The Purple Rose is a regional theatre with far reaching impact and influence. While regional typically means a small area defined by borders, the Purple Rose has no limits (or borders) when it comes to creativity and exceptional story telling both for audiences and those fortunate enough to practice their craft on and off the stage.
Paul Stroili is one of the very fortunate who has been able to do both – practice his craft on and off the stage. Stroili is an actor, director and playwright who played Jerry Cornicelli in the wildly popular “Office Christmas Party Grinch in Fight with Rudolph Police Called,” which last month finished its amazingly successful run at 137 Park Street in Chelsea. The play was written by Purple Rose founder, Chelsea native and legendary actor Jeff Daniels.
“The great thing about this play is that as soon as the lights come up, it’s not like the train is even moving, the train is already off the track,” Stroili said. “It’s one of the most high energy, live on stage roadrunner cartoons you have seen in a longtime. It’s quite a party out there and so much fun for the actors and the audience.”
Speaking of fun, Stroili will be putting on his “playwright” hat during the next coming months. His latest comedy, “My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War,” will premiere at the Purple Rose in April.
Stroili, who also is a resident artist at the Purple Rose, says separating the actor from the writer and director isn’t always easy but when they “hire you as an actor, they are hiring you as an actor.”
“It’s not easy because sometimes you really have to lock into the role and you don’t want to impede the process,” he said before the start of Office Christmas Party. “Everyone collaboratively weighs in. The whole cast is open to give feedback and Jeff has always been open to trying new things. It’s a nice mix of collaboration while at the same time knowing who is steering the ship. And that’s what you really need.”
He says as a writer, he will see things and think, what about this or what about that?
“But that’s not my role when I’m an actor,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate to have written a play they have done here before, and I’m looking forward to putting on my playwright hat for that.”
As a playwright, Stroili’s play “A Jukebox for The Algonquin,” enjoyed an acclaimed World Premiere at The Purple Rose and received a 2023 Wilde Award for Best New Play. “It was very successful, and I am just so happy and proud of how it all turned out,” he said.
Henri Franklin, who played Lamar Johnson in Office Christmas Party, is an award-winning SAG-AFTRA actor based out of Detroit. Stepping on the stage and performing for live audiences is something he enjoys doing but he also has an impressive and diverse resume that includes plenty of TV and film work.
“Most of my TV and film work will go through one of my agents and works pretty much the same as it always has,” Franklin said. “You go in and are competing against how many other people are being considered for the role. It really boils down to how you prepare for it and whether or not you can win the room.”
While he won the room for Office Christmas Party, Franklin says he has learned over the years all you can do is your best.
“Everyone wants to book the gig but I have discovered over the years that your best way to book the gig is to focus on what you are trying to achieve and what your goal is as this character,” he says. “And for the casting agents and/or the casting director that is watching you, to make it a performance for them.”
It’s like when he walks onto the stage at the Purple Rose – but this time to a much smaller crowd.
“You turn from an audition into an actual performance and they are the audience,” he says. “I find this takes the pressure off of you and has been a successful way for me to approach what often can be a nerve-wracking experience. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate up to this point to get some of these jobs.”
Stroili added: “I always heard the phrase that the audition is the job. Everything that happens after that is out of your control. You go to the audition and show how you would deliver the performance and that’s all you can do. The rest is up to other people.”
At the Purple Rose, the “rest” is up to the audience – like it was for Office Christmas Party and all of the plays that came before.
“You look at other plays Jeff has done here like Pickleball, or Viva Royale that are heightened in style and tone,” Stroili says. “At the end of the day, it’s a seasoning. Comedy is a seasoning on a richer meal. There is a message. It’s not heavy handed. It is a comedy but it’s more than that and people will appreciate that. They will have a lot of laughs but also leave with a nice story that was shared with them.”
About The Purple Rose Theatre Company
Founded in 1991 by actor, director, playwright, musician, and Chelsea native Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a creative home for original American plays. At the PRTC, patrons experience an intimate encounter with live theatre. The Purple Rose also provides preview talk-backs, free play readings, and ticket donations to local fundraisers. It commissions new work from established and early-career playwrights. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional theatre, the PRTC operates under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors’ Equity Association.
