Mike Todd, Chris McVey and Tony DeVault in Theatre Bristol's production of 'Scrooge the Musical'
Tony DeVault came to the theater world when he was 52. Prior to that he used his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in the defense-aerospace industry. Then he spent eight years as a staff member for Senator Fred Thompson, who was also an actor who told stories about his experiences, before DeVault became interested in acting.
“I have always loved movies and theater but as an audience member. When I first auditioned for a role, I was 52. I auditioned for the outdoor drama, ‘Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals’ and was fortunate enough to be cast in one of the leading roles,” he says. He portrayed John Sevier for five years and then directed the play for five years.
“During this time, I saw an announcement that Johnson City Community Theatre was holding auditions for Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ which is one of my favorite pieces of literature. I was cast in multiple roles and absolutely loved the production and acting. I received a lot of support and encouragement from my fellow actors and my director,” he says.
Originally, he didn’t have a mentor, but over time that changed. Melanie Yodkins, Glenn Patterson, Camille Gray and others have helped him and given him advice on auditions, character choices, singing and confidence building. He has performed with Theatre Bristol, Johnson City Community Theatre, Greeneville Theatre Guild and Tusculum Arts Outreach. He primarily performs with Theatre Bristol.
“I have enjoyed every theater experience and role. Every role/character is different which is not only part of the challenge, but part of the experience. I feel that I have learned something in every production of which I have been a part. Every role brings a different character, different emotions and a different persona.
“The most meaningful role was the character of Mr. Dussel (Fritz Pfiffer) in the ‘Diary of Anne Frank’ at Theatre Bristol, not only because he was a victim of the Holocaust, but because he was a real person suffering through one of the darkest periods in history.
“One of the most fun roles I have performed is Hugo Harty (one of the businessmen that asks Ebenezer Scrooge to donate to charity) in ‘Scrooge the Musical.’ With this character, I had a solo, danced, performed a comic pantomime and had dialogue with the main character.
“Then there are other roles that have other challenges: you need to be funny, you need to express a particular emotion, or you need to convincingly break down emotionally and cry.
“Additionally, I have been in three different productions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ mainly because the book is one of my favorite pieces of literature,” he says.
He has been on the crew for several shows, building sets, running lights and the fly rail system. He volunteers and participates all he can.
“There is most definitely a social element to being in a production. I have made a ton of friends and have become close to a number of them. I also appreciate the activity, both physically and mentally. I always struggled to memorize things in school for the sake of memorization. However, I have no problem memorizing music and 40 pages of dialogue out of a script.
“Whether it is building set pieces in the shop or developing a character as an actor. I think the activities with theater allow you to challenge yourself and stay mentally active. It causes me to read more; for years my work routine did not allow much time to read and enjoy books.
“The character development when acting allows you to examine yourself and see if any of your natural personal traits will work in your character. And finally, it gives you an opportunity to understand other people as you analyze a character. It definitely builds confidence; I have been given the opportunity to do things on stage that I would have never dreamed I would be able to do.
“I realize auditioning and acting is not for everyone; however, you never know what you can accomplish until you give it a shot. There are roles in many plays that have very few lines and work well for someone wanting to test the waters. There are also plays that have a very large ensemble to sing. If you’ve never been on stage, ask for a minor role to allow you to get acclimated to performing. Also attend workshops and lessons. I took acting lessons with a number of friends to get better. It really helps; you also learn tips and techniques that make acting much easier and more natural.
“I first auditioned because I thought it would be fun. Yes, it is fun but not in the way I anticipated. I love the challenges of acting on stage. Hitting your marks, delivering your lines, developing your character. I enjoy the experience of literally putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and looking at the world from a different perspective. I find myself being more expressive, having more of an understanding of other people’s perspective, mainly because you have to project something other than who you are to convincingly become that character,” DeVault says.
He is cast in “The Mockingbird Sings” at Theatre Bristol as Troy (the radio announcer for WOPI) and A.P. Carter. He also plans to audition for Theatre Bristol’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
