AN INTERVIEW WITH JIM DAILEY

Jim Dailey stars as Scott in Out of Box's upcoming production of Evil Dead the Musical by George Reinblatt. Evil Dead the Musical brings Sam Raimi’s cult classic franchise to the stage, and Out of Box Theatre brings it home for its Atlanta premiere. This “All Guts, All Glory” musical interpretation of Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness features songs like “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Kandarian Demons,” “Ode to an Accidental Stabbing,” and “Do the Necronomicon.” This musical is not for the faint of heart, but is sure to leave your screaming with laughter. Evil Dead the Musical runs October 7-30, 2016 at Out of Box Theatre in Marietta, GA, and tickets are available at outofboxtheatre.com.

OOB: How did you first get into acting?

JD: I had always been a very dramatic child. Any time my family would take a picture of me, I’d try to ham it up with a crazy expression or action. I would always hear “just act natural”! I guess, for me, being the ham WAS natural. In high school, I went through the typical wall flower phase. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that I decided to give acting a shot. I took some classes with Alliance Theater’s acting program. I was cast in my first role at ACT1 Theater in 1999.

OOB: What are some of your favorite roles to date?

JD: Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NFDC) Duke of Cornwall in King Lear (NFDC) Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner (Georgia Ensemble) George Hay in Moon Over Buffalo (Old Alabama Rd Co)

OOB: What made you want to work with Out of Box?

JD: I was fortunate to work with OOB in their production of Bedroom Farce in 2013. I had a blast working with Carolyn, Amber, Zip and the staff of that production. Coming back for my second production with OOB is like a homecoming.

OOB: Why did you want to audition for Evil Dead the Musical?

JD: I’m a huge fan of cheezy b-movie horror flicks. Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness are three of my favorite films. Having a chance to translate all the campiness to a live stage production was something I couldn’t resist.

OOB: What or who has inspired your portrayal of Scott?

JD: Every sex-crazed douchebag in every 80s/90s horror flick ever!

OOB: What has the rehearsal process been like?

JD: The cast is SO CRAZY TALENTED AND FUNNY. There’s non-stop laughter and off-the-chain singing.

OOB: Without giving away too many spoilers, what are you most excited for the audience to see?

JD: All of the BLOOD!

OOB: What kind of challenges has this show presented for you?

JD: Being a 42-year-old man playing a college student! HAHAHAHA

OOB: Why do you think EDTM is the perfect fit for Out of Box?

JD: OOB has been bringing shows to the Atlanta Community that you rarely see on stage. A lot of them are thought provoking and deep. Some are just plain fun and crazy. All have been superior in quality. This is a show that has only been produced once in the state of Georgia (that I know of). It’s a show that a lot of folks WANT to see, but not many theaters are willing to produce. OOB loves to bring shows like this to their audience.

OOB: Would you take on this role again, if you had the opportunity?

JD: In a Deadite heartbeat

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Photo by James Lu.