Quick Chats: Casey Hoekstra

Welcome to our Quick Chat series where we'll dive into the life and times of some of APT's finest. Each interview will supply insights ranging from the obviously relevant to the vaguely insane. Sounds fun, right? Today we're chatting with APT Acting Company member Casey Hoekstra!

Casey comes to us from Minneapolis and is spending his first summer here at APT. He has performed on many Minneapolis stages including Guthrie Theater and The Children's Theater of Minneapolis. This season, he can be seen in The Comedy of Errors, Death of a Salesman and Arcadia. We spoke with Casey about APT, the Lomans and the genius of Arthur Miller. Oh, and we also talk about dragons.

APT: How are you enjoying your first season in the woods? What brought you out to APT?
Casey Hoekstra: I'm loving my first season here. It's a humbling pleasure to be around a company of actors, technicians, designers, directors, etc. so thrilled to be doing what they're doing, all working together to put up the best possible story. I'm learning LOADS. Every time I step into a rehearsal room or on stage I understand how much more there is to learn, and that's exciting

APT: One of the (many) devastating pieces of the play is your character, Happy (that's ironic), because we watch Willy's plight and see Happy following in almost identical footsteps. So what makes Happy tick?
CH: What makes Happy tick? I think I learn more about this every time we live through the show and I better understand the relationship with my family, (Tracy, Marcus, and Brian) the Lomans. What I know for sure is that he was invisible while growing up, utterly dwarfed by Biff who could seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of dad, the star football player, the one who could make mom laugh, the university-bound super star. I spend a lot of the play watching, especially in the flashback scenes, watching my brother be lavished with praise and wishing it was coming my way. All the while hearing, and ingesting, my father's (Willy) philosophy that success is gained by being well liked. I mean come on, I can't get dad's love and all he talks about is the power of reputation and people liking you. I think Happy is hell bent on being as successful as he possible can; he makes sure he has a job, a car, that he's surrounded by women, he buys nice clothes and I think he's still secretly trying to impress dad. And later, when dad becomes a handful, when his mind starts going, I'm not the one who's going to look after him, I want Biff to do that. Biff was the one who got all the attention and love in the first place. This sounds very bitter, and maybe it is at times, but I love being Happy Loman as an actor. There's a lot to play.

APT: Obviously one reason Salesman is so iconic is because of its relatable characters. Are there any particular characters that you relate to personally?
CH: All of them, I think. I think that's part of Miller's genius. Pieces of our families are scattered through the Lomans. Desires in every family come up powerfully in this one: wanting dad's love, wanting dad to be proud of you, sibling rivalry and love, mom waiting late into the night for your return when you shouldn't have been out in the first place. And a million other small things. I think of my family constantly when I'm in this play.

APT: What are some things you enjoy doing when you're not at APT - when you're off the stage?
CH: I love to hike and be outdoors as much as possible, or pouring through a good piece of fiction. I traveled to Mexico before coming down to APT, and remembered how happy it makes me to see new places, different places, so I want to do a lot more of that.

APT: Would you rather have a dragon or be a dragon?
CH: Be a dragon! Flight, fire breathing, an impressive armament of scales and claws and fangs---I've wanted to be a dragon since I was 2 years old. I only act because I can't be a dragon. This was my second choice.