Hollywood met The Swamp as two seasoned School of Theatre and Dance alumni came back to Gainesville on Friday.
Television stars Beth Dover, of “Orange is the New Black,” and DaJuan Johnson, of “Bosch,” found their way back to Constans Theater. There they spoke to current students and discussed their experiences in the working world.
Interim Director of the School of Theatre and Dance, Dr. Ralf Remshardt, moderated the afternoon asking Dover and Johnson a slew of questions about their journey navigating the acting world.
A question on the minds of many young aspiring actors was, “What is a typical work week like?”
Dover quickly responded that there isn’t one. Johnson added that although a show shoots for a week, more often than not your role only requires you to shoot half the time.
“We shoot something like two to three days out of an eight-day week. We’re just not as active as you think,” Johnson explained.
“I feel like I’ve been semi-retired all my life,” Dover added.
As the hour progressed Dover and Johnson continued to give insight into their journeys as actors. Both mentioned frequently going to acting classes in their current lives to stay sharp and meet new people.
Dover said she wanted to get back into interacting with people and decided to do a tour of cities, speaking with people.
“I decided I missed seeing people one-on-one. This is the first stop of what may be like 40 cities,” Dover told the audience.
Remshardt said many alumni from all schools within the College of Arts reach out to the university to reconnect with teachers and the school. The actors personally contacted School of Theatre and Dance professor Tim Altmeyer to come and speak with students both in his course and in a general setting.
“It’s not unusual for us to be contacted by alumni to offer services and check on what we’re doing,” he said.
Dover graduated from the UF theatre school with her bachelor’s in theatre performance in 1999. She is known for her roles on shows such as “Orange is the New Black,” “Chasing Life” and “Another Period.” Johnson received his bachelor’s in theatre performance in 2000 and has credited roles in shows such as “Bosch,” “Agent Carter” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
The main objective of this event was for those pursuing a career in the arts and in other majors to see actors who have recently started their career and know how things work today.
After the general session both actors spoke briefly with The Alligator, and I asked them a few questions before “celebrating Gainesville-style.”
Maner: Have you ever thought about Gainesville or UF since graduation?
Beth Dover: Absolutely. UF was a formative experience in my life and my closest friends were my friends in college.
Maner: What was it like stepping back in here for the first time?
BD: It has changed so much and become so huge, I mean there are so many more theatres and you guys have such a great facility here. It’s almost unrecognizable how much it has been built up since I’ve been here, like the Reitz Union, everything looks so different
DaJuan Johnson: It was a little bit more emotional for me this time around because I was with her [Beth] and we just remembered ‘we did this here.’
BD: It was pretty special to be able to do this with DaJuan, I must say.
Maner: Coming in to the interview did you feel pressure to provide information or did being back provide a comfortable environment?
BD: It felt very intimate and familial. It feels really nice that you guys care about what we have to say, and I know it’s something that I would’ve wanted when I went here — to hear people’s different struggles in this industry and how people navigate the waters of being an actor.
Maner: Is there anything you found out that you wish you would’ve known when you left school?
BD: I didn’t understand the business side of this industry, and I really had to find my way but I think that’s part of the journey.
DJ: I don’t think anyone comes out of school feeling fully prepared for any profession. There was so much we learned along the way.
BD: We got to spend four years in the college of life.
Maner: Do you have any final piece of advice for students wanting to pursue an acting career?
BD: Stay in class, create your own material, surround yourself with people that inspire you and are doing work you would like to do, and try to create a balance in your life.
DJ: Remember there is no ABC plan to achieving a dream.
BD: Yeah, there is no one way to succeed in this business.
Television stars DaJuan Johnson, left, and Beth Dover, right, visited UF to discuss their rise to fame and give advice to those entering the business.
