Parker returns to Franklin stage
Franklin staff member Craig Parker’s path to the center stage of "Three Sisters" was full of twists, turns and roadblocks, but he finally made it.will join Parker onstage during the upcoming production.
Fourteen years ago, Craig Parker was just an average Franklin College senior, one general science credit away from graduating with a degree in theater.
Then, life took over. With a pregnant girlfriend, Parker took a day job to pay for his new-found expenses and college remained unfinished.
When the recent recession took hold, Parker lost his job. While he was discussing his future with his friend Dan Schuetz, the son of Franklin College library director Ron Schuetz, Parker mentioned that his ideal job would be to work at Franklin as a janitor, so that he could finish his degree. A janitorial position was available at the time and Parker took it. He finished his degree last semester.
"I’d gone here 14 years ago, but all of the professors that taught in the [theater] department are gone now. They moved on to different places, so I didn’t know anybody and nobody knew me. So, it’s really strange to have a degree from a department where nobody knew you," he said.
In "Three Sisters," Parker, 36, plays Vershinin, a colonel in a small Russian town. There, he befriends three sisters, who are the children his former commander. Vershinin falls in love with the middle sister Masha and, because both are married, their affair is adulterous.
Masha is played by junior Rachel Konchinsky-Pate, who called Parker both professional and fun to act with and be around.
Parker said that he was nervous auditioning for "Three Sisters" because he hadn’t auditioned for anything in 14 years. However, his fears and nerves were calmed after arriving at auditions.
"Immediately, everybody was so nice and very, very kind. That’s one of the things I sort of forgot about. Was how open and caring theater people are, he said. "They’re just a lot of fun...they made me not feel like an outsider." And while Parker may have been out of acting for more than a decade, he’s still a talent on stage.
"There was a certain vitality and excitement when Craig read for this role...If I were in this play, that’s the role that I would pick for myself," "Three Sisters" director Nick Crisafulli said.
While it is rare to have a non-student actor, Crisafulli said, there are not set rules about who can act in a Franklin College production and who can’t. In fact, theater professor Robin Roberts
While he is a great actor, Parker doesn’t want to just have a theater degree and remain a custodial worker. He has a much loftier goal, which is not so theater-centered.
"I’ve actually applied to graduate school to study fiction and creative writing ... I’ll find out by the end of March whether I got into Butler or not," Parker said.
Parker said he has not decided if he will do more plays at Franklin. It’s not out of the question, though.
"[Acting] will be something I do in my spare time...but I’m not trying to make a profession out of it. I’m married and have two girls now, so it would take away too much time," Parker said.
So, for now, Parker is happy where he is.
"I really feel grateful that I’m able to do this. It’s really cool," he said.
