ASK THE ARTIST: HENRY WORONICZ

Ayanna Bria Bakari and Henry Woronicz in IRT’s 2017 production of The Originalist.

Henry Woronicz is well-known to IRT audiences for his portrayals of commanding and complex characters such as Antonin Scalia in The Originalist, Mark Rothko in Red, and The Poet in An Iliad. He has also directed IRT’s rousing renditions of Romeo and Juliet and The Three Musketeers. We caught up with Henry in anticipation of his return in this fall’s production of Twelve Angry Men.
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​WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE ROLE TO PLAY, SO FAR?
The best thing, perhaps, is to give you a list of a number of my favorite roles to date: The title roles in Peer Gynt, Richard III, and Cyrano de Bergerac, the role of Falstaff in Henry IV part One, and The Duke in Measure for Measure have all been very satisfying and special for me. Specifically at IRT, I would say Marc Rothko in Red, and of course The Poet in An Iliad.

WHAT IS A DREAM ROLE YOU HOPE TO PLAY SOMEDAY?
I have played King Lear once already, and very much look forward to doing it again at some point in time. A deep and endless challenge, it’s a role that always calls to an actor. I would also very much like to play Hickey in Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh. And anything in a Chekhov play…

IF YOU WEREN’T AN ACTOR, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?
I would have to say a painter or writer. I am inherently drawn to the creative spirit, and I believe if I hadn’t found the theatre as a medium of expression, one of the other Arts would have captured me instead.

IF YOU COULD EAT DINNER WITH ANYONE, ALIVE OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
Dead: William Shakespeare. I mean, just because…!! A living person would have to be Bruce Springsteen. I have grown up with his music and spirit and he remains a modern day heroic bard to me.

FOR WHAT IN YOUR LIFE DO YOU FEEL MOST GRATEFUL?
I am most grateful for the fact that I have created a full and satisfying life as a performing artist in America, a country which is not always conducive to allowing such a life to happen. And also that as a young artist I fell into, somewhat by accident, the works of Shakespeare, which profoundly altered my perspectives on life, truth, and the nature of art, and continues to do so to this day.

​Our thanks to Henry for answering our questions for this issue! Is there an IRT artist you would like to see featured or for whom you have a specific question? Drop us a line! Email Jennifer Turner at jturner@irtlive.com using the subject line Ask the Artist.

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Henry Woronicz in IRT’s 2013 production of An Iliad. Photos by Zach Rosing.