Tom Sawyer Actor Shares Thoughts On Role, Classic Character

At 17 years old and heading into this fall as a senior, Tristan Horan has not taken it easy this summer.

So says Lauren Stevenson Yacina, marketing director of the Upper Darby Summer Stage which is currently presenting The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Horan will be starring as the classic character.

"A typical day for Tristan starts at 9 a.m. when he begins rehearsal for a Children’s Theater show. (He’s presently performing in 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' in the role of Tom Sawyer and later this summer he’ll play the role of 'Braid Beard' in 'How I Became a Pirate.')," wrote Yacina to the Haverford-Havertown Patch Wednesday.

And it does not end from there, as after he has lunch he continues to rehearse until 4:30 p.m. where he starts to rehearse for Cabaret, which will be presented in August, wrote Yacina.

Come 7 p.m., Horan begins rehearsal for Hairspray until 10:30 p.m., Yacina continued.

In between his rehearsals and performances on Wednesday, Horan—who is the son of —took the time to answer Patch's questions about playing Mark Twain's beloved character. Patch forwarded the questions to Yacina and she presented them to Horan to be answered. 

Patch: What is your history with theatre, as well as the Upper Darby Summer Stage?

Horan: I started getting involved with theater seven years ago in the Apprentice Program at Upper Darby Summer Stage. The following year, I moved onto the Rising Stars program and the next year moved onto performing in the Children’s Theater shows. That was my first on-stage experience. That year, I was in “Elliot and the Magic Bed” written by Marcus Stevens who also directed the show. Other than that, I’ve performed in various shows at Haverford High School.

Patch: It takes a certain type of energy and dedication to play a classicl character like Tom Sawyer. How did you prepare for this role and what do you want the audience to get out of your character?

Horan: I started preparing for the role by first reading the book. The main type of energy is the energy in the relationships that Tom has with his friends in the story, so I wanted to really focus on those relationships, like how he relates to Injun Joe or Huck Finn. And then the challenge was to communicate those relationships with the audience.

Patch: I see that you have great co-stars and a director. What have you learned from them while producing Tom Sawyer?

Horan: From the co-stars I’ve learned that it is important to develop friendships offstage. That helps make the onstage relationships that much stronger. From the director, I’ve learned how to break through the fourth wall. The fourth wall is the imaginary “wall” at the front of the stage in the traditional three-walled proscenium theater. By breaking the fourth wall, the actor actually acknowledges the audience. I’m learning from the director how to make these interactions with the audience become a natural part of my character.

Patch: And what type of chemistry is there between you and your fellow actors and actresses? Sometimes it can be hard to playoff with a co-star, but just from watching the video you don't seem to have that problem.

Horan: Summer Stage encourages developing friendships, and so when we do work together on stage it makes it much easier to develop a positive chemistry with the other actors.

Patch: And what's next on your theatre agenda? Is there another play or musical that you want to do and is this something you would like to continue after school?

Horan: I plan to continue theater as an extra activity when I get to college, a hobby. I plan to study biology underneath a pre-med curriculum.

Patch: Have you ever done anything that would make the rebellious Tom Sawyer proud of you?

Horan: I haven’t really done anything too rebellious! Maybe snuck into a movie a couple of times. I think Tom Sawyer would be proud of that.

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