Greg Beam is a Lewiston native. An acting teacher. A playwright. An excited dad-to-be.

In January, Beam’s original play “Keepsake” debuted at the Old Red Lion Theatre Pub in London.

A St. Dom’s grad from the class of 2000, he was president of the drama club in high school and appeared in several Community Little Theatre productions. Now an acting teacher at the New York Film Academy, he said the chance to stage “Keepsake” came about after a director he’d worked with in Chicago relocated to London and put out a call for scripts.

Beam continues to teach and write in addition to TV and radio commercial work, acting in theater and, occasionally, rubbing shoulders with Batman.

He had a small role in 2008’s “The Dark Knight.”

“It’s about five minutes into the movie,” Beam said. “I have a line about the Powerball.”

Name: Greg Beam

Age: 32

Lives: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tell us a little about “Keepsake”: “Keepsake” is about a two women in their early 30s: Abra, the daughter of Egyptian-American immigrants, and her adopted sister Samara. Following their father’s suicide, Samara returns to her parents’ home in Massachusetts, where Abra still lives. While sorting out the arrangements for the funeral, the estranged sisters confront a long-buried trauma from their childhood and address its aftermath in their present lives. The story is interlaced with flashbacks to episodes involving their parents.

I wrote the first draft of the play in the fall of 2011 and have returned to work on it from time to time since then.

What did it feel like opening night in London? I actually wasn’t there for opening night; I went out for the final week of performances. I was thrilled to see how all of the artists involved — the director, designers and cast — had captured the deep themes as well as the nuances of the script and built on them. It was the first time I’d seen something of mine fully staged without having been present for any of the process, and the effect was quite stunning.

How’d you celebrate? A pint of Guinness.

Best comment in a “Keepsake” review: A reviewer for The British Theatre Guide wrote that, “Keepsake marked something important in the modern theatre . . . a step forward in the representation of minority groups on stage” and called it “an intensely realistic and watchable play that I hope has a long life.” I thought that was terrific, especially the former comment.

Current projects: Along with trying to get “Keepsake” produced in the states, I’m working on a novel set in a fictional town in Maine. That’s all I can reveal about it at the moment.

Some advice to young acting students: 1.) Focus on the task at hand. Devote close to 100 percent of your effort and attention to the projects that are on your plate right now. If you haven’t got any projects on your plate, find some. Create them. Goals and dreams must be kept in their place. Fantasies lead only to more fantasies. Work results in more work. My acting mentor, Richard Brestoff, says that impatience is a young actor’s greatest enemy. It’s also a very easy pattern to fall into.

2.) Develop another skill or skills. Music. Graphic design or web design. Writing. Audio or video editing. Carpentry. Anything. Not only will this aid you in those (long) periods when you’re not making all or even part of your living as an actor, you may also find it helpful to your work on the stage or screen.

3.) Make friends. It will benefit you personally and professionally.

Frequent acting pitfall: Trying to get it “right.” There is no right and wrong in acting, or in any art form, I think. There are more and less compelling versions of what you’re trying to depict. Thinking in those terms is more useful.

Anything behind-the-scenes you could share from “The Dark Knight”? Chris Nolan, the director, re-introduced himself (we’d met at the audition) as we set up to film, but didn’t offer me a whole lot in the way of direction after that. We did about 10 takes of the scene. Before the last take, Chris comes up and leans against the car where I’m sitting. He says through the window, “Uh, Greg . . . a bit more pissed off,” then nods, knocks on the windshield and heads back to the other side of the camera. I’m pretty sure the last take is the one they used in the film.

kskelton@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link