WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Lindy & Greg Pendzick

There are some very gifted people appearing on stages throughout Tennessee and oftentimes it seems that once you get used to seeing someone in a local theater, they are ready to move on...a career in show business waits for no one. Certainly, as with anyone you like and care about, you're happy to know someone whose work you admire is off pursuing their dreams.

Thus, the inspiration for our newest series is obvious: Where Are They Now? gives us the opportunity to talk to some of our favorite actors who've moved on and to catch up with them, to find out what they're doing now and to reminisce about their time in our part of the world. This week, we focus on two exceedingly talented actors-who met in Tennessee and were married-and who created some memorable performances and indelible characters that we remember fondly.

Lindy Pendzick and Greg Pendzick, who were resident company members at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse from 2010-13, are now co-cruise directors and headlining performers on the American Empress riverboat with the American Queen Riverboat Company.

"Our vacation paddlewheeler cruises on the Columbia and Snake Rivers between Oregon and Washington," Lindy explains. "Greg and I were recently promoted to entertainment directors, responsible for contracting all entertainment on the American Empress."

Greg adds: "We're going to be returning in 2015 taking on the added role of co-entertainment directors, responsible for planning everything related to entertainment, including facilities, equipment, and personnel. We hope to return to the dramatic stage before too long, and also to teaching."

Lindy Eller Pendzick

Tell us some background about your career arc in Tennessee. My first job in Tennessee was in 2006 (and again in 2009) at The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge. I then moved west to Crossville, to work at the Cumberland County Playhouse for four seasons from 2010-2013.

What was your professional life like during your time in Tennessee? I grew tremendously as a performer at the Cumberland County Playhouse. I had many wonderful stage opportunities which helped me hone my skills as a singer, actor, and dancer. I also grew as a voice teacher and leader in the theater community. As an artist, I believe every performance contributes to my overall growth. My time spent performing on stages in Tennessee helped me become an experienced, well-rounded performer and greatly shaped my overall career.

What impact did all that have on your life, both personally and professionally? The most special way in which Tennessee theater influenced my life was meeting my husband. Some of my favorite Tennessee performing memories involve sharing the stage with Greg. At Cumberland County Playhouse, we had the opportunity to play Audrey and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, May and Raleigh in See Rock City, Aileen and David in Tinyard Hill, and Cosette and Marius in Les Miserables.

Looking back on your time, what individual figured prominently in your growth and development as an artist? The person in Tennessee who has had the most influence on my performing life and career is Donald Fann, former artistic director of the Arts Center of Cannon County, and guest director at the Cumberland County Playhouse. He directed me in many shows at CCP, including Steel Magnolias, The Miracle Worker, Dearly Departed and Duck Hunter Shoots Angel. More than being an incredible director, Donald Fann has been an incredible mentor to me. He has given me much valuable guidance and advice about the theater and theater business. His encouragement and support of my career, and the friendship he has always shown me has been a true blessing in my life.

What advice would you give to someone taking their first steps to becoming a part of the theater scene here? My advice for people entering the Tennessee theater scene is to jump in enthusiastically! There is a ton of great theater happening all over the state, and performance opportunities are definitely out there. Just work hard and let every performance be an opportunity for growth!

GREG PENDZICK

What brought you to the Volunteer State in the first place? In 2006, I was hired to play Judas Iscariot in the opening season of The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge. It was an enormous circus of a passion play. We had three camels on stage, horses, sheep, two six-foot albino pythons, and six flying rigs for a huge angel battle at the top of the show, choreographed by Hollywood fight masters. The theater didn't last-several seasons later, including a few years' worth of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, it turned into just another country review theater. But I met my delightful wife Lindy there, and a few years later, after a return to The Miracle in 2009, we found ourselves at the Cumberland County Playhouse, where we remained for four exciting seasons.

How did your time in Tennessee prepare you for where you are now in your career arc? The greatest part about being a resident company member at a repertory theater like CCP, is that you're learning all the time. Oftentimes in repertory theater, you'll be performing two or three different shows a total of eight to ten times per week, and rehearsing a fourth during the days. When you are playing Marius in the morning, Seymour Krelborn in the afternoon, and Motel the tailor in the evening, you can't help but feel ready for anything you're going to be asked to do. In addition, I have to thank my acting students, because you never learn so much about a subject as when you're trying to explain it to someone else.

What's your most vivid memory of your time in Tennessee? Well, it's hard to top meeting your future wife! It sounds corny, but I never believed in love at first sight until I met Lindy. If you have ever had the chance to see her on stage, you'll understand, at least a little. She's magnetic. Under the stage lights, though, certainly my most memorable experience was when I got the chance to play Marius in Les Miserables at the Cumberland County Playhouse. I think most actors of my generation can relate. We all grew up on Les Miserables, but it was never released for regional performance until recently. Playing that part was the fulfillment of a personal dream, and a labor of love.

Who were some of the people in Tennessee who had a lasting impact on your and/or your career? We met so many wonderful artists at Cumberland County Playhouse, I wish I could name them all here. But the person who sticks out to me the most is John Fionte. I feel lucky to have met him as a director at CCP. He's a true renaissance man, and a seasoned, innovative and artistic director. If you have an opportunity to see a show he directs at CCP or elsewhere, do it. You're in for a treat, and something you've never seen before. Who else would look at Little Shop of Horrors and see a Wagnerian opera? Or decide to put Man of La Mancha in 1920s Spain under Franco? As an actor on stage, he's a true virtuoso, and delights audiences by living up to his own maxim: "I don't care if you feel it. I only care if you can make the audience feel it."

What advice would you give to someone taking their first steps to becoming a part of the theater scene here? Something I always tell my acting students, and that I can confirm, now that I've been on both sides of the table: Getting into this business is more about tenacity than it is about talent. The plain fact is, getting cast in a play is a superficial process, and you can be turned away for totally superficial reasons. You may give the best audition in the room, but they've already cast the female lead and she's 6'3". So they need to cast a man who's 6'5" to play opposite her. Keep at it. You may need to be seen five or six times by a director before they cast you. The first time, they may say, "Boy, he was good-I don't have any parts for him, but he was good." The second time is "Oh yeah, that was that kid who was good last time. Maybe sometime I'll have a part for him." The third time: "Man, I really need to find a place for this guy..." Keep doing your homework, keep being excellent, and eventually, they can't help but notice you.