Jenna: When did you know you wanted to become an actor?

Robb: Oh jeez, umm…hhmmm….you know I don’t think there was a specific moment, I just think that it kinda was just something I always wanted to do. Yeah…umm…My dad was kind of, he was, he was like, a like a-when we were born he became, he was like a rock-n-roll kinda star-like tri-state area around Ohio-so ya know it was kinda like, I think it was just in my blood. That kind of sounds cheesy-but hahahaha

Jenna: Ok, with performing the same show every night does it ever getting tiring because you’re doing the same thing over and over each night-with whatever show?

Robb: Uhh, yeah…but with a show like this [referring to Zanna, Don’t!] cuz everybody is so wacky [Jenna-yeah…], you know there is always different stuff going on on stage, and umnm ya kno the different audiences also keep us on our toes because everybody reacts to different things [Jenna-Yeah.]-different times and stuff, ya know? [Jenna-Yeah] But we like to keep it fresh by really bringing ourselves to it every night ya know, and like not getting in a rut.

Jenna: Yeah, I feel like I’m, I’m doing a newscast or something.

Robb: hahahaha-you are

Jenna: Yeah- Out of all the shows you’ve been in which has been your favorite and why?

Robb: Ooohhh jeez…umm-ahhh-I have to say so far this has been my favorite [referring to ZD].

Jenna: Really ?

Robb: This has been my favorite one so far just because umm, I have had the opportunity to be with this since so early on-and I have had a chance to watch it develop and grow, Oh, I sound like parent!

Jenna: haha, watch it ‘mature, and nurture’ hahaha

Robb: Yeah, and its been exciting, this has been my favorite just because as its evolved, I have got to evolve with it like, they wrote a song for me, and ya know they wrote my character up…and the reading and all that stuff so…definitely this one. Though, I also enjoyed doing A Mid Summers Night Dream in high school [says with embarrassment, and laughs]

Jenna: : I LOVE that play (Robb laughs)-Ok…what’s your dream role?

Robb: My dream role, oh jeez…[Jenna laughs], I don’t think its been written yet

Jenna: Really ?

Robb: [Laughs], so we’ll see [laughs again]

Jenna: So, what was the most embarrassing moment that has happened to you on stage?

Robb: Ahh…most embarrassing moment that has happened to me on stage? *ponders* Ok, let me think about this one.

Jenna: Ok

Robb: There’s been a few....umm

Jenna: You can list them all if you want hehe

Robb: Umm…*whispers, while pondering* most embarrassing moment-I ran up on the lyrics on fast one time, not at this theatre, but at the other theatre.

Jenna: Right…NYTW?

Robb: At, umm the Kirk, down-right down the street [points to the wall. to show where down the street is] I forgot the lyrics during fast…what else?…there’s gotta be, I’ve been fortunate-not a lot of like things to embarrass me have happened though, I fell during the show too one time…I fell during the show [ZD]

Jenna: Really, which part?

Robb: Umm, right at the end it was a blackout-it was like right after the blackout-and I have to do some like crazy costume change-

Jenna: Yeah, I know

Robb: In the back, and I was running back…and I kinda like slid into the ground row, but good thing I play baseball cuz, ya know

Jenna: Yeah like a slide

Robb: I could just slide and come back up, it felt like I was stealing first

Jenna: [Laughs]…ok, no I’m sorry, I’m like...

Robb: No more like stealing home that’s more exciting…

Jenna: Stealing home, yeah that’s more exciting

Robb: Yeah, you can say that

LAUGH BREAK

Jenna: [after controlling herself]… Being that you are in the first off-Broadway cast of the Zanna, Don’t! how does it feel to “invent” or set a standard for, the role of “Tank” in the show?

Robb: Ummm....

Jenna: Good question!

Robb: That IS a good question. Umm-how does it feeeeeel? It’s it feels, umm-I haven’t really thought about the fact that there might be a life to the show after this, not because for any reason-

Jenna: You thought it would die! [laughs]

Robb: Well yeah-but just ya people are eventually probably going to take over the role-do it in other companies…but it’s kinda fun because ya know there are things that I have put into the show-or that I have done in the show, that weren’t either written, or weren’t necessarily directed that way, but it has become a part of it-so it will be fun so like down the line to see somebody else doing that…

Jenna: Doing what you’re doing

Robb: That I kinda just made up one day when I was singing in the shower or ya know, riding the train.

Jenna: Ok, my last question

Robb: Ok

Jenna: What about T.V./Film do you see your se.. OH WAIT! I LIED…I have two more

Robb: ok

Jenna: Do you plan on working strictly off-Broadway, or would you like to see yourself travel to Broadway?

Robb: Sure, yeah, yeah. I mean…I…ya know..I wanna do whatever kinda work comes my way , but I would love to do Broadway and umm, ya know, I got sort of a taste of it when I was on the road…doing, doing Fever, I enjoyed, I liked performing in bigger houses-but I certainly don’t mind the intimacy of off-Broadway

Jenna: Right.

Robb: Plus the money, I want the money! [said jokingly]

Jenna: Hahahaha, yeeaahhh-me too!

Robb: So

Jenna: Ok and then what else film or T.V. do you see yourself..WOOO! or do you see yourself doing either of the two? [couldn’t speak today]

Robb: Yeah! I hope so! My bank account hopes so [Robb, Margarita and Jenna laugh] I would LOVE to, I mean, I…I..I spent a little bit of time in L.A. when I was on the road…and was able to kind of like able to kinda get my feet wet a little bit over there.

Jenna: That’s cool!

Robb: Cuz I actually met with like, the Warner Brothers and stuff like that, so you know…you know, I definitely think its something I would be interested in doing. THIS NEXT QUESTION WAS OUT OF MY OWN CURIOUSITY

Jenna: This isn’t part of the interview, I just wanted to know-what’s your favorite song in the show? [referring to ZD]

Robb: What would be me favorite song? Ummm…uhhh…it used to be, I don’t know if it still is, but it used to be ‘cupid’

Jenna: Really ?

Robb: Yeah, and I like ‘Do you know what its like?’

Jenna: Yeah, aww!

Robb: umm-I like the opening…

LOTS OF TALKING, WHICH CAN’T BE INTERPRETED

Robb: They're all such good songs

Margarita: Yeah, it’s hard to choose a favorite

Jenna: They all have something different too-like it covers every

Robb: Totally

Jenna: spectrum of music?

Robb: Totally, totally

Margarita: Ok-now I have a question…what was your first job ever?

Robb: My first job ever? Meaning…like the first theatrical experience I got paid to do?

Margarita: Yeah

Robb: Ummm....

Jenna: No, well like, even if it was flipping burgers

Robb: Oh, ok, my first job, job, job, job. Ok, oh gosh! My first job, my first real job-besides-my family is in the food business-so other than getting paid under the table for like working for my family at my families’ restaurant…I umm worked at the antique photo at Sea World

Jenna: laughs…OH NO!

Robb: So I got to dress up all those funny people in like [Jenna is laughin her booty off] old clothes.

Jenna: The people with like 3 teeth

Robb: [laughs] exactly!-So yeah, yeah I worked at an antique photo

Margarita: Ok…so if you weren’t an actor, what would you see yourself doing ?

Robb: Umm, gosh I don’t know, I always, for a long time I wanted to play baseball I wanted to do that, but when I was a kid I said I wanted to either be a waiter or a lawyer So…hahaha hold on one sec ok?

His cell phone rings

Yeah I wanted to be a lawyer, my Grandmother, my Grandmother when I was a kid, said if I ever ended up on stage, she’d break my legs! No, ya know kidding around of course, she hasn’t missed a show yet. She’s the proudest thing ever.

Margarita and Jenna: aawwww!

Robb: So I always joke with her about that, so…

Margarita: Umm ok..so when you decided to become an actor, umm…what was your families reaction to that? Were they supportive ?

Robb: Oh Yeah-100%! My parents were so great about it, my whole family, everybody just kinda knew this is what I was gunna be doing and ya know, a lot of, a lot parents force their kids to take on a ‘real job’ or a ‘real career’-ya know, we sat down and when I was deciding about colleges and they said ‘do you want something to fall back’ and I was like ‘if you have something to fall back on, your gunna fall back’ ya know ?

Margarita: Yeah

Robb: If you don’t give yourself the choice then, cuz yeah, so they were, they were 100% supportive. Incredible, incredible about it.

Margarita: Umm…is there anyone in the theatrical world, like on Broadway, that you would like to work with someday ?

Robb: Oh, that’s a good question…umm-hmmm..I would love to work with…

Jenna: Mmmeee!

Robb: Does it have to be an actor, or can it be like a songwriter?

Margarita: Anyone

Robb: Gosh, these are pretty good questions, you're making me think here!

Margarita and Jenna: Hahaha....

Robb: Umm…I would like to work with who do you know who I would really like to work with? I would like to work with Cherry Jones, I think she is amazing, I don’t know if you guys know who she is

Margarita: Who’s that ?

Robb: She does lots of straight plays. Actress, phenomenal-I would love to work with Cherry Jones one day.

Jenna: Watch her read your website hehe....

Robb: hahaha…she probably wouldn’t, I don’t think she has done any musicals, but she is so incredible, who else?…[ponders] I’m tryin to think if there is anybody else-I would love to do like a Tony Krischner play umm…Michael John L., like I would love to do his stuff, I think he writes the most incredible music [one other name, could not understand what was said]

Jenna: And the list goes on, hahahahaha

Robb: [laughs] I know, I know, I know! Now I’m thinking of all these people umm. Yeah.

Margarita: What was the very first show you performed in ?

Robb: Umm the very show I performed in ever, ever, ever was The Nutcracker when I was in 2nd grade

Margarita: aww

Jenna: YEAH!

Robb: And it was like kind of one of those things where it was put on by our 2nd grade class…and I was the ‘Nutcracker Prince’....yeah ya know

Jenna: I was a mice

Robb: you were a, you were a Mouse* yeah that was the first thing I ever did

Jenna: Until my head fell off, and I started to cry

Robb: laughs-but that doesn’t count. The numerous productions, that took place my basement and the living room-and all that stuff.

Jenna: I used to charge my family a quarter to watch me perform around the house

Margarita: Umm, do you ever get stage fright ?

Robb: Every now and then, every now and then, once I get on stage, I’m fine. But, its like that moment right before I go on like umm, it happened really bad twice I was doing West Side Story, and-it’s only when I usually understudy, and I was going on, really, REALLY last minute, for somebody-

Margarita: Was it for a big role ?

Robb: Riff, I was goin on for Riff, and I hadn’t been fully rehearsed, and it was kind of just like a 2-hour notice kinda thing, and ah, I was terrified, and umm the first time I went on as Bobby C. for SNF I was terrified, because it was in the Shubert theatre in L.A.

Jenna: Wow

Robb: and it’s a huge theatre, which coincidentally I saw my first ever like, I saw Cats for the first time, like I saw my first ‘Broadwayesque’ show so like here I was making my debut at the, ya know, and its all of that you know ‘hhuuuuggggghhhh’ [gasp] So I was like, if I took my costume off now, and ran…so far, nobody would ever find me

LOTS OF LAUGHING

But yeah, it happens, but once I’m on stage, it’s fine-but its that normal like anxiety-but its like kinda hits you like, what you are really doing-and what you are about to do.

Margarita: What’s your biggest pet peeve ?

Robb: In terms of theatre, or in terms of general?

Margarita: Anything

Jenna: In General

Robb: Pet peeve? I’ll tell you my biggest pet peeve is having wet socks!

LOTS OF LAUGHING

Robb: Or just like wet clothes, if I’m in the rain, like I WILL HAVE THESE [doing motions…then freezes w/ a grossed out face] like, wet underwear, or wet socks

LOTS OF LAUGHING

I can’t deal with it! Can’t deal with it. I can be wet…like if I took my socks off, and my underwear off-

LOTS OF LAUGHING

Jenna: haha, its raining outside, so we know if you aren’t wearing socks

Robb: You know what I mean? Then, I’m fine! Like that’s, that’s, that’s definitely a pet peeve. On top of [ponders] –is there anything else? That’s, that’s that’s, I’ll have to say that’s my biggest pet peeve. But I hate when people lie

Margarita: Ok…do you have celebrity crush? And if so who is it ?

Robb: Celebrity ccrruusshh…Can’t say Jennifer Aniston because I already said she was my favorite actress…have to say something different. [sits and ponders] Umm…I know, I do, I just can’t think of, I can’t think of anybody right now-I’m in ‘Zanna Mode’

Margarita and Jenna: Both laughing

Robb: Umm [still pondering]celebrity crush…I think it might be Jennifer Aniston....I’m such a dork! But I love her! I’m pretty sure its Jennifer Aniston, that’s my celebrity crush! Though you know what…wait…what’s her name? What’s her name? Oh well, that’s fine

Margarita: Umm, ok…what advice do you have to give to anyone trying to get into theatre, or Broadway?

Robb: DON’T! hahaha

Jenna: Ok, sorry- goodbye!

Robb: Become a doctor…no ah-it’s like ya know, just know what you wanna do, have it so clear in your head what you want to accomplish, and anything that comes along that goes against what you want to accomplish, just take with a grain of salt. You know, you just have to like really know what you wanna do, you know not just do it because ‘oh theatre is fun’ like, you just have to set goals, work towards the goals, every time you achieve a goal, set another goal and figure out how you are going to achieve it. Ya know and, take everybody else’s opinion with a grain of salt. I think that’s the best advice I have to give!

Margarita: Those are all of our questions

Robb: Those were good questions you gguuyyss! [laughs] Now, I’m allowed to edit it right? Like, I can read it, take something out if I don’t like what I said [all of us laugh].

Jenna: Like ‘I really didn’t wanna say that’

Robb: heheh yeah


Pictures From The Interview