By Evie Andrus

The young man on stage rivets all attention with his ready-to-explode intensity and eyes that burn. Backstage, he paces or sits pensively, not taking part in the whispered chatter. Off stage, Maury Reed is introspective and quiet, yet a leader, the “go-to guy.”

At ETSU the junior theater major has also taken up juggling – as in juggling two roles in two Division of Theatre productions at the same time. A key character in fall's The Cherry Orchard, ETSU’s first show of the season in October, Reed was also the lead in The Actor’s Nightmare, one of two one-act plays by Christopher Durang. 

Rehearsals for both started in September. “They have been keeping me busy,” Reed said.

Not only were rehearsals and character-juggling extremely demanding, but Reed has also had to familiarize himself with a complicated play and playwright in Anton Chekhov and a very physical comedy. “It's very challenging and exciting,” Reed says with a smile.

That attitude is one of the things that makes Reed a joy to work with, says Karen Sabo, who directed him in both The Cherry Orchard and spring 2007's production of The Glass Menagerie.
“He has a lot of discipline and drive,” Sabo says. “I think he’s just great.”

In Cherry Orchard, Reed’s character Lopakhin was the villain. In Nightmare, a comedy based on every actor’s worst nightmare of not knowing his lines, Maury’s George Spelvin is the victim.
Reed himself can be all business, his directors say. “He aspires to disappear completely into his character,” Sabo says, “and I think he’s successful.”

He gets a thumbs-up from Bobby Funk, director of The Actor’s Nightmare, as well.

“His work is honest and comes from the given circumstances of the play,” Funk says. “He is great to work with and he tries extremely hard.”

Despite his ability and intensity, Reed is not even remotely a prima donna. “Maury is a team player,” says Pat Cronin, head of ETSU’s Division of Theatre.

Sets, learning lines and being in character are all second nature to Reed, whose exposure to acting started with his father. “It felt weird to see my dad act … fun, but weird,” he says.

His first big role came in sixth grade in Charlotte’s Web when he was cast as Avery, Fern’s brother. And Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof remains one of his favorite characters to portray, because “I got to sing and dance around acting very drunk.”

From the Foothills Playhouse Community Theater in Easley, S.C., to the Bud Frank stage at ETSU, theater drives Reed’s life. Since transferring to ETSU last school year, he has participated in Macbeth, The Glass Menagerie, the 24-hour theater project and Grease this spring.

As if acting were not challenging enough, Reed is also a dancer. Acting in high school musicals sparked the interest, and he is now minoring in dance at ETSU. “I love to dance ballroom and tap,” he says.

In addition to preparing for and performing the two plays, Reed was also rehearsing for the February dance concert. “I have to miss some of the (dance) rehearsals because of the plays, but everyone is very understanding,” Reed says.

To further hone his on-stage talents, Reed participates in an improvisational group on campus – the Patchwork Players, which had its own slate of shows this spring.

If Reed were not on stage or backstage so much this semester, he would be on the rugby field. His dark brown eyes light up at the mention of the sport. “It is exhilarating,” he says.

Reed started playing his senior year in high school and played with the Johnson City Rugby Club up until this year. “I just can’t afford to get hurt,” he says.

That devotion and focus, Reed hopes, will turn acting into a career, relegating rugby to a hobby. “I would like to do film, too, if I can,” he says. “I will go wherever I can get a job.”

Wherever it is, it will likely include juggling.