Long before she became an adjunct lecturer at BROWN UNIVERSITY in its Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, my friend CONNIE CRAWFORD did something for which I envied her intensely. In 1978, She appeared on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. She acted in sketches and everything! She was one of five finalists in the “Anyone Can Host SNL” contest they held during season 3. BUCK HENRY hosted. Connie tells some great stories about that experience. Hell, Connie tells a lot of great stories!
We were both freshman at VASSAR COLLEGE – in a Drama Department that was still buzzing about very recent graduate MERYL STREEP. As guest BRETT GOLDSTEIN and I discussed a few episodes back, Vassar was a great place to study drama. It was a great place to study – PERIOD. But, Connie says, she did not learn how to act at Vassar.
Nor did she learn how at Julliard. It wasn’t until she’d toured for a couple of years and been a working actress that she met and studied with UTA HAGEN. Then, says Connie, finally, she understood what acting was and how to actually do it.
Connie’s spent the last two decades teaching young theater actors and directors at Brown University all those amazing secrets. But, Connie’s favorite tool for helping actors (young and old) to become better actors?
Horses.
We’ll talk about horse therapy. How horses can teach us to listen. For actors, that’s vital.
We’ll talk about working with huge stars and directors and we’ll talk about how the casting process – including at colleges and universities – can do lasting damage to those being cast.
We’ll talk A L O T about SNL. The early years especially. While Connie and I both loved that show on a cellular level, also that show inspired us on a cellular level. Some day, I hope, like Connie, to get to say those words: “Live From New York, It’s Saturday Niiiiiiiiiiiight!”
A quick technical note about this particular episode. We’re experimenting with a new recording platform to replace Zoom. We encountered various technical issues; we apologize for any inconsistencies in sound and video.
Damned bugs!
An earlier interview Connie did – for the SNL Fan site Saturday Night Network can be found here.
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