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Sam Prince 0:05 Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a great actor on stage or television? Do you wish you had an acting coach to help you get to the next level? Or maybe you just have a great idea for a movie series are played but aren't quite sure where to start? Well, you are in the right place my friend. My name is Sam Prince and I am the director of a production company here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and have been an actor for over 30 years. I've directed and written plays, and screenplays and taught many acting classes. This podcast is your place to learn how to move forward with your career in acting, theater, film, playwriting, screenwriting, and much more. There will be inspiring conversations with special guests as well. So welcome to the creative torium podcast, and action. All right, all right. Welcome to the creativity story. Young. Thank you for joining us. Michael Travis 1:24 Glad to be here. Sam Prince 1:25 Yes, my buddy. My man, Michael Travis is here. How are you? Michael Travis 1:31 Man? I'm good. I'm good. I really appreciate you doing this man. I tell people about my two miners to talk about myself. But we all know that for an actor, that's a lie. Sam Prince 1:45 So man, we've known each other a long time and it was fences. Right? Where we met Michael Travis 1:53 those fences. I heard I had heard about you, but I hadn't worked with you before then. When? Same here? Yeah, but it was it was fences. And it was a that was a that was a pleasure, man. Sam Prince 2:05 Man. Man. Let me tell you, man, like you know, I've done a lot of theater. But that was probably one of the tops for me. Michael Travis 2:16 Yeah, I tell I tell everybody that. Fences fences itself. Well, that was my second time doing it. I was blessed don't do have played two roles in that. And that was when you and I did it. You don't have got to play Troy Maxim, which I've loved that character. When I did it the first time. And my second favorite CAG character I actually got to do the first time which was a which was Gabriel. So you know that? Sure. Yeah. Gabriel Gabriel was on the spectrum. So you know that that took a little acting to dues which Yeah, really comfortable for for me to, to try to? I shouldn't say comfortable, I should say challenging. But it was it was a lot of fun. So fences, fences. Fences was major for me, but when I got to do Troy, you know with you. Well, that was a very talented cast, period. Man, we just had me just have fun. Sam Prince 3:15 Yeah, man. Okay. Yeah, let's just break that down. But there's a good second you are Troy. Lee character, killing it. We got EDIUS as Oh, my goodness. Rose. Rose. Rose. Yeah. Yeah. Michael Crawford. As your boy Bono. Yeah. Oh, no, no, I'm playing lions. Yeah. Which, man? I love that roll. Man. Michael Travis 3:45 That was a it fit you I always I noticed I noticed is, this is supposed to be interviewing me. But I've always saw you had just a cool, you know, just so smooth, man. Just so cool. And that carrier that was the road. So you so you know, I was fun watching you. You know, get into that one. Sam Prince 4:05 Man. Yeah, that was a lot of fun. But Bruce, Bruce did such a fantastic job of picking the cast, man. And I mean, every night you just killed it, guys, Troy man, and we all just kind of just elevated ourselves, man just every night. Michael Travis 4:21 You know? I gotta I gotta share this now. And I gotta hope Bruce sees this at some point because one of the best compliments I've ever gotten in theater. Not that long ago. It probably was a couple years ago. Bruce told me you don't when fences came out the movie because yeah. I've done it on Broadway expanded and did it you know, getting on the film live screen. Yeah. And Bruce told me as he watched that. He watched him do it but he said all he could hear was me. Doing it on stage. Boom, man. That was, you know, I've only had a few compliments that resonated and stuck with me because I don't I don't take them to heart that much, you know, people and they may be there and I appreciate it. I appreciate the love but a lot of times, you know, a lot of people just say, you know, good job, your job job, but there's some compliments to just stick with you. And he was so sincere when he said that so that's one of those that resonated with me and I in turn away. Yeah, that's fun. That was a fun road, man. And so parameter for family. Sam Prince 5:36 Oh, Soper family. Yeah, I'm gonna take that compliment a step further, man. And, you know, shout out to Bruce tinker. Alright, Pacific. Dr. Chu. Yeah. But when I when I saw the movie. I thought you were a better man. You know, notice? Me, I'm just telling you, man, I'm just I'm sick of seeing Dinsdale laid out. Right. You know, I'm saying I gotcha, you know. Yeah. I mean, he just he just plays it all the time. You know? I mean, he's a great actor. He's a great actor. I'm not. I'm not Michael Travis 6:23 playing Janesville is great. But you're right. It's it's the same. Pretty much the same. Same guy, right? Yeah. Robber. He's the protagonists or antagonists? He's a Sam Prince 6:36 young man. Yeah. I mean, even as Malcolm X he was. Me. I think that was probably his best role. Best role. Yeah, definitely. That's wrong. But he was still kind of dude. I mean, you know, Michael Travis 6:50 he brought them out of Malcolm Yeah. Sam Prince 6:53 Yeah. So yeah, man, I, yeah. That That play was, was great. Michael Travis 6:59 Yeah. And, you know, I got to come by my regrets. If we go and talk about fences and where we got where we met, where we got started. It's such a shame that at that time, the black community? Yeah, well, I say people of color culturally did not get to see that, you know, on a scale that they should have didn't even know that it was going on more than likely. And that's, that's such a shame. That it's not until now. And when we get into talking about, you know, the show that we just did, I think that that's going to change, but at that time, all I could think is when I look at it in the crowd, in the audience. Yeah. And see, just to see just a sea of white people witnessing the beauty of this show, you know, the Yeah, of that show. Yeah, it was just different. Just just a little discouraging. But if we encourage you that we were getting to do it, at that, at that venue, and you know, with that amount of people seeing it every night, you know, not every night. Yeah, yeah, Sam Prince 8:12 it was it was Yeah. Yeah. But you know what, man, I'm glad you said that, because I still battle that went with Frederick. Yeah. You know, like, I want to see more black folks at this show. You've been in the show, you know, it was it was sold out. Right. You know, we had some good audiences, but we needed some more of us in there, man. And Michael Travis 8:35 it's got to happen. And we got to do we got to do more for the marketing. Yes, just the outreach, you know, the community outreach, and it can be done and I and you know, but it's not like black people, or people of color period, because I talked to our Latino folks in need to say the same thing. You know, we just don't know about the opportunity. So we got to we got to do better getting that word out, get into marketing now. So Sam Prince 9:02 we do man we do. And you know, that summer I was I was walking the streets with flyers and pamphlets. But it's got to be even more than that, man. Michael Travis 9:13 There's got to be way more intentional. But it's got to be but it's got to be us doing the marketing because we know where to go You can't put a you can't put a somebody that doesn't know where to go or scared to go or even reluctant. You know, because, you know, we we pretty intuitive. We don't we don't take kindly as they say, We don't take kindly to people coming in trying to tell us what to do or saying what's good for us. So it should be us, right? It should be us doing that on a marketing in or at least somebody that can relate. You know what I mean? Sam Prince 9:50 Exactly, man. Exactly. Yeah, man, that's a whole nother show. We'll be talking about right but this is about you man so I want to talk about tell tell the listeners I'm aka Michael Travis got started in acting you know a little bit about what you've done through your life and and and lasting talk about that in detail too Michael Travis 10:21 No problem though out if we got to go to the activates has to go all the way back to Sunday school in church Easter Christmas and we always have productions at our church you don't really smile I grew up in really small city first of all but then our church was even small for a small city with only pretty much family members relatives and very close close knit village that attended but very talented know the Yeah, just about all of us were related in some way so you know, DNA blood all of that goes a long way but we started right off with everybody does their Easter speeches and their Christmas speeches, but we used to take it further and do you know do plays we had a lot of talented people that would write Christmas shows or Easter shows or even some that were already you know, like play with famous playwrights that we would perform at our church. So singing singing I don't remember not singing. I don't remember not ever not singing, you know, either at home, either at home or at church so that now I'm sick. Sam Prince 11:41 No, you're 64 now but how old are you at church sing in and oh Michael Travis 11:46 god I have to go back to probably one of the speeches and you know recitation that we would do I would have to save as far back as I can maybe about four when I got started going up and saying whatever speeches that you'd have written for every every child in that church, every child in Sunday school we get like a speech that would fit share Yeah, you know their age bracket. And you take pride in it because you want it you didn't want to get up there and not do your speech well. I would say that's a form of performance to get up and do that in front of your your church audience you know, you're gonna Sam Prince 12:26 definitely is when you are seriously four years old. Michael Travis 12:29 Oh, man, for five all the way through until like, we I think we stopped doing speeches probably junior high for 12 1314. And the longer your speech was, the more clout you kind of had and no, look up to you little kids we looked up to, I can't wait to run by Monster by speech as like five verses 456 verses. So that was it was a it was a pride, but it was a pride thing to get that done. And plus, it's a form of worship and praise as well. It's always all speeches were relative. Sam Prince 13:03 I want to help every single one of you achieve your dreams. Whether it's acting, screenwriting, play, writing, play producing, whatever it is, I just want to help you. So go to sampler dot productions. That's Sambre dot productions, Sal br and click on available classes and you'll see every single possible classes you can take to fulfill your needs. And if I can help you achieve your dream. How cool is that? Remember Sambre dot productions. See you there Michael Travis 13:53 Yeah, we used to get those we used to get those speeches every year. So, um, I would say that that was a type of performance going back that far. The only thing is once we got up of age, you know, you're sitting in the youth choir singing Ronal choir, whatever. So we were doing that at a very early age to so Okay, wow. Yeah, like I said, I don't remember not doing I don't remember not singing at home, my whole family. Everybody sings and we always get always still to this day if we get together. Yeah, and it's going to be, it's going to be I'll have to just leave it at that as impressive is going. Don't let my don't let all my cousins be there. And because it's just a beautiful, beautiful style of glass was that? Sam Prince 14:45 Well, I gotta ask. I mean, they just just start acapella doing something, or Michael Travis 14:51 it doesn't take it doesn't take a lot. It could be a commercial. It could be like a conversation that leads up to it or do you remember this or? Oh man, remember We used to hit this and you hit a note and then gone. But like, if there's any kind of gathering or like I said funerals are that's that's pretty much a it's just a choir getting back together. You know? It's kind of it's kind of amazing to hear and I'm saying that I'm not boasting at all just pride with with great fat family pride that we are able to do that. I know that this probably is not relative is pretty random, but we used to wait for the Olympics every four years because every you know, time we would get we've hit that in harmony like four parts as soon as we come on every four years, or every two years we do it for winner else. There's just don't worry as to it. Just humming. I'm like, we are actually doing Sam Prince 16:02 great. Oh my God, why did it NBC or the Olympic Committee? Get a hold of recording and one of those man seriously? Don't tune to the Olympics. Michael Travis 16:18 I don't know. I don't know. Cuz it was. It was weird. And it's kind of funny because we laugh about it. Like, we wonder Does anybody else do this stupid stuff. We all do in harmony. It's good to pirate as random as the Olympic. showed the Olympic tune, man. The answer is no, no, no. I hear. I hear. I hear today I hear today about don't worry about part is. Sam Prince 16:46 That is the coolest thing, man. Seriously, you got to record that. Next. If we I gotta recover. Michael Travis 16:53 If we haven't get together and do it. I'll make sure that we we have do it. And I'll get back to you. All right. It's crazy. Sam Prince 17:02 Yeah. Okay, so after church speeches and all that, Michael Travis 17:08 and then all that I didn't do any theater until I went to I was in 11th grade. I had switched schools. I grew up in an all black school of Muskegon Heights, high school, what school I grew up there. I left in the ninth grade because I started messing up in class but fell out on roll wasn't doing anything fulfilling my own. Thought I was great because I was an athlete, whatever. And there wasn't good my grades. So my parents took me out of that school system. I went to Muskegon Catholic Central. I played I played all sports, but our football coach, my junior year football coach, the the choir director, and also like the for the spring musical. And you know, they, they needed men because they wanted to do guys and douse. Okay, they didn't have enough men to play gangsters that you know, that were talented. So they came and recruited these football players. So I was watching football players that went to the audition. It was like probably five or six, seven of us. We all went we all got cast in Guys and Dolls the musical. And so I did that my junior year. And it I was I was so glad to be up on stage doing it. The following year, I did music man. So my senior year, so I did two musicals in high school. I don't want to as an athlete, but you know, just it was just weird to see athletes performing at that time and shows it was a couple of more. So The Music Man with me. So we got we all got bit by the bug because we were, you know, it was great. It was another form of sports, you know, because what you do you practice, you practice your sports, your athleticism, you practice that every day to try to get perfection. And that's kind of and and you love the adulation. If you're any good, you love to hear people cheering when you're out on the field or on the court or whatever, on a diamond. You love that. And stage did that as well. No, wow. That's Sam Prince 19:23 a great analogy, man. Yeah, but after Michael Travis 19:25 high school, I had done it anymore. Okay. I when I went off to college, I realized that one of the prerequisites was a speech, you had to do speech, you know, you had to had to have a speech requirement. Sure, for you know, for your prerequisite. Right, but also, I realized when I tried to do my speech class, I really couldn't do it. You know, like looking up all the information you had to Have a go off cue cards more it's more of an improv or impromptu even though you got your, your card, your no cards in there to do speech, I couldn't do it. I was horrible. And I knew that God dropped it. I actually dropped speech class twice. But realize that act they had an acting class that also was acceptable to pass your your speech, prerequisite or whatever. So I took that acting class in college. Okay, so that kind of continued, and I got bit by the bug then, but once again, no avenue to to do it anywhere else. So I'll never forget it, man. 30. I was 30 years old. Sports was behind me. Something, something missing. You know, I was not really going to any organized church that time. So I wasn't saying I wasn't doing anything like that. So but still, you know, playing pickup games basketball we used to play on Thursday nights. Every Thursday, we'd go play, you know, like older guys like my age 2530 35. playing pickup basketball every night, every Thursday. So after we finished on Thursday, we go to the bar. So we went to our that we went to our bar, sit down. And there they had these flyers on the table where we were sitting. And it was auditions for guys and Tao I run. And which theater I wrote with some robots and players rows, and rows and players was popping back there. But anyway, I read the flyer. I didn't know anything about it. I hadn't even been in Grand Rapids that long. But I have friends that lived here. And you know, we went we'd go to the bar after we played. And I said, Man, I did this play in high school, I ought to go audition to them. You know, I'm 30 years old is a big joke. We all laugh and they were like, Nah, you ain't gonna do it. I tell you what, if you do it, we'll buy your beers for the next year. This was the this was this was the dare actually for me. Right. Right. Look, do your best for the next year. If you audition for that play. And I did it. I went it was a Thursday night. I went on that Sunday to the audition. And Sam, I gotta tell you, I have never been that frightened before, because I didn't know how big an audition process was. I'd never done anything like that before. Sure. And there was probably there was so many people that have been and I'm talking about Potat so much talent. It's sitting in that room, which I didn't know at that time. Right. But I went in Audition. I got cast as big Julie, in that play the same role I played in high school. No. So dad was a, it hit me do the audition in rehearsal, the commitment that you had to do, it brought all of that all of that filling back. And from being an adult that I had been missing for probably 12 to 12 years. Should I have been missing? It brought back that whole working towards perfection, not practicing, practicing practicing until you get it right. You know, you talked about serious analogy. It really hit at that time. I'm like, Man, this is what I need it. Yeah, I have not stopped. That was 30 3040 years ago. Sam Prince 23:44 Yeah. Awesome, man. Yeah, that's such a great story. Because, I mean, let's talk about the roles and players for good news that they were the black theatre here in Grand Rapids, right Michael Travis 23:58 Cedric Ward, Cedric Ward, for just recently found out that there was a theater before rolling some players even you know, smaller doing real small venues. But yes, as part of that, but the roles of players that was all his his doing. He was the executive director and he had a lot of support. A lot of people working with him but yeah, that was that was black people doing black shows. You there was a lot of you know, in a culture or by a multiracial Sam Prince 24:37 cast and crew, Michael Travis 24:39 cast and crew. Like they it was all usually always all black shows pretty much except for when he would get he would get that inkling to do. Let's do guns and douse with black characters. You don't he would do that and he wanted, he wanted to challenge. He wants to challenge that status quo. But yeah, well, we did a lot of shows like that. So, Sam Prince 25:08 yeah, yeah. And that was we talking what? late 80s, early 90s. Michael Travis 25:17 That was late 80s. But they had been doing it for they had been doing it for a while because I got to give a shout out to like Bundeena Harvey, Larry Bentley. Ed, Ed was one of the stalwarts at that time. Medwin Johnson, you know, they had been doing that for 15 years before they got. In fact, they had to sit, they had to sit me down because I didn't realize that I could not just, you know, I just started something fly by night. I thought I could go play basketball or have a game and this rehearsals and then they sat me down. I'll never forget Larry and Mickey Lamar bonita. They sat me down, they were like, don't you? You? Are you committed to this, you got to you got to, and I wasn't used to people telling me stuff like this. Strong is strong. 30 years old, you know, I'm gonna tell me what I can and can't do. Right. But they they hit me and hit me to what level they were performing on what level I had to get to to, to to be on stage with them. So they don't have to not internalize that. There was no looking back at that time. So Right. Right. I really wrote some players band. That was something we could get. I wish we could have gotten that back. We got and got back to that yet. Sam Prince 26:46 Yeah. And the fact that they did it back then. Michael Travis 26:50 Right. And not only that, those audiences when you looked into audiences, we were represented them. No, there was no underserved in the black population at that. Yeah. Yeah. But it wasn't it wasn't completely black because of the level of performance. People were coming and a lot of a lot of the a lot of the white actors and directors got got their start in Robeson because if they could make it at Civic or circle or actors, they come over to the room came to Robinson and because they were talented, not only talented, and like I said director Joe Doolin. He got his start and Robson and a lot of people worked at Kin. Kin Tapper. You know, there's a lot of names that you would go around and people say, Wow, we got this downward row since like yet you pretty much. Yeah. Mirror random maker who was. I don't care if these people who hear this or see it or not. I'm a third names out there because it's true. She was she was she played Adelaide and that guy's a Dallas production. And you don't She's one of the names of the household names in Grand Rapids. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was it was just a Rosen was a great place for that not just for for black actors, solely. But for anybody that wanted to do it and just another avenue to do theater. Sam Prince 28:18 So yeah, yeah. Yeah, man. That's so great. Yeah. Well, I mean, for the second time you've done so much we could talk for three hours, man. I mean, you know, I mean, you've you've done like every play imaginable in almost every theater in Michigan. You know, he directed directed code museum code people's time, long time since yesterday. You know, but I really want to ask you before we take a break you were in all things fall apart, directed by Mario van Peebles. Michael Travis 28:55 Oh, my God. Yeah. The film. Sam Prince 28:58 Yeah. Yeah. How was Marina people's you got to meet him? Michael Travis 29:01 Oh, got to meet him. Got to work with God. Yeah. Oh, that he directed it but he played a actually 50 cent Curtis Jackson played lead character. Mario Mario van Peebles played his father. And, and I played Mario's boy to work with him in the garage barrel on the garage of my mechanic, and I was one of the fellow mechanics that work with man talk about. He's talking about an experience to do film work. And to not only meet Mario van Peebles, and, you know, Lynn, Lynn Whitfield was she was in that as well. So I got to meet her. Okay, what a man got to work with him closely and then fits in who I didn't care for that much as a RN Not only as a rafter, but you know, and he had that, that stigma, you know? Yeah, nope for two years. Right, right, the brother was really down to earth really a lot smarter than people would probably imagined to. And I don't want to say smart as like we're not supposed to be it's just a, you know, you wouldn't believe some of the, as soon as you say something when you hear people take off with with a whole different idea, a whole different perspective and where we can go. Yeah, and I consider that intelligence, you know, yeah, yeah, he had man, he had that good one. And now today, because that was 2010 2011. And if you look at him today, you can see how his business stuff has exploded. So unless, you know, he wasn't just He wasn't just somebody out street. So working with Mario man, he was the first person that I ever heard, say, when I was like, you know, glad to meet you. I love your work. He said, I love to be working. There. He was the first person I ever heard say that. I kind of got like you right, man. I love I love working. He said that and it stuck with me. But you know, he was just a really cool guy. We were in. We were in the midst of, of running out of no film was rolling. And we had we had cut for a second. He said, Hey, man, I'm gonna stop. I think I forgot what my name was at that show. I think it was maybe Walter it was Walter. He's like, you ain't watching no more you t bone. And we started right back. So we started right back up. I felt more like T bone band and and, you know, he said, let loose whatever you want to say. So I started cussing and we started laughing and having fun, man, it was just it was just one of those days you don't like being on the street corner. Just you don't just let rhythm rhythm take control. So it was it was real cool. Working. Well. Sam Prince 32:01 That's great. That's great. You didn't his dad didn't pop by Diddy. Michael Travis 32:05 though. I wish his dad had a one hour I'd have talked about that. We're forever but it was cool enough beating. It was good. Till this day, one of my favorite westerns. One of my favorite Western is posse. Oh, man, that was I thought that was absolutely great. I really did. Sam Prince 32:29 Yeah, yeah. Both of those. Both of those men know how to make some good. And they stick they stick right to the black movies, man. They don't they don't wait. Michael Travis 32:41 There was very few. Anybody else on that set? Everybody that was in charge was back, you know? And even though even though we did it here in Grand Rapids it was. Yeah, it was. It was one of them. It was one of those kind of feelings, man it just glad to be part of. Sam Prince 32:58 That's great, man. That's great. Well, hey, we're gonna take a break. We're gonna stop this one. And we'll have to do part two next week. Because we just been talking man and wonderful. Michael Travis 33:13 So grateful. Wherever you're wherever the person is that you say. Can we cut them? Good luck with that. Sam Prince 33:22 You're exactly right. Sure, right. Episode. Michael Travis 33:27 Hey, that'd be great man about carve out whatever time we need. Sam Prince 33:32 All right, cool. Cool. Well, in this one right here. Thank you for listening to the creative torium Thank you, Michael Travis, wrote back next week, and we'll talk about we'll talk about Bo black and beautiful and some more stuff. Michael Travis 33:46 It was it was a pleasure. Thank you. Sam Prince 33:50 Okay, there's a great Tim and time is my boy Michael Travis. And I like always like to end it on the world stage. Michael Travis 33:59 That is, I love it. Sam Prince 34:13 Hey, thank you for listening to the creativity Korean podcast. Again, my name is Sam Prince. And it is my honor to be your host and thank you so much for listening. I'd also be honored if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts and say some nice things about what you just heard. And definitely please listen every week. We come out every Tuesday. Also, for more information about coaching classes, workshops, and upcoming productions, please check out our website Sambre dot productions, that's sh m b e r dot productions. And you can also subscribe to our newsletter. And remember all the worlds of stage