Mike Nadajewski stars in a double-bill show at Talk is Free Theatre this month. The Canadian actor is known is for roles at numerous theatres including Stratford and Shaw Festival.
He also helped to start TIFT in Barrie and has appeared in several shows since. With the upcoming one-act plays, Herringbone and The Yalta Game, he has a personal history. The latter is a “hauntingly beautiful love story” Nadajewski did many years ago when he felt he was too young to play the role he is enjoying revisiting it now that he is at a different point in his life.
He brought the Herringbone story to TIFT to go with The Yalta Game. It differs in that it is a musical. The commonality between the two plays is the loneliness, lack of control over one’s destiny and what the main characters did about it.
Nadajewsik found the play at the beginning of his career and thought it might be work as a showcase piece but ended up shelving it when he landed an acting job.
Nadajewski was headed for a career in art until discovered theatre in high school. It turned out he was a natural at it. When he as cast in the lead role of Cabaret, it changed his life.
He currently lives in Stratford with his wife, actor Glynis Ranney, and their 11-year-old son Emrys.
Evening and matinee performances run Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 at the Five Points Theatre, downtown Barrie. For tickets, see www.tift.ca
