Angus McLane, 64, who lived in New England until he moved to Bellingham for college at Western Washington University in 1967, plays Herr Drosselmeyer (the puppetmaster) for the seventh year in Northwest Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker."
The ballet is performed Friday through Sunday, Dec. 9-11, at Mount Baker Theatre, and Dec. 17-18 at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon.
Question: How did you get involved in performing?
Answer: Theater was my passion in college. I had some wonderful roles and found that I loved the stage and the chemistry that evolved with the audience.
In recent years I have had some major roles at the Bellingham Theatre Guild and with the Skagit Shakespeare Festival in Skagit County. I had the pleasure of playing Shylock in "Merchant of Venice" and Enobarbus in "Antony and Cleopatra," two of the most intense roles in Shakespeare's plays.
Q: And ballet?
A: My son, who is now 21, started dancing ballet when he was 14. Pacific Dance Company in Bellingham was staging "Peter Pan" and my son, Ian, had the title role. I played a pirate role along with several other parents and found a whole new way to be on stage, without any dialogue!
The company became Northwest Ballet, owned and run by John Bishop, who had been in Anacortes for several years. My son and I both continued to participate in productions for the following two years and I have continued on my own doing two or three ballet productions each year since John Bishop took over.
Q: What have been some of your roles with the company?
A: My roles in these ballets are the adult characters that often tell the story or help the plot along.
I have been a genie in "Aladdin"; the king of the sea in "Little Mermaid;" Don Quixote; Mark Twain in "Emerald Bay" last spring; but Drosselmeyer in "The Nutcracker" is the role that keeps coming back. I still love the part!
There are times when I might make a dramatic pose along with a great crescendo in the music, and it's a truly magical feeling! I have a lot of movement, but I wouldn't call it dancing, more like pantomime. I used to dance a lot in college shows, but not so much now.
And this year, in "Nutcracker," we will be dancing to music from a live orchestra, a very special treat.
Q: What's been your career path?
A: After college I lived on Lummi Island for 12 years and worked most of that time as a commercial salmon fisherman. I am a licensed mental health therapist and I recently worked for the state in child welfare and juvenile parole.
I currently work as a trainer for Triple P: Positive Parenting Program, a parent-coaching program. I also co-teach a class through Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center for divorcing parents. I've been very involved with mental health and family issues for 25 years and I love the incredible complexity and challenges of family life.
I've been married to Rommie McLane for 30 years and, besides Ian, we have a grown daughter, Marie.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
A: I stay in shape hiking around Lake Padden. I have a third-degree black belt in tae kwon do, and I ski a few times a year. But my favorite hobby is music: I play acoustic standup bass for two performing bands, Tacato Tango and The Heebie Jeebies, and some occasional drop-in groups. I'm learning a lot about music and it's great fun!
