Shmuel Goldstein is an actor who has performed with Theater and Theology, Theater in the Rough, The Stage, Center Stage, Acco Festival and Hadera Festival. He has been involved in the JET community since 2017!! We asked Shmuel some questions and would like to share his answers with you.
JET: What is your favorite theater memory?
SG: Playing two roles in Measure for Measure, and getting the best formal reviews I have ever received.
JET: What is the hardest part about being an actor?
SG: Not knowing how a play or production will be received. Sometimes the material that I think is really good gets a lukewarm reception (like Spelling Bee), and sometimes a production that I think is bizarre or a bomb will be a hit (like the musical film clip Little Citizen – אזרח הקטן ). Go figure.
JET: What was the most rewarding show you have done?
SG: From a topic point of view – Almost Heaven . From a professional point of view – All My Sons.
JET: How do you prepare for different roles?
SG: Lines, obviously, but also research into the role. For example, I once played King James of Aragon, and did quite a bit of research on him.
JET: What is your pre-show routine?
SG: Get there on time, be well rested. Hydrate, but make sure I stop about half an hour before the show. Physical warm ups (stretches), and vocal warm ups (scales, even for non-singing roles).
JET: How have you changed as an actor throughout your career?
SG: The first thing that has changed is that I do many roles in Hebrew (Almost Heaven – כמעט גן עדן and Trio Acrobat were both in Hebrew). Character-wise, I used to be a rogue-ish type, but now I’m more avuncular or even a clown type.
JET: What is your dream role and why?
SG: Joe Keller in All My Sons came close to it, as I was the lead in a dramatic play. But if we could re-do something like Kind Hearts and Coronets (where Alec Guiness played SIX roles), that would probably be it. I came close in Measure for Measure, playing two quite different roles.
JET: Feel free to share anything else about your experience with the JET community!
SG: In addition to theater, I do quite a bit of work on film. One film was actually filmed in Jerusalem, at the King David Hotel. “Exodus 91” – about Operation Solomon, Israel’s operation to bring in the Ethiopian Jews in 1991. Directed by Micah Smith, it is a docu-drama that combines historical footage with contemporary footage that we filmed. I portrayed Bob Houdek, an American diplomat who was instrumental in moving the operation forward. Upon doing the research on Mr. Houdek, it turned out that he is not only still alive, but active as well in an advisory capacity. I found his contact information and called him up and we had a great conversation. Very pleasant fellow. Micah had not been in contact with him, and so I made the connection between the two. It was so impressive that Micah decided to take the production team to the US to interview Mr. Houdek. The interview became an important part of the movie, and Mr. Houdek introduced Micah to another key player – an Ethiopian diplomat named Kassa, who was living in the US. They got the interview with Kassa just on time, as Kassa passed away two months later. On a recent visit to the US, I too, actually went to visit Bob and Mary Houdek at their home.
This is connected to JET because I was recommended to Micah by Yael Valier, who directed me in Theater and Theology’s Divine Right. So, you see, “theater” is not only theater, everything is connected.
