Actor, director (and comic) Walter Coppage reaches out and within

Walter Coppage’s deep, resonant voice is one key to his strong stage presence. The Pitch awarded him Best Actor in 2009 for his role of Stage Manager in the Coterie’s production of Our Town, and Best Portrayal of an Icon in 2013 for his “gracious and playful” performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in the Unicorn Theatre’s The Mountaintop.

Among the secret weapons at the disposal of this veteran performer and founding member of Kansas City Actors Theatre is his decade in comedy. From 1982 to ’92, as part of a duo, he tells me, he “worked everywhere.” That meant, he adds, countless clubs, opening for Ray Charles, and playing more than 400 colleges.

While rehearsing for How to Steal a Picasso at the Unicorn, he took time out to answer questions by e-mail.

The Pitch: What brought you to KC?

Coppage: My father was a career military man, and during my early childhood, we traveled everywhere. When he retired, he settled the family in KC, where most of his family had migrated from Chanute, Kansas. I was born in Tacoma, Washington, but I’ve been here since I was 12, so I consider KC my hometown. I’ve ventured out to work in Chicago and D.C., and will again, but I always come back because KC’s a great place to live and a great place to be an actor.

What drew you into acting?

Probably TV and film had the earliest influences on me. There were no theater programs at the schools I attended. I never even saw anyone perform live onstage until high school. And I never saw a professional production until my freshman year of college. But I walked into college as a theater major from the very first day.

What originally lit the theater spark?

When I was in high school, they brought in a traveling troupe, which did snippets of Shakespeare at an assembly — hell, that could have been the name of the show, for all I know. Most attending were bored out of their skulls, but I was mesmerized by the performances. I remember thinking that this is what I want to do, but I didn’t have a clue how to go about it. So, in my senior year, I began to seek out a way to become an actor.

What drew you into directing?

I directed my first show, Black Pearl Sings [for Spinning Tree Theatre], last spring. The Island, at Kansas City Actors Theatre, will be my second. A couple of artistic directors approached me about directing shows for them. And, I guess, it’s a natural progression for some actors. I enjoy it very much. It  pushes me out of my comfort zone and challenges me to be more creative.

What’s the best part about what you do?

Anytime you can do what you love, what you are most passionate about for a living, you are miles ahead of the game.

What’s the hardest part?

I suppose the uncertainty of this business. Actors are nomadic by trade. We move from show to show, from theater to theater, with no guarantees of returning. Sometimes, the stretches between gigs (theater or commercial) can weigh on you, both psychologically and financially. But for the most part, I’ve been very fortunate to stay pretty busy, and that’s a testament to the thriving theater scene we have here in KC.

What’s the worst thing that has happened during a performance?

Every seasoned actor has a horror story that’s happened to them, but I think the worst thing was something that happened to a member of the audience. I was in a show a few years back during the heat of summer, and we were just about to the end, when suddenly a woman stood up in the back and yelled, “Stop! Please stop!” My first instinct is to continue on, no matter what (probably from my years of working as a comic), but she continued to yell. So I stopped my monologue and looked out into the crowd. The woman had noticed that another patron had collapsed in her seat and appeared to be unconscious. My first thought is, it’s a heart attack. We, the actors, were instructed to leave the stage, and then were called back to finish when it turned out that the person had suffered a heat stroke and was helped out of the theater by the staff. So we go back to the beginning of the last scene, I repeat my big monologue, and we finish the show. We received a standing ovation, but I think that was more out of relief than anything else.

What’s the best thing?

Connecting with the audience, whether it’s students at the Coterie, who’ve sent letters to you about how your performance touched or moved them, or being stopped in the grocery store by people who remember your performances from the Unicorn or the Rep and want to shake your hand.

What’s one of your favorite roles?

Playing MLK in The Mountaintop at the Unicorn was a delight. One of the hardest roles I’ve ever done! But I liked doing the months of detective work, the research, to play a historically accurate character, voice and all. It’s also one of the only roles I’ve played where my wife, afterward, told me, “You know, I forgot it was you onstage.”

Who’s your inspiration?

My family inspires me to be better in life. And this town is filled with great actors and directors — they all inspire me to be better and braver.

What upcoming shows will we see you in?

I’m currently in How to Steal a Picasso at the Unicorn, through February 14. I’ll be directing The Island for Kansas City Actors Theatre, running March 9-27, and then playing Salieri in Amadeus at Spinning Tree Theatre, April 28-May 15.