Austin Theatre Profile: LEVI GORE by Alex Garza

 

Amarillo’s major industries are ranching and farming, education and banking, oil and gas, medical services and tourism. Its major crops are corn, cotton, and wheat.  Some pretty famous people have sprouted forth from this Lone Star town in the Texas panhandle, including Ron Ely, the original TV Tarzan.

 

Another actor born in Amarillo found his way to the Austin theatre scene: Levi Gore.

 

His parents divorced when he was 10, and his teen years were divided between Texas and Georgia, his mother's home state. His middle school theatre teacher in Amarillo helped him find a place where he could creatively expel his energy without getting in trouble.  

 

“When I was in high school, I wasn't very good at all,” Levi says. “But I remember having more fun doing that than anything else.It was definitely more of an energy outlet than an emotional one, but I began to become more serious.It became an artistic outlet for me.”

 

Gore received his degree in theatre performance with a minor in history from West Texas A&M University in Canyon. He served as an apprentice at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison for five months, working, learning, and training with the company. There he discovered he his talent for classical work. An avid reader, he studies Shakespeare extensively, focusing on academic writing about the playwright’s life and work.  

 

“I fell in love with the characters, stories, themes, universality and poetry of it. It’s something I had never really appreciated before.  I knew that I wanted to invest my time and future in it and that I had a natural talent for it.” 

 

In the three years he has lived in Austin, he has portrayed some of Shakespeare’s characters and many other types of roles.  Among his favorites are Achilles in Iphigenia 2.0, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gus in The Dumb Waiter, and Henry VIII in A Man For All Seasons. His dream roles include Edmund in A Long Day's Journey Into Night,  Iago in Othello, Henry V, Pericles in Pericles Prince of Tyre, and Max in Laughter on the 23rd Floor.

 

Levi Gore considers Austin to be a unique place for theatre, a hub where many extremely talented individuals gather. He has been impressed by the quality of talent here. 

 

“My observation is that there is a passion, creativity, and bond in the artists here that I have never seen anywhere else. I have had the privilege in my three years living here to work with and see some of the most talented and intelligent directors, designers, actors, and artists I’ve ever known or seen.”

 

He shares worries with many of the members of the artistic world in the city: the  lack of performance spaces, the lack of funding, and a lack of attention and support for Austin’s artists.  

 

“Many of our spaces and companies are leaving or going out, due to rising rents and development. But the Austin Creative Alliance is doing a fantastic job of trying to keep Austin as the thriving artistic hub it should be.”

 

 

 

Gore continues to do what he loves best. He is currently involved in a reading of Austin Shakespeare's staged reading of Wolf Hall, Part 1, at the Rollins Theatre of the Long Center, September 22 through 25, 2016.  In October he will perform with the Baron’s Men for four weekends in Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus.  He looks forward to rehearsals for Pegasus Plays Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet, in which he will play Mercutio and other roles.  

 

Though theatre is his life and passion, Levi does have other interests. He has a 4 year old black Lab named Crash, and he build models in his spare time.  Theatre, however, is what humbles him and what brings him to life. He is enthusiastic when describing his favorite experiences in two of his most recent shows, A Man for All Seasons directed by Jeff Hinkle and A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Lindsay McKenna, both at the City Theatre earlier this year. 

 

“Both shows were in my opinion so beautiful; the stories that we brought to life through the wonderful acting, direction, and design made me fall in love with the art all over again.”

 

It's not the destination, but the journey that makes life so memorable. The next step of Levi Gore's personal journey may take him away from central Texas or maybe not. He may remain here permanently. Meanwhile he continues to study his craft, to enjoy the experience, and to be forever humbled by the wonderful art that is theatre. 

 

 

 

 

Alex Garza is an actor and writer living in Austin, Texas.