Hey World! Ever wonder what it looks like when I act? Click here for a video of me doing some acting. Enjoy!
I’m truly humbled to announce that I was recently nominated for a Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Performance in a Principle Role in a Play for my work in “Hand to God” at Left Edge Theatre! Additionally our production was nominated for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Production of a Play. I’m so proud of the whole “Hand to God” team!
In other award news, my performance in “Hand to God” was also just nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy by the Marquee Theater Journalists Association. The association additionally nominated our production for 3 other awards! Our production of “Hand to God” as well as Left Edge Theatre’s production of “Sex with Strangers” (in which I also had the good fortune to appear) were both nominated for Outstanding Comedy Production. I’m honored by all of these nomination; what a joy!
Well folks, it’s been a glorious Summer. I just completed performing in two consecutive shows at the stupendous California Shakespeare Theater in the San Francisco Bay Area. First up was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Tyne Rafaeli:
“Dean Linnard as Lysander charms while looking like the lead for a disaffected ’90s garage band, and it’s too bad the part isn’t bigger for him.” Adam Brinklow, EDGE Media Network
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“The verve with which Lysander (lithe Dean Linnard) loves Hermia … is palpable.” Michael V. Rodriguez, Theatrius
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“[T]he brash energetic thrum of the production is infectious. The physicality of the lovers’ antics feels wonderfully feverish.” Karen D’Souza, The Mercury News
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“The entire cast of 10, all playing multiple roles, seamlessly shifts from character to character and nimbly handles their dialogue. Their crisp articulation … make[s] the play’s language surprisingly easy to hear and follow … Jenny Nelson and Dean Linnard turn in particularly sly comic performances … Linnard perfectly calibrates gawkiness and sex appears in his main roles as young lover Lysander (sexy up; gawk muted) and play-actor Flute (full gawk; light, drag-enhanced sexiness).” Jim Gladstone, The Bay Area Reporter
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“Dean Linnard’s wildly impassioned Lysander provides a sharp foil [to] his portrayal of a shy and seemingly introverted Flute.” George Heymont, My Cultural Landscape
Next up, I had the tremendous good fortune to act in Tony Kushner’s translation of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Good Person of Szechwan”, directed by Cal Shakes artistic director Eric Ting:
“[A] well-chosen cast … of various ethnicities play multiple clearly distinctive roles apiece, crisscrossing genders to great effect … In a sterling cast of a dozen, it’s unfair to single out anyone, but tall, skinny Dean Linnard as a policeman and Phil Wong as a rotund barber … are especially funny.” Jean Schiffman, San Francisco Examiner
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“The talented Cal Shakes cast shows off its versatility in this production, with each performer taking on multiple roles within the hard-luck world of Szechwan … It is a rare and wonderful treat to witness a production in which each ensemble member could have had a one-person show … Dean Linnard’s policeman is hilarious in his overly clipped and abrupt way of speaking … [T]he audience is allowed strikingly easy access to Brecht’s often abstract and heavily intellectual language and beliefs. Cal Shakes’ all-star cast members demonstrate stunning mastery over the inner life of their characters.” Daryanna Lancet, The Daily Californian
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“Ting has assembled a star-studded creative team. The cast includes Bay Area favorites playing multiple roles: … Dean Linnard is hilarious as the earnest but bumbling policeman.” Elaine Elinson, 48 Hills
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“Eric Ting’s vision of Brecht’s 1943 play … is fully, lovingly thought through and impeccably realized … [T]his play and this production define how morality gets set … with uncommon clarity, with boundless compassion, with fearless artistry. It makes you want to make yourself and the world better, and believe that perhaps you can and know that you must.” Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle
I cannot express how lucky I feel to have spent the last few months at Cal Shakes working on these two plays. It has been an extraordinary experience for which I am profoundly grateful.
Very excited to announce that my current show, “The Good Person of Szechwan”, is extending! We will now have an extra week of shows here at California Shakespeare Theater. Tickets are now available through July 28th and can be purchased here. I couldn’t be happier to be performing at this exquisite theater with a beautiful community of artists.
I am spending a joyful Summer at California Shakespeare Theater. Last week was the last performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Tyne Rafaeli:
We are currently deep in rehearsals for “The Good Person of Szechwan” directed by Cal Shakes Artistic Director Eric Ting:
“Good Person” opens next week. Stay tuned for more!
I am overjoyed to announce that I will be spending this Summer with the good folks at California Shakespeare Theater, acting in two shows: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Tyne Rafaeli, and “The Good Person of Szechwan” directed by Cal Shakes Artistic Director (and Obie Award Winner!) Eric Ting. I have been seeing shows at Cal Shakes for many years and am a great fan of their work; I am so honored to be joining their team this season! Tickets and information available here.
Here is what the critics had to say about my performance as Ethan in Left Edge Theatre’s production of the play “Sex with Strangers” opposite the brilliant Sandra Ish:
“Linnard’s Ethan is irresistibly charming. His coarse manners and frank confidence are at once repulsive and magnetic … Linnard and Ish hit it out of the park … “Sex with Strangers” is a steamy, entertaining story of laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of food for serious thought”
Nicole Singley, Aisle Seat Review
“A play with only two actors depends greatly on the abilities of its performers, and Ish and Linnard are nimble, proficient and interesting to watch, excellent and seasoned professionals.”
Jeanie K. Smith, Talkin’ Broadway
I’m thrilled to announce that next up I will be playing Ethan in Laura Eason’s play “Sex with Strangers”. I will be returning to Left Edge Theatre in California, with whom I have previously appeared in “Bad Jews” and “Hand to God”. We run January 25th through February 17th and tickets and more information can be found here.
Howdy, Internet!
The reviews are in! I had the good fortune to play Jason / Tyrone in the play “Hand to God” at Left Edge Theatre in California. Here’s what the critics had to say:
“Robert Askins’ madly funny and irreverent play Hand to God gets a terrific airing with a strong cast at Left Edge Theatre, featuring a mind-blowing tour de force performance by Dean Linnard as the teen and his demonic alter-ego … [Linnard’s] expert handling of the puppet, the expressions he gets from that sock mouth, the way he converses with Tyrone, is all stunning, virtually impossible to think of man and puppet as one person. Brilliantly done, Linnard’s performance deserves some special award for a demonstration of weird puppetry.”
Jeanie K. Smith, Talkin’ Broadway
“Linnard’s performance is nothing short of brilliant. His uncanny ability to switch so convincingly between two diametrically opposed characters at lightning speed – all while effectively maneuvering his right-hand companion – makes it a little too easy to forgot Tyrone is really just a puppet.”
Nicole Singley, Aisle Seat Review
“Tyrone is the real star of this play, lashing out at accepted norms, and ruthlessly swearing his way past veiled lies, with button eyes glaring at his victims. It does not take long to accept him as a separate character, due to the talent of Dean Linnard, who is essentially portraying two people simultaneously – an irate puppet and nervous teenage boy enable to articulate his feelings.”
Alexa Chipman, Sonoma County Gazette
“Linnard, a trained puppeteer, really puts his skills to work here and his ability to play two distinct characters/forces simultaneously is a joy to watch.”
Harry Duke, North Bay Stage and Screen
And for a special bonus, click here to listen to a radio interview (featuring my great fellow actor Carl Kraines and yours truly) about “Hand to God”.