The Kite Runner on Broadway, but he's an incredibly well-versed actor out of London with credits including The Jungle on the West End, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, and Pericles at the Shakespeare Globe. You can also find him in the upcoming Netflix film Havoc. Eric Sirakian, welcome to The Theatre Podcast.

[2:21] Eric Sirakian: Hi, Alan. Thank you so much for having me. Those names, Pericles, that's, it's the, those old Greek names that always get me. I, instead of Socrates, I always in my head, I'm like Socrates. Nope, nope, gotta get it, gotta get it right. So you went to, you actually studied at Yale and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which are two credits that definitely I want to cover because it's just incredible. But as a young lad, where did you first decide that this was your path or did you fall into it or was it a conscious choice?

[3:00] Eric Sirakian: Several things I think contributed to this. I, I was an only child. I'm very shy and so when my parents put me in my first acting class, which was like an acting class for kids, I was around four years old. It was like the best thing ever. I, I was, you know, got surrounded by other kids, which I, which was kind of rare for me and I got to express myself in a way, which as a shy kid was completely new and different. I think they say a lot of, a lot of actors are shy. I think this is true. They seem, they tend to seem extroverted and larger than life when you meet them at parties, but secretly deep down, I think a lot of them started as very shy kids. So I did, you know, my first kind of community theater production when I was six and caught the bug that way.

Another thing that happened in my life, which was a huge blessing, was I had a great aunt and uncle in London who we used to visit and my parents, starting when I was really young, maybe like eight, would even put me on a plane sometimes and send me off to London on my own to visit a couple weeks and then come back.

[4:40] Eric Sirakian: When you were eight? Yeah, during my school vacations. So, and they introduced me to the theater in London, starting with musicals and working up to plays, and I just completely fell in love. So London, I guess, was, was the place where I really thought this is, this is it. This is what I have to do, which is why I always wanted to go back there, which is why.

[4:57] Alan Seales: Yeah, you have this multicultural experience to kind of get the Americanized version and the, we'll call it the classic version, because it's interesting to me because when I talk to people on the West End, the culture out there, the attitude towards the arts is so, it's different in that, and tell me if you experience the same thing, but I was going to say it's different in that here in the States, it feels like everyone's treated more like a celebrity, whereas in the UK and London, out there in Europe, everyone is treated more like a necessity. Does that make sense?

[5:27] Eric Sirakian: You mean, um, acting and theater?

[5:32] Alan Seales: Yeah, acting, because it's, it's like part of life. You just go out to the theater, whereas in the States, it's, you know, it's how many followers you've got on Instagram and what headlines you're making, whereas in the UK, the West End, it's just, this is what we have to do. This is storytelling. This is art.

[5:48] Eric Sirakian: Yeah, unfortunately, recently, I think, um, London's West End is coming to resemble Broadway more and more in that way. I mean, what you're saying certainly was very true 10 years ago, and hopefully will stay true. I just see a trend of the celebrity thing happening now a little bit over there as well.

[6:08] Alan Seales: Well, you don't have a British accent, so I assume you grew up, at least grew up, if not were born in America. So, um, what's your, what's your heritage now? Because I know that you, you do have some, uh, some heritage, um, from a family perspective that, uh, that is from Afghanistan and whatnot, right?

[6:27] Eric Sirakian: Um, no, my family is Armenian, actually.

[6:31] Alan Seales: Oh, Armenian, okay. So, um, same part of the world, but I had to do a lot of research on the Afghanistan side of things to learn about that culture, because it was, it was very new to me. So, but you, are you, um, were you born in America?

[6:46] Eric Sirakian: And then, like, I guess, okay, I'm, I'm asking five million questions at once right now, because there's so much I want to ask you about. Uh, okay, so start out, okay, talk about the Armenian heritage.

[6:55] Eric Sirakian: So, yeah, I'm a first generation American, but I'm also 100% Armenian on both sides. Um, my parents were both Armenian, met in the Boston area when they were students. And yeah, I, I'm very, very close to that culture and that language. It was my first language when I was growing up. So I learned English when I went to school, when I was around five. And, uh, yeah, it's a very important part of who I am. We, we are, we're a small tribe, the Armenians, but we're very, very proud. And, um, I would say very accomplished for being small in numbers. Um, Kim Kardashian is who often comes to mind, but we have lots of amazing artists and innovators and, um, leaders all around the world.

[7:48] Alan Seales: Okay. So Armenian, then it sounds like, uh, that, that your, your parents met in Boston when they're going to, uh, going to school. And, um, I guess when they were putting you in, in performing in classes and whatnot, when you were four and then you were starting to do theater and whatnot, did they ever, uh, do they always support that side of you or were they more, um, academic focused? Were they always more like, well, always get a fallback or, you know, what was, what was sort of that upbringing?

[8:19] Eric Sirakian: I had a really, I was really blessed as a kid and I had a really amazing, um, childhood because my parents, uh, let me try all kinds of things. So the acting class was like one of a dozen things maybe that I got to try, like playing the violin, playing soccer, um, camp, you know, all kinds of stuff. Uh, which was, it was such a blessing because I got, I got to really find out what it is that I like. I didn't, um, I left no stone unturned and sports definitely wasn't it. Um, I wasn't very good at that and I was very good at school. Um, I made, I made good grades, but, uh, this, this is the thing that I love more than anything. And in the beginning, of course, being immigrant parents from a particular culture and a particular mindset in the beginning, of course, it was a little bit like, what really is that?

Are you sure that's what you want to do? Um, which, uh, is not unlike a conversation that happens between Amir and Baba in our play where he says, I want to be a writer. And he, and Baba says, come on, get a real job, be a lawyer, be a doctor, whatever. Um, so of course those conversations happened and you know, it was around high school, maybe when I was feeling really serious about it and talking, like, this is something I want to do. And I have to say, I was really, really, um, blessed to have parents who ultimately were very supportive because, uh, they saw how much I loved it. I think after a certain point, maybe in college, they, they saw that I was actually not terrible at it. Um, and, uh, yeah, and they, they really enjoy it. They love the arts. They love music and theater and it's a big part of, um, their life anyway. So I think all of those factors came together, um, for them to, to get behind it and get really excited.

[10:20] Alan Seales: And then at Yale, did you, did you study performing theater drama at Yale specifically?

[10:26] Eric Sirakian: It's, um, it was very, the theater major was very academic. I was an English major and theater studies, double major. The acting and the performing stuff that all happened outside of class. So I did loads of plays. I, I directed plays, I wrote plays, acted in plays, and it was, it was the most awesome undergrad, I think, well, I've only had, I've only tried one, so I can't compare, but it was a really awesome undergrad to go to if, if you just want to get to make lots of theater, because there was so much happening. There's so much talent, so many resources and support from the most amazing teachers and faculty who, uh, one of them came yesterday actually to see the show and surprised me. So, you know, to this day, I feel their love and support.

[11:17] Eric Sirakian: Um, and it was very special.

[11:20] Alan Seales: That I like that they, they sort of ask you to try the different facets of it, like acting and directing and writing and whatnot. And at any point, I kind of, I kind of was curious and I wanted to, yeah, I wanted to really figure out what it is I love. And, and in the end, acting is the thing that, that rose above all the rest. What is it about acting over the other forms of entertainment?

[11:41] Eric Sirakian: I love writing too. I really love writing. It just feels that with acting and writing you're really at the, you're really at the center of, of make, of telling the story. Uh, I loved directing, but for theater, I kind of felt like as a director, I was kind of a facilitator. I was, my job was to, was to get the best out of everyone who was actually up there. And I'm sure theater directors would disagree and there's a lot more to it. And maybe I wasn't a very good one, but, um, I, yeah, I love being in the, in the fire, in the heart of what's happening.

[12:20] Alan Seales: That's, uh, uh, speaks to, I think a, a, a different type of mindset because I, I like the idea of directing because directing along, I was going to say directing comes with the element of control. So if you like to control the bigger picture, you can be a director, but it also comes with the stress of being in charge because if things go wrong, it's your fault, more or less, you know, it's in many ways a thankless job because you get a lot of blame and maybe not enough credit.

[12:54] Eric Sirakian: Right. That's actually a really good point. If everything works, then it's just like, Oh, look at that great lighting design. Look at that great solo over there. But yeah, if it doesn't work, it's like.

[13:06] Alan Seales: Well, yeah, you're right. Oh, that is, that's horrible. Okay. All right. Remind me not to go into directing. Um, producing, that's different. That's fun because then you can help directors do their thing and create great actors. So the training though, you went to Yale, then to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. And, uh, I guess so now you've, you've gone to school. Not only have you performed in London on the West End and on Broadway now, but you've got to school in London and in New York or Connecticut, you know, we'll call it, we'll call this the New York area. Um, so what was the difference for you in the training that you got at Yale versus the Academy of Dramatic Art? Like being out there in London, was it a different approach?

[13:50] Eric Sirakian: I didn't get much training at Yale. Yale was an education. You know, it was, it was a chance to, um, learn about the world, you know, learn all kinds of things. Uh, learn about myself, try a lot in terms of theater making and, and get an experience of it. But when we talk about training, that's what I got at drama school. That was like really, really practical, um, elements of craft, how to use your body, how to use your voice, how, um, how to inhabit a character, how to, you know, uh, use text, how to get out of your head and, and, you know, live fully in the present moment, how to bring all of these elements together. They were very different experiences. And, and I, um, I think it's, I think it's important and great for, for actors to know about the world, to have an education that's a little bit broader than just how to use your voice. So, I, I feel really, um, I keep saying blessed and lucky that, that I had that first. I think it set me up really well to then, um, just, just focus on the craft.

[15:09] Alan Seales: There's a, and there's a lot of craft in The Kite Runner. It is a very touching, very heartfelt, very, uh, I was going to say intimate, if that's the right word. It's, it's, it's raw and, and it exposes a lot of, um, a lot about especially non-American culture that, that a lot of people just kind of take, don't realize that they take their own lives for granted here in the States or other parts of the world. Right. And for, so I guess real quick before we get into the actual, like deeper topic of this, of The Kite Runner, like, can you summarize, have you practiced, have you practiced at this as summarizing the overall, uh, family story about that is the heart of the show?

[15:58] Eric Sirakian: Oh, um, you want me to say what the show is about? Yes. That's a better way of putting it. Well, it's, it's about, um, two best friends. Uh, one is very rich and well off, um, has a wealthy businessman dad. The other is his servant. He, um, so wealthy dad and wealthy kid have, um, servant dad, servant kid who live with them, you know, in their estate and take care of everything. But these two kids, the servant and the rich kid grow up together. They're best friends. Something really, really bad happens where the wealthy kid ends up betraying the servant kid and spends his whole life, um, with guilt about that, that decision and that moment of his life. And in the, uh, after going to America, becoming really, um, successful as a writer, getting married, um, having a great life. Basically, he's called back to Afghanistan to, um, do something which will redeem him, redeem himself for the, for the wrong that he committed when he was 12 years old.

[17:18] Alan Seales: That's a very, it's a good summary. You left out. Yeah. You left out the really, uh, the, the surprise twists for anyone who hasn't read the book or, or seen the show, which is good, which is good. Yeah. And too many spoilers. So.

[17:31] Eric Sirakian: Yeah. You don't want to give away spoilers. Most people come to the show having read the book. So, but you don't have, you can, it's a, it's a good experience I think if you haven't.

[17:41] Alan Seales: Oh, it totally is. And in the way, the way though, that, that, uh, it would translate it from the book to stage. It doesn't leave anything out as far as I can tell.

[17:51] Eric Sirakian: Like the whole story is there. Yeah. It's very faithful to the book. So.

[17:55] Alan Seales: Yeah. The whole story is there. And the way, um, like Salar, uh, the, the tabla player and like you and the rest of the cast are using the instruments, the handheld noise, noise makers, instruments on stage, right? Like the whole thing is like watching, um, a movie because we've got underscoring the entire time. It's not a musical, there's no singing, but there's music and rhythm. And, uh, you know, you're, whether we realize it or not, after, you know, three minutes in the music just becomes part of the story along with the things that make the wind noise. And I think what Salar does especially is amazing. It's so, so much the, um, the emotional, uh, core of what we're doing without it. I don't think, yeah, it would be nearly as impactful. Music is just so powerful.

[18:50] Eric Sirakian: Oh, absolutely.

[18:52] Alan Seales: So when did you first then really, uh, start getting connected with the process of, of being involved with this production of The Kite Runner?

[19:01] Eric Sirakian: Well, I found out that I was going to be doing it at the very beginning of March, but we weren't starting rehearsals until, uh, beginning of June. So that gave me about, what is that? Three months to prepare on my own. And I knew I was going to have to use that time because rehearsal period was very short. It was only three weeks in the rehearsal room, one week of tech, a couple of weeks of previews. But, um, with this kind of story and, and especially like I, I mentioned before in, uh, entering and, and inhabiting a culture, which is different from my own. Um, I knew I was going to need, you know, all the, all the time I could get. So it started for me in, I guess, I guess in February when we were auditioning, that's when it really started. Um, that's when I started investigating the story and rereading the book and everything. But then, um, yeah, the research and prep in earnest began in March.

[20:05] Alan Seales: Well, how, how did the audition come around? Because you said you auditioned in February, this 2022. And, uh, the production was already in, uh, was on the West End doing, doing well out there. And like Damien Sandus, the associate associate director came over with the production and helped stand it up here in, on Broadway and whatnot. So I guess at what point, um, did you find out that you were going, did you know you were going in specifically for, um, one role or the other, or was it just kind of coming in and doing, doing your monologue and they'll place you where they like you?

[20:42] Eric Sirakian: So the production was in the West End a few years ago. It was actually, uh, it was actually on the West End while I was still in drama school. Um, and, uh, I had heard about it. I had good friends who were in it. Um, so I knew, I knew a little bit about it. And when I heard it was, it was going to be in New York. Um, I wrote to one of those friends who was in the show and I said, you know, I just read, I just read the breakdown for this. Do you think I, I would be good as, um, Hassan and Saurabh? That seems like a really interesting role. And he said, uh, yeah, you should give it a go. I mean, he wasn't, he wasn't hugely, uh, hugely for or against me, me trying. But I think just having someone say, yeah, give it a go.

Gave me enough confidence to put my name forward. I went to the open call audition, the actor's equity open call, because I'm a, I'm a member of actor's equity. Um, and that was, that was on zoom. Actually the entire process was on zoom, which worked out great for me because I was in London. You know, I wasn't, I'm living in New York at the time. Uh, so I did that. Um, they asked me to tape, send in a tape for Hassan and Saurabh after that initial meeting with the casting director, Laura Stanzik. Um, then there were three meetings with Giles and our director and the rest of the creative team that followed that. So it was like a five step process. Before I finally got the offer, um, all virtual, all on zoom, Giles and I did meet in London after I had gotten the role just to touch base and I had some questions and wanted to, yeah, wanted to get some more information from him before we started. But, um, everything, everything up until the offer was on a screen, which is very, very strange and also really lucky for me.

[22:49] Alan Seales: Wow. That's so cool. I didn't realize that it was all, uh, that you were auditioning for New York from London. Yeah, that's, that's really, really neat. And, uh, especially, I mean, I guess, I guess Saurabh too, but I was gonna say, especially Hassan, like there are some just horrible things that, that happened to, to both of these children in the story. And I guess when you are approaching this, when you're starting to study the text and build these two characters and you have to build two characters, right? They're two distinct different people in the same show. So you're one act or one character in the act one and the other character in act two. And when you're starting to approach this, given the subject matter, like how did, how did they work with you on, um, making this seem real without it going too far? And, and then also the latter part of the question is like, how do you, Eric, separate yourself from this at the end of the night and go home and not let it affect you?

[23:47] Eric Sirakian: Uh, that's a really big question. So in terms of making the scene real and everything, we have a brilliant fight director, Tom Shaw. He's one of the best. He's, he's done probably every other show you've seen on Broadway, if not more. Um, and you know, we, we will, he's, he's just has a really great eye for storytelling. Um, so we made sure that, you know, that it was very clearly and tastefully told, you know, so that the audience would understand what happened, what happens without, um, you know, without, uh, going, going over the top with it. Uh, because actually in, I think the power of suggestion is sometimes a lot greater than, than actual visual representation.

[24:43] Alan Seales: Leave it to your imagination. It can get worse.

[24:45] Eric Sirakian: Yeah, exactly. So, um, that's how we did it. That's, that was the approach and everyone was really, um, I mean, every night, everyone does that scene is really kind and respectful and we always practice it, uh, at fight call before we, um, before we opened the house.

[25:05] Alan Seales: Um, in terms of dealing with the, the heavier subject matter.

[25:09] Eric Sirakian: Um, I take a shower after every show, uh, even on a two show day, even if we have a matinee, I take a shower because I, I don't like to, um, enter the world carrying any of that. Um, I think my training probably really, uh, built up my, my inner strength, my ability to step in and out of roles and separate myself. But it, you know, certain roles do require a little bit of extra self care and I don't shower after every, every play that I do this one, I do have to.

[25:52] Alan Seales: So that's really interesting.

[25:56] Eric Sirakian: So you're like washing off the, the ick, the story so you can become Eric again. It's like metaphorical and literal that you're just like, all right, just letting it all go down the drain.

[26:10] Eric Sirakian: To remind me to separate, you know, from all of it.

[26:14] Eric Sirakian: Was that part of the training? Like, was that something you developed on your own or did, like, part of the training that you received over life where they're like, you've got to find something. You have to know that you need to find something that's going to help you separate and detach yourself from this character that you then flip a switch and can go back into eight times a week. They didn't really put it that way, but what happens in training is that you really are pushed to extremes, you know. You really are made to go to some really, really dark places and some really scary places within a very, very safe environment. So, you know, having to learn that on your own on a job I think would be really hard, but within the context of drama school where you have lots of support and, you know, the wisdom of your teachers and everything, I got to practice doing this type of thing and I got, in practicing, I also had a chance to experiment with and figure out what works for me in terms of all the stuff I do around it to make it possible.

Like, something I took up in drama school, this was in our second year, we were doing Greek tragedy and it was really a really hard project. It was one of my hardest projects. I didn't have any fun. I mean, I really hated the process and I had to figure out what to do outside of all of that to deal with it. I took up meditation. So now I do TM, which is transcendental meditation. I was inspired by David Lynch, who's one of my favorite filmmakers, who practices TM as well. And it's a really simple technique of finding a little bit of quiet for yourself twice a day, once in the morning, once at night. That just came, that's just something I reached for and came up and incorporated into my life based on what I was being asked to do in school.

I do it to this day. It's been more than five years, I think, that every day I meditate twice a day. So things like that came out of the experience. It's not like my teacher said, you should meditate. It's just having the chance to practice and try things and realize what I need in those three years.

[28:45] Alan Seales: That's tough. And I've heard stories about this that are similar. Really serious drama training, acting training, can be compared to group therapy because you're going down some very dark places or exploring things that are really uncomfortable about yourself and you're doing it in a room of sometimes relative strangers, but you have to be made to feel safe and you can't feel judged. I just think that's incredibly hard. And it's probably a good way to weed out people who really can't take it seriously or aren't comfortable going to that extra dark place, right?

[29:28] Eric Sirakian: Yeah, the difference between acting and therapy is like therapy is for yourself. It's to heal yourself. And acting is in service of something. So you might need a lot of therapy to do acting, but they're definitely not the same. Obviously, yeah, you bring yourself to the acting, so you may need a lot of support outside of it in order to make that possible. Do you have a favorite moment from The Kite Runner that is not when you're on stage, and it doesn't have to do with Hasan and Saurabh?

[30:03] Eric Sirakian: I love the wedding. I love the dances. I don't get to watch them because at that point I'm upstairs in my dressing room getting ready for my entrance as Saurabh. But I hear the music and I hear the joy. Obviously, I've seen it in rehearsals and in the dress, and that's one moment that I really wish I could have been a part of because it's a moment of joy and authentic Afghan culture and dancing and music.

[30:33] Alan Seales: Oh, yeah, you mentioned this at the beginning that you had to learn a lot about Afghan culture, and then the show has a cultural advisor. Let me know if I'm saying her name right, Humaira Gilzai?

[30:45] Eric Sirakian: Yeah, she's awesome. She's been so helpful. I play a character who is Hazara, which is an ethnic minority in Afghanistan. So first thing that came to my mind when I got the part, I thought I have to learn the language, and I have to learn about who these people are and what it means to be Hazara. So I found a PhD student at SOAS, which is a university at London, Rabia Khan, who was doing her dissertation on Hazaras, and I went and I met with her and I asked her a bunch of questions. She was really helpful, and she actually put me in touch with about a dozen members of the Hazara community in London, and in New York, actually. And I wrote to all of them. Every single one responded. Every single one met with me.

I had like, yeah, like 12 or so interviews with people, most of whom had very recently left Afghanistan, who were able to tell me about the Hazara history, culture, what it means to be in an ethnic minority, and all of the persecution that they faced over the years in Afghanistan. I mean, it's just like unbelievable what these people have gone through, and unbelievable also is their resilience and their hope and their courage. And, you know, there was basically a policy of mass extermination of Hazaras in the 1890s, which set a precedent for these people being seen as like outsiders, they don't belong, they're not pure Afghans, because Pashtuns are the dominant ethnic group. These people are also Shia Muslim for the most part, whereas the majority are Sunni, so it was really a racist thing, because they look different.

They're called like the Chinese people of Afghanistan. They have slightly Asian-looking features. So a racist thing which was justified by the religious thing. They were attacked on religious grounds, but really it was racist. And, you know, as recently as April, Hazara school was targeted. Some like 16 high school kids were killed. So this is ongoing, and to hear these people talk about their story, not as like ancient history, but as something that they're facing every single day. You know, most of them had relatives still in the country, and that also was like a huge motivator to really do right by them, you know, to tell this story well, and to learn about it, to tell it properly, to do a good job.

So I'm so grateful to all of them, they were so generous. Also, I felt a lot of parallels between my history as an Armenian and what these people are going through. You know, there was an Armenian genocide in 1915, and my people have faced persecution at the hands of the Turks. I would say it's more ancient history, but there was a recent war with Azerbaijan, which shows that that kind of animosity and hatred towards Armenians continues. So yeah, I felt a bond with these people in terms of shared history, and yeah, it made me really excited to be able to tell this story.

[34:30] Eric Sirakian: What I really love is that it's just so rich. The story is so rich, it offers so much for an actor to explore. I mean, we haven't even talked about the whole exploration of what it means to be 11, you know, as an actor who's not 11 and inhabiting that physically. There's just so much to explore, and it's so cool when you get a role like that. Maybe, I mean, I guess this is slight nerd in me speaking up, but I really get excited when there's a lot to dig into and explore.

[35:04] Alan Seales: Well, I think it goes to show that you love the work, you love the craft, and this is what you need to be doing, because you're putting the time in to make it real and authentic and taking it with you, you know, learning the language, learning the food, learning all about the history. The history is probably one of the most important things that everyone should know about, and that's part of what The Kite Runner—I mean, it's a fictional story, but it's based on completely true events that are being paralleled even to today. It's really sad. Well, on that high note, let's wrap up with three questions, closing standard questions I ask everybody. So the first one, just very simply, is what motivates you?

[35:52] Eric Sirakian: I get really excited. There's still like a little kid in me when I watch something, whether it's a play or a movie or I read something, a story that just like completely transports me and, yeah, takes me on a journey and teaches me something about the world and inspires me by its beauty, by the sheer brilliance of the talent behind it. I'm still awestruck by works of art, and if I can work towards that, if I can create a meaningful experience in someone else's life, that's the best thing. I mean, a metaphor for this, I love cooking when I have an audience. I love to put something in front of someone and they say, oh, that's so delicious, thank you so much. I think acting is the same. You can offer something that makes somebody's day better.

[36:34] Alan Seales: All right, so the next question is what advice would you give to your younger self and younger people listening now starting out down a similar path?

[37:00] Eric Sirakian: Wow, a lot. But maybe most simply, if you love it, if you really love it, and if you really desire it, and if you focus on those things rather than all of the fear and anxiety and worry and practical concerns and whatever, if your love and your desire lead you, then everything works out.

[37:31] Alan Seales: That's beautiful. There's our mic drop quote right there. All right, last question. This is super hard. If you could only see one show for the rest of your life, but you could see it as many times as you want, what would you see?

[37:41] Eric Sirakian: Oh, my God. A show like a theater show.

[37:45] Alan Seales: Sure.

[37:46] Eric Sirakian: First thing that comes to mind.

[37:47] Alan Seales: Oh, my God.

[37:50] Eric Sirakian: As many times as I want.

[37:54] Alan Seales: Like a show, not like a play in different productions.

[38:00] Eric Sirakian: Well, interpret it.

[38:01] Alan Seales: I let everyone interpret it how they want to.

[38:03] Eric Sirakian: So, like, what do you most desire to see over and over again, even in different incarnations?

[38:08] Eric Sirakian: Okay. Oh, I'd have to pick. I mean, I can never get tired of, like, Tennessee Williams. I'll say A Streetcar Named Desire. I could see that a million times.

[38:25] Alan Seales: Well, now you got to go see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof off Broadway if your schedules don't completely conflict. But, yeah, that's good. Okay, where can we find you on social media?

[38:35] Eric Sirakian: Well, I'm new to Instagram, but I now have Instagram. I'm on Facebook, and I'm barely on Twitter, but I also have Twitter.

[38:47] Alan Seales: That works. Twitter. Who knows what's going to happen with Elon, buying it or not buying it. Who knows? You can get more of me and more episodes like this at thetheaterpodcast.com. I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Yeah, I'm on TikTok. I'll say I'm on TikTok. Please leave a rating and a review wherever you are listening. Thank you to Jukebox the Ghost for the intro and outro music, and Eric Sirakian, thank you so much. I've had such a good chat. I really appreciate it.

[39:12] Eric Sirakian: I'm a fool.