Thursday, Jul. 30, 2009
On the Boards with Colin Rodgers
Colin Rodgers - Courtesy photo.
Colin Rodgers has greasepaint coursing through his veins. This expression commonly refers to those with a penchant for acting, especially on the stage, which is true in Rodgers’ case. Add that to a “day job” at the KISS Coffeehouse since its inception and it becomes clear that greasepaint is an unavoidable component in his life.
For Rodgers, 24 and single, the Grand Strand is his oyster. He moved to Myrtle Beach with his parents from the San Francisco area when his father was offered a job in advertising here. “I was about to start college, so I came with them because they helped me pay for college,” he says. “It was the easiest thing to do.” He grew up in Lafayette and Benicia, Calif., which was the original state capital there until it was eclipsed by Sacramento.
Rodgers hunkered down for general education units at Horry-Georgetown Technical College and ultimately transferred to Coastal Carolina University, where he earned a BA in dramatic arts.
Three years ago, Rodgers was walking around Broadway at the Beach and noticed a business under construction with a sign out front. “It was really generic, saying ‘Kiss Coffeehouse Now Hiring.’” The famous KISS logo was absent. “I looked into it and found out that it was the band, and I thought that was pretty cool,” he says. In short order, Rodgers and a couple of friends were employed there. “It’s a great job – really laid back. You get to be good friends with everyone you work with. And at the Grand Opening we got to meet Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley].”
The Grand Opening of the KISS Coffeehouse was a “Psycho Circus,” indeed. “I’d never seen that many people at one place at Broadway. People were slammed up against the front windows like “Night of the Living Dead” or something. Gene was about to shake my hand, but he saw a girl next to me and shook her hand instead.” Rodgers was wearing Paul Stanley makeup, and Simmons commented that he was quite convincing. In subsequent years, Rodgers met original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley and his fill-in Tommy Thayer. “I saved some French fries for him [Thayer] to try with our new Hotter Than Hell ketchup,” he laughs.
But acting is Rodgers’ passion, and he caught the bug early on. “My mom was involved in theater before I was born. She worked at the World’s Fair, doing Shakespeare at a “Globe Theatre’ kind of thing. When I was really young, I was more into drawing – always creating characters and scenarios. As I got older, I realized that if I got into acting, I could become those characters.” He took drama in high school, but says he really came into his own in college. He participated in several productions at CCU, including “Fat Pig,” “Comedy of Errors” and “Crazy for You.”
We saw Rodgers ply his trade at the 2008 Addy Awards, an annual event for advertising professionals. That year the production was based on the hit series, “Mad Men.” The snappy script was co-written by Rodgers. His likeness can also be seen on an electronic billboard near the Giant Crab Restaurant on Restaurant Row. “I did some modeling for the Street Reach program,” he says.
Currently, Rodgers is involved with the Long Bay Theatre’s production of “Charlotte’s Web” at the Palace Theatre, playing the roles of Templeton the rat and Homer Zuckerman. “It’s Greg London’s production,” he says. London directed “Crazy for You” at CCU. “Charlotte’s Web” runs through Aug. 14. “We have shows on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10 in the morning, and also a 2 p.m. show on Fridays.”
Juggling acting with his day job has been relatively painless. “My manager at the coffeehouse rolls her eyes when I ask for a day off or to change my schedule because it happens quite a bit. I’m really lucky to have a job that is supportive to that.”
Rodgers has produced a few short films, most notably a romp called “Full Moon Bay,” which involves a small town, a paperboy and a werewolf in a wheelchair. “I made it originally as a submission for a film contest, but I didn’t make it in. It’s on You Tube.” He recently worked as key grip on a film called “Ascot Alley,” written and directed by Nathan Blackburn and shot locally. The film is in the editing stages now.
Eventually, Rodgers sees himself in Los Angeles, with an eye to breaking into acting and film there. “But I’ve kind of got a good deal going with the opportunities here at the Palace Theatre, so I might as well stick around and try to bolster my resume before I move out there. I’m still planning to go, but not just yet.”
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