'A Christmas Carol' with a twist

Former ad man continues to make serious waves in local theater scene

By Dwayne Steward

Metromix

Artie Isaac, 49, is a Yale-educated Columbus native who's made significant waves locally in several different capacities.

He's been an ad man (he recently sold his company Young Isaac, a downtown-based advertising agency), a public speaker (he created and operates SpeakerSite.com, the worlds largest social networking Web site for public speakers) and a professor (teaching at Ohio State University and the Columbus College of Art and Design).

But 18 months ago, he decided acting was a skill he needed to add to his résumé.

So he hooked up with the popular theater troupe Available Light Theater, and a raw talent was born. In the year and a half since he's joined the group, Isaac has appeared in well-received AVLT productions such as "Our Town" and this year's surprise hit, "The Odd Couple."

For the holidays he's teamed up with AVLT artistic director Matt Slaybaugh and Sean Christopher Lewis (who starred in the troupe's other one-man show this year, "Killadelphia") to bring an interesting twist a Christmas classic. "Consolidated Amalgamated's Annual Xmas Spectacular"—written by the trio—stars Isaac as a Jewish employee who begrudgingly must recite "A Christmas Carol" at ConAm's annual Christmas party. Hilarity ensues, followed by a touching morale.

Metromix talked with Isaac about the show and how he went from being a top ad man to being one of the city's top amateur actors. 

Tell us about your history with Available Light Theatre.
I started collaborating with them two years ago. I helped with their production of "Our Town." Nearly 1,400 people came, so it ended up being a big success. Since then I've also been in "The Odd Couple." But both of those were fundraisers, designed to attract new members to the audience. It's not really what we'd call an "Available Light show." Their main goal is to present new works—shows like "The Odd Couple" are classics that are sure to attract an audience. This show is like that too. It's not exactly an AVLT production. It's more of an artistic fundraiser. But [ConAm's Xmas Spectacular] got me as close as I've been to being a part of a real "Available Light show." 

This is definitely a new twist on Dickens' classic tale. Where did the idea come from?
A friend of mine named Winn Logan from State Auto Insurance told me an interesting story about when he was a kid. His parents dragged him to a show in Wooster, Ohio, one year where a fellow named Delbert Lean stood up and recited "A Christmas Carol" completely from memory. He later found out that the guy had been doing it for 50 years. He was head of Department of Speech at [The College of Wooster], and this was his gift to the community. The guy was so fascinated by the guy that the next year he went willingly. The idea for this show started that way.
Along the way we decided to do a Spaulding Gray version of "A Christmas Carol." But then someone said, "This is "A Christmas Carol" and Artie is Jewish.' Then the question became, 'Is this my story to tell?' Will it sound different coming from me? So then we went through a few different versions and came up with the format we have now. 

What do you want people to get out of this show?
We want people to leave the theater and celebrate the holidays mindfully and with intention, and not sleepwalk through them. Everyone has some sort of affection and/or anguish for this time of year. [Laughs] I think we've crafted a show that really holds together nicely, and we're hoping that people have a great time in the theater and, in turn, and fall in love with Available Light. 

What is the main plot of the play, and how does your character fit into the story line?
The main character is Winford Doke, who's based on Delbert Lean, and the audience acts as the group of employees from our company, Consolidated Amalgamated. Mr. Doke, however, gets fired right before he's supposed to recite "A Christmas Carol" at the annual company Christmas party. Human resources comes to me and tells me since I'm his assistant, I have to take over all his duties. So I have to take over his work—I'm dealing with some things because of it, and I'm also Jewish. So the play is about me getting through all that. [Laughs]
There's also another actress that plays the role of the person who helps Mr. Doke once a year with the costumes and script—Jo Anne O'Carroll. She plays the role of Jo Anne, and we have to muscle through a pretty awkward evening. 

You were a respected ad man locally for some time, and you're still a respected public speaker. How did all that parlay into acting?
This has become one of my great passions. But it is very new to me. I'm 49 years old but I started acting only 18 months ago. I hadn't really done it since college. I'm a complete volunteer who deeply believes in Available Light's mission. I truly believe it when [Slaybaugh] says that theater is too important to just be used by the upper crest of society. However, my kids think I'm going through a mid-life crisis. [Laughs]
Also some of the success of these shows lies in finding out what the hell is going to happen. 'He's unqualified,' they say. So it's somewhat like coming to watch a car accident. [Laughs] A lot of people know me as someone who's always doing the responsible and reputable thing—this is a drastic change for them. [Laughs]

Available Light Theater presents "Consolidated Amalgamated's Annual Xmas Spectacular" Dec. 10-13 at the Davis Performing Arts Center. Tickets are on AVLT's popular pay-what-you-want system. For more information, visit XmaswithArtie.com.