Touring company presenting 'Henry V' at College of DuPage
After toiling for 11 years in Hollywood and eight in New York, actor Rick Ford found himself newly married, living in Virginia and working as a carpenter to pay the bills.
He would indulge in theater projects on his own time.
"I was working with somebody who was very understanding of my addiction to the theater," he said, laughing.
Then he suffered an injury and things snapped into perspective. He headed back to school and earned a master's of fine arts degree at the University of Delaware.
"I got out of school and it sort of really changed my life," said Ford, who followed graduate school by joining The Acting Company, a New York-based touring repertory company. The company originally was founded in 1972, with freshly minted Juilliard graduates, by John Houseman and Margot Harley.
Ford said he was thrilled to join the elite group "because of the history behind what The Acting Company stands for. The work they produce is really high caliber. They really get terrific people to work with."
Alumni include Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Frances Conroy and Rainn Wilson.
Ford plays three roles in Shakespeare's "Henry V," a show that teams The Acting Company with the Minneapolis-based Guthrie Theater.
"It's the first time The Acting Company has had a co-production with The Guthrie," Ford said. "It's a really good fit."
The touring production of "Henry V" comes to the College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn for a single performance Sunday before heading to the East coast for several dates, including a two-week stint at New York's off-Broadway New Victory Theater.
Members of The Acting Company also are simultaneously touring with another show, "The Spy," a Revolutionary War drama with a script based on a James Fenimore Cooper novel.
Ford appears in both shows, which sometimes are presented on the same dates - at different show times, of course.
"I also understudy 10 other roles," he said. "We're a small company, we play a lot of different roles."
In "Henry V," Shakespeare's epic tale of the English king's invasion of France, Ford plays the French king. He also plays one of Henry's chief adversaries at home in England.
"I play one of the traitors in the beginning of the play," he said. "It's a nice little scene. It sort of kicks off the adventure story of Henry going off to France."
Sunday's show will be preceded by a 6 p.m. lecture and question-and-answer session, known as a Mac chat, said College of DuPage spokeswoman Jennifer Duda.
Ford said the touring company, traveling through May, is crisscrossing the country in three buses. One carries the crew, another carries the sets and the third transports the cast.
"The set design is really cool," Ford said, adding that it effectively accommodates battle scenes with a sleek simplicity.
"What they rely a lot on is the acting, as opposed to great special effects," he said.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"Henry V" </p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15; 6 p.m. pre-performance lecture</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $36 for adults, $34 for seniors, $26 for youths ages 17 and younger</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 942-4000 or <a href="http://www.cod.edu" target="new">www.cod.edu</a></p>