#sparkchamber 050817 Jerry O’Donnell

A bright star lights up the #sparkchamber today — a big sparkly welcome to Jerry O’Donnell. Jerry is an actor and theatre director, and a newish writer (though a bad speller). As an actor, he has been on Madmen, Castle, and Masters of Sex, to name a few, and got to put his military experience in the 82nd Airborne to use in roles on JAG and NCIS. (See his full list of credits here — http://www.imdb.me/JERRYODONNELL .) He was a founding member of the Provincetown Repertory Theatre, where he fell in love with and married his lovely (and talented) wife Alison Crowley.

No matter whether it be acting, directing, or writing — telling a great story; impacting the audience and the individual; sharing the heightened human experience, that connection to and between each other — he is so grateful for the ability and opportunity each and every time to make that connection. Connect with him on Twitter @JERRYOD

1.] Where do ideas come from?

My head and my stomach. Seems like an idea comes from out of the air — music, watching people, a film or a play — then it’s sucked up by my head, filtered there by my soup of biases/loves/hates/desires, then it is colored and tinted by my feelings/instincts/gut sense

2.] What is the itch you are scratching?

Right now, it is to become a larger storyteller; to become a fuller version of myself; to expand my conscious commitment to my time here; to not stay safe; to push out and put myself out there artistically in ways I’m not comfortable.

3.] Early Bird or night owl, tortoise or hare?

Night Owl all the way — but interested in changing that up; Both tortoise and hare: I bounce all over the place, but underneath, I am steadfastly trudging straight forward — I will not quit.

4.] How do you know when you are done?

It’s never done, really, but there are deadlines or opening nights. It’s a continual process — I think about and learn and grow from parts/characters years after the play/film/TV part played/ended/closed