Couple finds love on stage ... and off

MOON OVER BUFFALO at Theatre Works

by FRANK O'DONNELL
Valley Breeze Entertainment Writer

Connie and Mark Anderson, members of Theatre Works in are a real-life
married couple who’ve enjoyed playing plenty of married couples on stage.
In "Moon Over Buffalo," the current Theatre Works offering, she’s in the cast
but he’s the director. The play opens this weekend and runs weekends
through March 20. Call 401-766-1898 for tickets and information.

WOONSOCKET - When they First met at Theatre Works in 1992, Connie and Mark Anderson didn't really care for each other. Mark joined the cast of "Perfectly Frank" just three weeks before opening night, so the show was already well into rehearsal.

"I had little trouble learning the music," recalls Mark, "but I was also a lousy dancer. Still am. Everyone there was trying to help me learn the steps, but I was getting very frustrated with my lack of rhythm and movement, and it showed. A lot of my fellow actors - Connie included - thought I had an attitude problem."

Connie's version of the story is remarkably similar. "Mark was thrown into our musical. He came from out of town and was very quiet, didn't mix with the others. He was also very frustrated with the choreography. I read it as being a little full of himself."

Luckily, as Connie puts it, first impressions many times are wrong impressions.

"As the years went on, most of those people saw me for who I really was," says Mark.

"The next few years, we acted together on stage," says Connie, "and I learned that his quietness was just a part of his personality and that he was a very gentle, focused person."

Three years ago, the couple got married, on the beach in the Dominican Republic. "Highly recommend it!" says Mark.

These days, the two are working closely on "Moon Over Buffalo," the latest production at Theatre Works. Mark is directing, and Connie has a starring role.

For Mark, the experience has been wonderful. "Think about it. You tell your wife exactly what to do and when to do it, what to say and when to say it! And she has to do it!"

"When I'm on stage, he's the boss," Connie agrees. "Mark and I have a deep respect for each other when we are in production. He's wonderful to work with. What I like best is, whether he's directing or I am, we always consult each other on many aspects of the performance, sort of a double-check system to make sure we are on the right track."

In "Moon Over Buffalo," Connie's character is married.

I wondered how that affected Mark, watching his real wife perform a romantic scene with another man. "It can be very stimulating," says Mark. "This is the first time I've directed Connie in a romantic role. It's more fun when the leading man happens to have been the best man at our wedding."

The two find that they complement one another around the theater, making the experience fun. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's very easy," says Connie. "Having worked on so many shows together, he's good at some things, I'm good at others. We don't get in each other's way."

"Of course," Mark points out, "working together so often, we occasionally have issues with each other. But as a team, we always seem to rally for each other. But it is so much easier when I'm working with one of the finest actresses I've ever known.”

Working together seems to be working for these two, and they hope to continue. I asked about shows each would like to do with the other, somewhere down the line. "There's a stage play of Stephen King's 'Misery' that would be great for us," says Mark. "'Deathtrap' is another one." Connie concurs, simply saying, "Ditto!"

The Andersons find that community theater is a tie that binds. "It gives everyone the opportunity to fulfill those dreams of performing," says Connie. "It may not be Broadway, but it satisfies the soul. And the lifelong friendships that are made doing what you love to do are an added bonus. They become an extended family."

"Connie and I share a love for entertaining," says Mark. "Whether it be on stage, directing, producing or even just painting sets with new people. To hear the audience laugh and maybe see a tear, or a complete stranger walks up to you and tells you he loved your work. To see a young girl get flowers at her first curtain call. Priceless."

- Connie Anderson stars in and Mark Anderson directs `Moon Over Buffalo" at Theatre Works, in the First Universalist Church on Earle Street in Woonsocket, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., through March 20. Call 401-766-1898 for reservations and further information.

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©The Valley Breeze, Entertainment section, Thursday, March 10, 2005.