Student Blog: INTERVIEW: Dan Hodge on Walnut Street Theatre's Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective

This semester, aside from my usual Student Blogger content, I've had the honor of getting to interview local creatives in the Philly theatre community about the shows they are working on. One of those shows is the Walnut Street Theatre's production of Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective. To learn more about this exciting and adventurous play, I sat down to chat with actor Dan Hodge (Moriarity). In this interview, Hodge speaks of his work on the production, the joys of working with this historic theatre, and career advice for aspiring theatre artists.

Dan Hodge has been in several shows at the Walnut Street Theatre before. So, my first question to him was:

What do you love about working with this theatre?

“You know, it’s funny. I got asked that question once years ago after I had done Private Lives (2015.) Someone in a talkback asked that, and look: to stand on a stage that is that historic, you know? I’m a Shakespearean and a huge history nerd about these sorts of things. They've got that big marble statue in the lobby of Edwin Forrest which I had seen in books before I ever set foot in the theatre. I walk into the lobby, it’s there, and there's not even a rope around it. I went “ah!” and went over and touched it just because I could. But like, all of the greats played that stage and to get to stand where they once were, that’s a thrill. Also, at the Walnut, they treat you really well. They go out of the way to make the artists feel valued, so it's a joy to work at this theatre.”

I know you're playing not just Moriarity, but a few other roles as well. Can you tell us about the characters you're playing in this production and how you prepared for these roles?

“Moriarty is foundationally Holmes’ great nemesis. He's a brilliant sort of mathematical mind who has taught at a couple different universities. I don't think you ever really find out what radicalized him and turned him to a life of despicable crime. But he’s intellectually Holmes’ equal in many ways which makes him fun to play. I really wanted to embrace these mathematical things, like how precise I can be in terms of movement, language, and dialogue so everything has this sort of crispness and sharpness to it that I think balances really well against Harry’s interpretation of Holmes which is sort of loose around the edges. So, being the antithesis to his interpretation is nice.” 

Do you have any pre-show rituals to help you prepare for each performance?

“I don’t think I have any hard fast rituals. I like to get to the theater quite early. We have the fight call where everyday before performances we’ll rehearse the fights again to make sure they are nice and clean. But when I get there I want to get at least part of my costume on so I can have a cup of tea, sit in my dressing room, look over some pages of the script, maybe work on a crossword puzzle. Just get comfortable in the space so that when the time comes to do the show, I haven’t just dashed in off the street like “Oh my gosh! I've got to do all the things.”

Have there been any moments from the last few weeks  - perhaps a reaction from the audience or a moment onstage - that have stood out to you?

“Funny enough, we had that enormous snow a couple days ago and we had two shows on Sunday and we got creamed. So the afternoon audience was 61 people in that 900 seat house, and the Sunday evening show was 27 - and they were FANTASTIC. I showed up at the theater and we were informed there were at least 4 people out there. They walked up and bought tickets out of the snow, these 4 Canadians bought front row tickets. They were great.”

Hodge also described a scene spotlighting his co-star Dave as Ms. Holmes’ nephew as a highlight from this production.

“Everybody gathers backstage to watch that scene because Dave just goes rogue. He makes stuff up, he adds things, he puts in little jokes, and he’s one of the funniest people on the planet. My favorite part of the night is watching my friend do his scene.”
 

Do you have any advice for young actors or theater artists of any discipline wanting to grow in this community?

“See everything. Go out and see stuff and talk to people, hang out, and don’t be shy about shaking hands. Advice that was given to me when I was young is to make yourself indispensable to a theatre. If a small theatre company needs somebody to show up and sweep the floors, show up and sweep the floors. Help out. Become someone that’s in the room.

One of the best pieces of advice I got in the whole of my life, let alone in my career, was given to me way back when I was an apprentice at a theatre in New Hampshire. An actor - a Philadelphia actor - told me don’t make contacts, make friends. A friend will help you a thousand times more than a contact will ever. Your life will be richer, and he’s right. Philly’s a great town where everybody kind of knows everybody. I haven’t lived in Philly full-time in about five years but even then, I’m meeting folks, going okay “this is the person that’s doing this, I know this person, I know that” and its really fun to see how the scene continues to flourish.”

What do you want audiences to feel leaving this show?

“More than anything else, this show aims to be a good time. It’s not your traditional sloothey sort of Sherlock where you're following and untangling the webs of the mystery. This play is more of an adventure than anything else. I think we are hitting the sweet spot where audiences are figuring out all we want you to do is laugh and leave with a smile on your face. I get a lot of joy out of it because I get to walk out on stage and kind of make a fool of myself.”

And finally, how would you describe Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective in one word?

“Dumb.”

Haha! I assume you mean dumb comedic?

“Yes. It’s a very dumb show. It’s a blast.”