For Sean Byrd, theater is life

By Stacey Battenberg

Ever since his first significant experience with theater in middle school, the stage has been Sean Byrd’s home and inspiration.

“After that production was done, I had really discovered the place that I belonged. It was an exciting, eye-opening kind of experience,” said Byrd.

In that moment, Byrd knew that the theater would always play an important role in his life. He didn’t know however, that one of his own greatest roles would be played off the stage.

As a theater faculty member since 2002, Byrd has directed several plays at NCC including his latest production “Man of La Mancha,” which ran Feb. 27 through March 8.

Along with the cast and crewmembers of this stirring musical, Byrd worked on the play starting in early January up to opening night.

As director, he worked closely with the actors, including guest artist, Dan Rodden, who played the lead role of Don Quixote.

Byrd was pleased to have Rodden in the production because it has given students the opportunity to work with an industry professional.

“That’s been a really exciting thing for (the cast) because they get to see a different aspect of what it means to be a working actor,” Byrd said.

“Man of La Mancha” tells the tale of an old man who lives in a fantasy world and dares to dream the impossible.

Byrd has been tremendously dedicated to this production, as it is close to his heart.

“I knew that I liked the musical, but I didn’t know until I started working on it how much I really loved the story,” he said. “It’s a really inspiring story and it makes people think, I hope, about how they make choices in their own life.”

Byrd’s interest in theater sparked at a young age and by the time he finished college, it had grown to a bonfire. After receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater at Western Illinois University in 1995, Byrd moved to Chicago where he worked as an actor, director and producer.

Soon after arriving in Chicago, he went on to start the Wax Fruit Theater Company with his wife and fellow NCC theater colleague, Anne Byrd. Together, they produced many different kinds of plays, but mainly focused on the works of published playwrights with little exposure.

“That was a really exciting time in our lives as artists,” Byrd said.

The Byrds’ underdog productions were well received by the patrons of Chicago in the face of the city’s vast competition.

“We always got really good critical acclaim, so that was sort of surprising to me, despite all this plethora of theater to go to, we did get noticed and well respected,” said Anne Byrd.

The work that the couple did in Chicago was “intense,” according to Anne Byrd. It involved all of the artistic work such as acting and directing, along with the business aspect of running a company.

She described their show-business days in the windy city as “a life for the young” because “you can never stop working, and I think we just got tired. It was rewarding, but exhausting.”

The two lived in Chicago for nearly five years before moving to the Twin Cities.

Along with teaching acting, cinema and television courses at NCC, Byrd participates in theater around the metro as an actor, director and teacher.

He has worked with companies such as Hard Cover Theatre, the Minnesota Shakespeare Project, 15 Head: A Theatre Lab and several others. He has also taught at the University of Minnesota and other schools in the Twin Cities.

Directing “Man of La Mancha” has been immensely rewarding for Byrd. Working with the actors was an experience he will not forget.

“It’s a really phenomenal cast. They’re very bonded. It’s a really strong community of artists working together…they have a lot of fun, and that has allowed me to have a lot of fun,” he said.

Byrd’s passion for theater and teaching shined through his work on this production. The exceptional performances given by the actors prove that his roles as director and teacher at NCC go hand in hand.

“Here, I’m responsible for educating the students in a way that helps them to understand how they can grow as artists and become better at what they do,” he said.