by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers

Dan Peltzman's acting career began with a roar.

The Savage native scored his first theatrical role in second grade as a lion in a church Christmas pageant.

"I don't remember it that much,î Peltzman said, "but my family still makes fun of me to this day,î

Peltzman, a 2001 graduate of Burnsville High School, is now performing in the University of Minnesota Showboat Players production of "Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway.î

Peltzman plays Willie, a chorus role with nine song numbers. While it's not his first stage performance at the U, it will most likely be his last, as he graduated this spring with a degree in theatre.

His most memorable roles in college, he said, were playing Dennis Shepard and Doc O'Connor in "The Laramie Project,î a play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo.

As for the role of Doc O'Connor, "it was the only comic relief in a very stark and depressing show,î Peltzman said.

On the other end of the spectrum, playing Dennis Shepard, Matthew Shepard's father, was "a very emotionally difficult role to play -- and ended up being very fulfilling.î

Peltzman fondly recalls his parts in plays at Burnsville High School, playing an interior designer in the British sex comedy "Move Over Mrs. Markham,î a construction worker in "Mere Mortalsî and, as he puts it, a "weird creatureî in "The Insanity of Mary Girard.î

The transition from high school to college acting programs brought with it a few changes in the theatrical process itself.

"It's more formal, and it's different in that [in college] they go by equity rules -- they treat us as if we're paid actors and in the union,î he said.

The formality does on occasion get pushed to the limit, he added. "If someone pricks their thumb you have to fill out, like, a two-page accident report.î

Peltzman's part in "Forty-Five Minutes From Broadwayî has his schedule booked through the end of the summer. From now until when the show closes August 26, it's an eight-performance-a-week regimen, with evening performances Tuesday through Sunday plus three matinees.

His acting schedule leaves time for little else. "Most of my free time is spent either relaxing or looking for other auditions,î he said.

As for post-collegiate plans, Peltzman hopes to act and direct professionally on the Minneapolis theater circuit.

Theater "keeps me completely occupied,î he said. "It's the only thing I've done that is never boring. The whole process is just really interesting to be a part of.î

Andrew Miller is at savage.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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