An Interview With Andrew Blizzard Of 'Greater Tuna'

Temple Terrace Patch Contributor Patti McDonald sat down with Temple Terrace actor Andrew Blizzard of Masque Community Theatre’s performance of the off-Broadway production, “.” The two-man play runs on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 19.

Temple Terrace Patch: How long have you been involved in the ?

Andrew Blizzard: I’ve been involved with the Masque Theatre for over two years now. My current job is very reasonable and flexible with me and my theater schedule. They know how important it is to me, and they work with me. I realized how much I enjoyed theater after I took a theater class on accident early on in college. I thought it wasn’t so different from hating my job in the mall and having to deal with the customers I despised. Throughout life you are constantly acting—it’s everywhere.

Temple Terrace Patch: Why did you want to be a part of this production?

Blizzard: One of the things that drew me to this production was the fact that it was a comedy. Comedies are a constant challenge. Comedy is hard to perform in the sense that you have to make people laugh and keep them laughing. Unless you do that, you’re a complete flop. When you’re successful at it, you feel somewhat euphoric when you hear your audience laughing at one of your performances.

Temple Terrace Patch: What makes “Greater Tuna” so funny?

Blizzard: It’s a combination of a few things. Ron (the other actor in the play) and I have been acting together for a while, and that communication in a comedy makes for a funnier show. Also, the dialogue in the production is just hysterical—definitely one of the funniest parts of the show.

Temple Terrace Patch: What’s one of the things you’ve liked the most about working on this show?

Blizzard: Just learning how to transition from character to character was an experience in itself.

Temple Terrace Patch: Why should the community come out and see “Greater Tuna”?

Blizzard: People should come out and see this show to help support their local community theater and to have a good time. Theater is somewhat a dying art, especially in small theaters like this one. I think people should come check the show out and just make a night out of it. They can forget about their problems for a while and have something to laugh about.