Meet Jason Paul Evans (Frenchman)
Meet Jason Paul Evans (Frenchman)Tell us about your invisible friend, or your “friend’s” invisible friend.
I never actually had an invisible friend and don’t recall ever having a conversation about the subject with any of my friends. Maybe I was just overly social as a child? I do have a brother and a sister though….and sometimes I tried to make them invisible haha. Does that count :)?
Do you have a story about traveling overseas?
Yes I have. When I was 19, I did an entertainment contract for Tokyo Disneyland and lived in Shin-Urayasu, Chiba-Ken, Japan. It’s about 40 minutes South of Tokyo by train. It was the time of my life! What a culture to be submersed in. I learned conversational Japanese (which, unfortunately I have forgotten due to lack of use) and made quite a few very close friends from Australia and Japan whom I still talk with every now and then. I have many interesting stories as one may imagine but my favorite would have to be the time when my entire cast and I went out for one of the girls’ birthdays. We went to a traditional Japanese restaurant located in the marketplace just down the road from E-Village, the artist’s apartment complex. By traditional I mean that when we walked in we had to remove our shoes, put on a pair of “Zori” (basically hard soled Japanse sandals) and then sit cross legged-we were at floor level-at the table when we got to our private dining room, which was enclosed within 4 rice paper and bamboo walls, much like a karate Do-Jo. We ate, dank and became very merry over the course of about an hour and a half or so….and then someone made the discovery that the walls in front of and behind us were actually sliding doors. With the help of liquid encouragement, we got the nerve to slide one of the walls open and lo and behold there was a table full of rather serious looking Japanese business men sitting there enjoying their meal and drinking. There was a 10 second stare down until finally one of them yelled “Kanpai!!” (“Cheers!”). We were there for about another 2 hours while, in broken English and over another few pitchers of beer, they told us about their lives and who they were. We exchanged many laughs, smiles and stories. It truly was an evening that I will NEVER forget and is one of the most cherished memories of my life.
If you could speak to your unborn child, what piece of advice would you give?
Get ready, kiddo, cause this world will test you. But if you navigate it right, your life can be one hell of a ride. ALWAYS live with passion, make bold decisions, live fearlessly and try as hard as you can to omit the phrase “I can’t do it” from your vocabulary.
What’s your favorite baby picture? Can you share it with us?
Of, course! It’s me in a backwards baseball cap laughing at the camera. I was about a year old I think.
If you met any of the characters on the street, who would you share a pint with and who would make you turn and walk away? And why?
I would share a pint with the Frenchman. Not only is he really really ridiculously good looking but I KNOW that guy has some STORIES! And I would probably turn and walk away from Katie because she lets her fears control her decisions. Only after that is resolved would I want to be around her and the energy she omits.
What’s the biggest challenge for you in this production?
I’d have to say that the biggest challenge for me is to consistently switch between a heavy French accent and a Received Pronunciation (RP) British accent. The French is tough because the key sounds that the French use when speaking do not exist within the syllabic sounds that we native English speakers use. So getting my mouth used to that was not an easy feat! The tough part about the RP has been sticking to the accent and getting used to the annunciation maintaining the emotional reserve and dry sense of humor of the English. Needless to say I have been doing a lot of tongue loosening exercises, practicing the melody of RP and consistently practicing my uvular trill. One more big challenge: learning to play the accordion :)! And I wouldn’t take back any of it. I have grown much as an actor and artist because of the demands of this role. Truly a blessing!
How do you prepare to work on a project like this?
My preparation has involved a few different things. I have my own general process that I always follow regardless of the role but this required a lot of extra work. While this is not the first time I have ever played multiple characters in a production, it is the first time that more than one of them has been substantial. So that’s two full character arcs that I have had to map out. Add to that learning a heavy French and a Received Pronunciation English accent and one has quite the challenge on one’s hands. Oh yeah, and playing the accordion….which I knew NOTHING about before this production! So I have been watching a lot of dialect and accent lessons on YouTube as well as studying Maurice Chevaliér’s work. In preparing for the British Doctor, I have been reading up on and studying the influence of British Imperialism in India as well as studying the work of actors such as Hugh Bonneville, mainly his role as Lord Grantham in Downtown Abbey. I have also studied the approach that different English actors have taken when playing some of Noel Coward’s characters. I have also been listening to a lot of BBC and NPR broadcasts. The biggest help with the accents by far though has been working with Bruce Goodrich, who is fantastic with both and actually speaks French. It has made a monumental difference to be able to actually talk through the dialogue with him. Let’s see, what else….ah yes, the accordion. There is really only one thing to say with regard to that. Thank you, Mary Kay Fyda-Mar!
What excites you about this story and why should people come see it?
I think what excites me the most about Samsara is the look into racism and the ideas behind intercontinental surrogacy and British Imperialism that are presented and parodied through the dark humor. There are also some very poignant moments between Amit and Suraya that nicely juxtapose Katie’s distanced approach to motherhood. Lauren Yee has addressed some very important issues and everyone should allow their thoughts to be provoked by this piece.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
I was very close to attending college on a baseball scholarship but quit my Senior year in order to focus on acting and dance.
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