For out actor Peter Andrew Danzig, Philadelphia has become “home. ”
“I’ve been here since 2002. Wow! It’s been over a decade!” he exclaimed with surprise over tea and coffee at Cake and the Beanstalk recently. An effusive performer, Danzig has sung solo shows at the Tin Angel in addition to appearing on area stages. He came to Philadelphia as an undergraduate to study theater at Temple University.
Born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Danzig started performing at an early age. He studied theater and communications at Temple and remained in Philadelphia after graduating; he wanted to hone his craft here. He indicated that Philadelphia gives actors who want to work the potential to do so.
“I can be an artist here; I have more control,” Danzig said. “Acting can be my job, whereas in New York, I become a slave to it.”
He prefers Philadelphia’s friendly theater community, where he can be seen as a name, not a number, at auditions.
Danzig also is earning his masters as an acting scholar at Villanova. He is excited to be starring in a performance of David Ives’ comedy “School for Lies” in February, as a thesis project, and will play Fabrizio in the musical “Light in the Piazza” in April.
“School for Lies,” which is written in contemporary verse, presents its actors with a challenge, and Danzig admitted — not overdramatically — that he is “petrified of it.” He explained, “I know how to break down Shakespeare and classical texts and maneuver my way through it, but this script disregards all the rules!”
Danzig read a passage from the play aloud, artfully, not making it sing-songy or “Dr. Seuss”-ish, and described his impressions.
“You are swimming to keep up with the language. It’s exciting, but … ” he let the thought hang for a moment as he collected his thoughts. He continued, “You get this bombastic, hilarious language in verse, but the characters are some of the most real and visceral people I’ve seen in playwriting in a long time. And that’s what’s so terrifying. These characters that we’re exploring, we’re taking their flaws and hubris and stretching them out of proportion a little more than usual. They are almost caricatures, but they are so incredibly real. That duality is what I am excited to learn and play with. But how do I pull that off? This show is an example of why I am inspired to be an actor. You understand the parameters, and then are thrown completely.”
While Danzig enjoys exploring characters and living in the world he creates for them, when he is off stage, he turns to a different set of characters for inspiration — animated ones.
“I love animation for the artistry,” he confessed. “As an actor, I have a vivid imagination. If I’m watching a movie, I can’t let go — I’m watching the art — that’s an interesting choice, let me write that down … With animation, I can go into another world with it. I love Disney, and foreign animation like Miyazake.”
A self-proclaimed “comic-book nerd,” Danzig often draws in sketchbooks. He also revealed his “quirkier” side when he disclosed his passion for Nutella.
“I love all kinds! I can’t not have it in the house. When my partner and I travel, we buy different varieties wherever we go.”
While eating Nutella may mean the slender Danzig needs to work out longer at the gym, he chooses to keep fit in different ways.
“Instead of going to the gym, I take circus, go to dance classes and hike,” he said. “I do things that are fulfilling to me to keep in shape. If I’m going to have to lift, I’d rather have the experience of lifting myself at circus school than lifting weights at the gym.”
The pressure and expectations to maintain a certain look can contribute to how an actor is perceived, but Danzig does not let such things influence him when he auditions. He admitted with remarkable assurance, “I do what I do and then I leave. Either I am enough, or I’m not.Why change yourself?”
The actor, who came out a decade ago while in college, refuses to tone down who he is — particularly when it comes to his sexuality.
“I have a responsibility to myself to be honest. It is important for me to be known as a gay man. I don’t believe in hiding who I am.”
While he has played gay men on stage — Danzig performed multiple roles in a Philadelphia production of “The Twentieth-Century Way” — the actor wants to play characters that span the spectrum of sexual identity. However, he stated adamantly, “I’m not attracted to playing Sassy Gay Friend or the gay sexpot.”
“School for Lies” runs Feb. 11-23 at Villanova University. For tickets or more information, call 610-519-7474 or visit www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/theatre/productions/season.html.