Lynda Clark: Raleigh’s Master Storyteller

by Greg Petty
April 2010

Raleigh is fortunate to have an actress of the caliber of Lynda Clark. She is one of the shining stars and constants of our performing arts scene. Furthermore, she is dedicated to bringing fine performances to the Triangle and appreciative of the sophisticated theatre-going audiences who attend regional performances at Theatre in the Park and other venues.

Lynda grew up in Florida and attended various undergraduate colleges. It was acceptance at Wake Forest for graduate school that brought her to North Carolina. Her intention was to attend law school, but luckily for us serendipity intervened. While familiarizing herself with the campus in Winston-Salem Lynda, an amateur actress throughout high school and college, came upon the Drama building. She met someone there who gave her a tour and information about the program. One thing led to another and that very day she found out that there was an acting fellowship vacancy in the program. The path for her had become clear, and before she knew it she was calling her parents to explain to them that she would be working on costumes and acting rather than attending law school! Lynda calls this her first big leap of faith.

After taking that leap she has built an impressive list of acting accomplishments in film, television, commercials and community theatre performances. Films include roles in I Know What You Did Last Summer, My New Best Friend, Crazy People and The Feud. Television movies include Bitter Blood with Kelly McGillis and Debbie Allen’s Stompin at the Savoy. Ms. Clark has been involved in two television series. First with Pam Grier in the series Linc’s and as a co-star with Gary Cole as Rita Barber in the American Gothic series filmed in Wilmington.

It was the opportunity to work at Theatre in the Park (TIP) that brought Lynda to Raleigh. Her first role with Ira David Wood III was in Dangerous Liaisons. "He taught me to trust myself and to have fun. He is very playful," Lynda says. She has gone on to act in nearly every major role in regional theatre including Lady MacBeth in MacBeth, Angel, Emily and the homeless woman in Angels in America, Eleanor of Acquitaine in Lion in Winter, Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and many others.

Lynda goes about creating a character in a methodical way. She was influenced by the Sanford Meisner method of acting which she informs us is, "mostly about reacting and behavior. I teach my students that dialog is one of the least important things that ever happens on stage… it is more about your intent. People will always remember the action and intent… you never hear them recite dialog, they remember the active behavioral things. You are there to illuminate the script and to tell a story."

Lynda’s powerful as well as sensitive portrayals continually give us insight into the world of the characters’ intentions, motivations and emotions. When reminded of her role of Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and asked about taking her bows to the audience after such an emotional role, Lynda states, "Physiologically your body is going through it, you’re having to live through it… but in a controlled environment with actors you trust."

Lynda performed the screenplay Master Class at both Theatre in the Park and Sunrise Theatre. If you were fortunate enough to see her in either performance you will understand her tremendous ability to crawl into the skin of a character. In this play it is the role of Maria Callas, considered by some as the 20th century’s greatest soprano opera singer. About the role Lynda says, "It was my most challenging role to date because of the amount of the material there was, and being a basically one woman show, memorizing 64 pages of dialog and because she was such an amazing person and force of nature. I am very gratified that I have had the opportunity to play her."

Ms. Clark’s versatility is also exhibited by the various activities with which she is involved. These activities include one-on-one tutoring of drama students, stylist for in-house corporate films, personal wardrobe consultant for business women, working with communication specialists, and teaching non-actors acting techniques for personal effectiveness training. As Lynda puts it, "It is very, very illuminating what you realize about the art of persuasion in any business or corporation… You are selling a product. Am I selling myself, or a story, or a point of view in the most convincing way?"

As we met for this interview Lynda was preparing for her role in Doubt: A Parable as Sister Aloysius. We are anxiously awaiting the play’s run at Theatre in the Park and to see her portrayal in this intense, multi-layered psychological drama. The play begins April 9th and we recommend that you get your tickets soon.

Lynda has often been asked why she stayed in Raleigh instead of going to NYC or Los Angeles to become famous. Her response is, "There’s a lot of reasons but the city, the community of Raleigh has supported me, encouraged me, maintained me for a lot of years while I was getting to this level. Now that my work has become better, and I have become a better storyteller, the people of Raleigh desire this quality theatre. I am committed to staying in my community and telling these stories."

Photos: Stephen J. Larson, Theatre In The Park.

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