Kara Blogs: My Interview with Andrew P. Quick: A Christmas Miracle

Actor Andrew P. Quick

After watching the BACT play, Lemony Snicket’s The Lump of Coal, I got to interview Andrew P. Quick, who played the Lump of Coal. The play was fun and exciting.  The Lump of Coal is about a lump of coal who wants to be an artist that draws rough black lines on a canvas or a piece of chicken filet.  He searches for a Christmas miracle but cannot find one.  For example, he gets kicked out of Mr. Wong’s Korean BBQ and Secretarial School because they only take in things that are 100 percent Korean.  He is about to give up when he meets a Santa that works for a drugstore. The Santa had an idea; “I will put you in my nephew’s stocking.  He has been naughty.”  The next day when Jasper, the little boy, found the Lump of Coal in his stocking he said, “I really wanted to draw rough black lines with a lump of coal.” They made a fortune together making art and with their money they took a trip to Korea.  When they got back they bought Mr. Wong’s Korean BBQ and turned it into Yang Kangs Korean BBQ.  They actually made sure that everything was 100 percent Korean.  Jasper and the Lump of Coal were great friends. 

After all the kids got to play in the snow and draw, I interviewed Andrew P. Quick in the empty theatre.  He played the Lump of Coal.  His favorite part of being the Lump of Coal was falling and rolling around and having buckets of fake snow thrown over his head.  For him, the most difficult part about being the Lump of Coal was being a bit more serious because his other job is being a clown.  After I found out he was a clown I asked him if he could juggle and he can juggle 5 balls!  That made me smile because I want to learn how to juggle too.  Andrew started acting in 5th grade when he played the character who sings ‘I Love to Laugh’ in Mary Poppins.  Later on, one of his favorite roles that he played in another BACT show was Bingo the dog in Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy.  Also, he liked doing a comedy act in a 1930’s Speak Easy. 

Andrew P. Quick started enjoying acting in college when he learned to make people laugh by using his body.  Here is his advice for people who would like to act or work in the theatre: Learn tons about the theatre. Work in many theatre jobs. Go to college.

Andrew gives Kara some tips on juggling!

After the interview, Andrew P. Quick got his juggling balls and gave me some tips on juggling.  Exciting! His tips are: 1. Throw one hand after the other, not at the same time.  2. If you are having trouble, alternate which hand you start with.  3. Try to make an ‘X’ in the air.  These tips helped me a lot. I enjoyed interviewing Andrew P. Quick because he was nice and funny. 

My favorite part of the play was when kids could come on stage and be in the play.  I got to go on stage and pretend I was ordering food at Mr. Wong’s Korean BBQ.  The most exciting part was when two kids pulled on a rope and snow fell down.  Last, seeing the Lump of Coal fall all over the place was funny.  The moral of the story is miracles can happen to anyone even a Lump of Coal.

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Lemony Snicket's The Lump of Coal plays for three more weekends thru January 3rd at the Children's Creativity Museum Theater in San Francisco! Click here to reserve your tickets for this unique holiday show!

BACT Spotlight On - Actor Andrew P. Quick

Bingo gets pestered by a squirrel.

Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy, The Musical is causing quite the buzz at the Freight & Salvage! But with all this talk about bugs, let's not forget another key member of the Bug Squad - Bingo, the trusty Basset Hound! For this blog post, we interview Andrew P. Quick about what it was like to play this four-legged member of the Squad.

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BACT: Tell us a bit about your performance background. How did you get involved with theatre? Is theatre your main job, or do you have another job(s) as well?

Andrew: I began my theater career in the 4th grade as Uncle Albert in Marry Poppins, singing "I Love to Laugh."  And not much has changed since. I still love to laugh and make others laugh. In high school I was part of an improv troupe, and then I went to University of California, Santa Cruz and studied theatre. At UCSC I was a member of a long-form improv troupe and performed in many shows with the University and with Shakespeare Santa Cruz (now known as Santa Cruz Shakespeare). As a sophomore, I took a class in physical theatre and knew right away that this was what I wanted to do. I started a physical comedy troupe called Pi. Once I graduated I went to clown college in San Francisco with various members of Pi. Since then I have traveled throughout North America performing at festivals, circuses, corporate events, and on the street.

BACT: Is theatre your primary line of work?

Andrew: I have worked many jobs in the theatre. I worked as a carpenter for two years while in Santa Cruz. I then worked as a stage manager for Teatro ZinZanni for four years. Currently my main job is performing. I do some teaching and stage managing as well.

BACT: What did you go to get into the character of Bingo?

Andrew: I watched a lot of videos on YouTube. I then spent time watching my house mate's dog and dogs on the street. The most helpful thing I did was spend time with Murray. Murray is a honest-to-goodness Basset Hound. Lynn Eve, his trainer, was kind enough to bring him over and we spent an afternoon together. Lynn showed me pictures and videos, and we wandered to the dog park where Murray was in his element. I watched how he walked, ran, drooled, and interacted with other dogs and humans.

BACT: How would you describe the character Bingo?

Andrew: How would I describe Bingo: "Ruff, Ruff, Bow Wow, Ruff, Ruff, hooooooooooooooooooowl!"

BACT: Very insightful! What is it like playing an animal character - especially the only non-speaking, animal character on-stage?

Andrew: I love playing animal roles because it allows me to express my story with my body. Animals have very little sub-text, they act and do what needs to be done. I love being able to tell a story without words. Audiences can tell how I am feeling with a slight turn of the head or a quick movement. Since this play is a new work, the lines and songs where changing almost everyday, but not mine. My lines stayed the same and all I had to worry about was not being in the way.


BACT: What do you hope kids and their families take away from watching Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy The Musical?

Andrew: I hope that our audiences leave laughing. I want to bring a smile to people's faces and leave them in a happier mood than when they came in, and not just the kids. When I took on this project, I told the director that I didn't just want the kids to laugh, but I wanted to make the parents, and especially the Dads, laugh. I want there to be something in the show for everyone, and I like to think we are doing just that. I think people are leaving our show with a smile on their face.

For tickets and more info on Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy, The Musical, visit our website!