Four Women, Many Songs

Like the weather, a professional acting career can be unpredictable.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to do,” says Jeff Rogstad.

When he graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in the mid-1980s with a degree in history and an honours certificate in drama, Rogstad seemed destined for the stage.

“My hope was that I was going to work locally and, like everybody, it was ‘I’m going to work in Vancouver and Toronto and next stop — Hollywood.’ That’s what I had hoped to do. And fate intervened.”

He did some acting, supplied movie reviews to talk radio and community cable and got a steady gig at STV doing the weather before relocating briefly to Halifax. “I ended up in TV and I really didn’t think it was going to last that long,’’ says Rogstad.

At the same time as the first television job, Tibor Feheregyhazi cast him in Persephone Theatre’s production of Biloxi Blues. Both the theatre and the TV station let him plan his hours around the project.

Like the movie Groundhog Day, history has repeated itself.

Rogstad, stickhandling his day job at CTV around the life of an actor, is back on the stage in Home Ice, a new James O’Shea comedy. Though he’s an improv regular with the Saskatoon Soaps, this the first scripted play Rogstad had done in 12 years. The offer came from Persephone artistic director Del Surjik, a contemporary of Rogstad’s from the U of S — as is Angus Ferguson, who is directing the new play.

“It came out of the blue. I was sort of taken aback and pleased that they would even consider me,’’ says Rogstad.

At the time, he didn’t think he could balance the play with his job as CTV’s weather personality.

He was on the verge of declining the offer when Surjik told him he’d be mad at himself once he saw the play.

He said yes, and then rearranged his life. From the start of rehearsals, he’s been absent from the News at Noon. Further in, he also skipped the evening newscast. But once the play is up and running, he’ll do TV by day and the play by night.

As he showed in his two previous plays Dogbarked and The Red Truck, O’Shea is good at slipping meaning in under the laughs. He’s done that again, says Rogstad.

“I think it’s damn funny. It’s in the writing, of course; if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage. And it’s not all sit-com laughs, which is great because there’s a serious undertone that becomes evident as the play goes along. But, ultimately, we’re making people laugh.”

Rogstad’s role is Ryan Seven, a play-byplay announcer in the life of hockey fan Clayton Wheeler, who is struggling with a pregnant wife and a difficult kitchen renovation. The cast features Matthew Burgess as Clayton, Andrea Menard as his wife Vera and Joshua Beaudry as the bad-influence friend Martin.

After years of improv, it’s a luxury to have a character worked out in advance, says Rogstad. Even so, he wants to make sure it’s not predictable.

“It connects somewhat to the public persona I have, but hopefully there’s enough differences that it’s not just taking Jeff Rogstad from TV and putting him on stage.” He doesn’t know if it will lead to more work but, overall, Rogstad sounds humbled by the experience.

“I get to come and do a play, my television station is allowing me to participate, the theatre was accommodating, my fellow performers have been generous.

“Honest to God, this has been an amazing opportunity.”