Abraham Adams

What you’ve seen him in at OU:

• Leon Czolgosz, Assassins
• Larry, Syllogism of the Golden Hippo
• Robert, My Attic Wife
• Clive/Edward, Cloud Nine
• Richard Hannay, The 39 Steps
• Gaev, The Cherry Orchard
• Lonnie Murdock, Only Good Things Happen at the Fair

Does one role stand out amongst the rest?

Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps. The cast was really fun. … It was one of the first times where a director (Dennis Delaney) gave us enough room for discovery, and we really took that to heart and it was so much fun to experience that.

What will you miss most about OU?

I think I will miss getting up in the morning and going to place … doing something I love every day and everyone else is doing something they love … and we’re all invested in it. I know that doesn't happen a lot in the real world. … And probably, (Midnight) Madness. … It’s very exciting, and I think it’s how theater should be: very quick and dirty.

Who do you think has impacted you the most at OU?

David Haugen for kicking my ass. … He never gave us any opportunity to relax, and I think that’s important. (It’s like if) you hire a personal trainer at a gym, they’re not there to be your friend. They’re there to make you work and show some results, and that’s what he does. Dan Dennis, who brought Suzuki technique … the specificity of your intention and exercising your will was something that I think was transformative for me and very important. And Shelley Delaney because she’s Shelley Delaney.

What advice do you have for the incoming graduate acting class?

I think it’s important that students find an opportunity, even as crazy as our schedules are, to self-produce something. No matter how big or small. … Those are skills you can only learn by doing, so getting out there and making a show is something you should try and do while you’re here because the resources are there and available.

What are your plans for the future?

Until July, I will be playing Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Shakespeare on the River in Marietta. Afterward, I have absolutely no idea where I'm going or what I will be doing, and that's OK I think.