An Open, More Mature McKinley Belcher III Revisits 'A Guide for the Homesick' Off-Broadway

EDGE: What are you doing differently your second time around?

McKinley Belcher III: I got to record John, the Ugandan refugee, saying my lines as Nicholas. I was relieved that it was very close to what I was doing the first time, but there are some nuances that I was not able to get right the first time. Having a direct connect to someone from Uganda enabled me to get it right.

I had been acting for probably six or seven years professionally when we did it in Boston, whereas now I've been acting professionally for 15 years. There are some things about the emotional arc that were kind of terrifying when we did it the first time, and I surprised myself that I was able to get to these places. Doing it this time, because I had already done it, I was able to trust myself more. I think there's more ease in the artfulness of it, at least in my experience of it, and it's a more pleasurable experience. I'm not terrified.

It's also different because I'm acting with a very different actor. They're two very different people, and that changes a lot because it's just the two of us. It makes a difference in the telling of the story when you have a different scene partner. Maybe it wouldn't make a huge difference if they were very similar in temperament and similar in their approach to the role, but they actually aren't at all similar in their temperament or their approach to the two characters they're playing. It means that the ball I'm being thrown in New York is actually quite different than the ball I was being thrown in Boston, and therefore my response has to be in kind. And that's great, because it wouldn't serve much purpose for me to just rinse and recycle the performance I did in Boston, like I just dusted it off and then presented it in New York.

And [directors] Shira [Milikowsky] and Coleman [Domingo] are very different, so the process and journey and feeling are very different. It's a new journey of discovery in which I'm figuring out what this story is now with these people.

EDGE: When I saw the play there was an awkward silence in the audience when it was over. Eventually someone clapped and then applause came, but it was uncomfortable at first. How important is the audience's response to you?

McKinley Belcher III: The experience of what we receive from the audience, or the third cast member as we call them, is so varied that I don't know if I have a singular experience to share. Sometimes it's thunderous applause immediately. Sometimes people literally say, "Wow." And every now and then it happens that after we hug at the end then break hug in the blackout, we come to the lip of the stage and sort of bow in complete silence because people are sort of stunned. They're not sure what they're supposed to do, not sure it's over. They don't want to be the first one to clap. Sometimes I think it's disconcerting for the audience. They're not sure what they just saw. They're still metabolizing it. It's heavy in a way. Sometimes your immediate response is to somehow process what you just saw.

To me, it's a good thing. It means something's happening. The first time it happened we were like, "Okay, what do we do?" But we've learned to be comfortable in the silence because it means that you guys are with us. Something is happening out there that is different than what usually happens when you see a play. That's a beautiful thing to be experiencing in the theater.