Copious Notes

Michael Shannon (center) with the cast of David Cromer's acclaimed production of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" now in performance at Barrow Street Theatre Off-Broadway. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon, who started his acting career on Lexington stages, is currently appearing Off-Broadway as the stage manager in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Shannon is slated to play the part through May in the show which is currently in an open-ended run at the New York’s Barrow Street Theatre. David Cromer won an Obie Award for his direction of the critically acclaimed revival, which is now entering its second year.

Shannon spent his junior high and high school years between Lexington and Chicago. He started acting at Tates Creek Junior High and appeared in productions at Actors Guild of Lexington and other local theaters. He has since gone on to a critically acclaimed stage and film career culminating in an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in 2009 for his performance in Revolutionary Road.

In a pre-Oscars interview with the Herald-Leader, Shannon said that despite his film success, he always wants to keep stage work as part of his career.

Our Town would be a chance to get up-close to Shannon and his co-stars as the production takes place in an intimate theater that only seats 150-people per performance and brings the actors into the audience.

DeMarcus Cousins scoring one of his key baskets against Mississippi State, Sunday. Who has the stature and depth to play him in a movie. Photo by Mark Cornelison | staff.

Weekender deadlines being what they are, we need to get to work on our piece in which we cast a theoretical movie about UK’s glorious season, which right now sits at 32-2 with SEC regular season and tournament championships — thanks for the buzzer beater, Big Cuz — and a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.

Speaking of DeMarcus Cousins, casting him is a real conundrum as our life-size-poster of him attests. (If you have not seen, each day’s paper from Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday has a piece of a life-sized Big Cuz poster, so get thee to a newsstand.) So we need an actor of incredible stature able to communicate the emotional complexity of our hero.

I was also thinking, and this may be a somewhat film geeky question, who should write and direct this film?

Send your suggestions via comment on this post or e-mail to rcopley@herald-leader.com.