Take a bow: Actor, director Greta Lambert retiring from ASF staff
Just beyond portraying Prospero in Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s “The Tempest,” Greta Lambert is looking forward to her next role of a lifetime.
“This is it for a while,” said Lambert, who is retiring from her staff position as ASF’s deputy artistic director and education director.
“I love being an actor, and I think as long as my brain is still functioning, I’ll do plays,” Lambert said.
That said, she's also taking a break from the stage after “The Tempest,” which opens Thursday and runs through March 12. She said "Tempest" is a fitting way to take a bow after nearly 38 years as a part of ASF.
“Many scholars say that this was Shakespeare’s farewell to the Globe Theater,” Lambert said. “You can kind of hear it all throughout Prospero’s speeches.”
Audiences may not have seen the last of Lambert on stage at ASF. If the right role comes along, she said she could step in.
ASF Artistic Director Rick Dildine, who is directing "The Tempest," praised Lambert’s artistry, skill, and generosity as an actor, director and educator. "We’ll definitely miss her presence in the building on a daily basis, but we look forward to having her perform in many more productions here at ASF — and to following her as an actor wherever she may be performing,” he said.
The scope of Lambert’s work for ASF goes far beyond her nearly 100 roles on stage and the productions she’s directed. For years, she’s been in charge of ASF’s education department and community engagement, helped with casting and used to run the intern company.
“I have a lot of administrative jobs that, frankly, I just think need some young blood and some young energy,” she said.
The long days and behind-the-scenes staff work went on, even when she was acting and directing.
"I imagine there's no actor that has had as much impact in Alabama as she has," said Rick Harmon, a former reporter and editor at the Montgomery Advertiser, who covered ASF and Lambert for years and continues to review ASF productions for the Advertiser. "I don't think people realize what a talented director is being lost."
ASF Executive Director Todd Schmidt called Lambert a creative tour de force. "She brings excellence and a spirit of cooperation to everything she does, and we’ll miss her tremendously as a part of our everyday artistic endeavors,” he said.
More:Carrie Preston, Michael Emerson join praise for ASF's retiring Greta Lambert
Another part of Lambert's job has been to go see as much community theater outside of ASF as possible. She's still going to attend many productions, but just for her own enjoyment as a fan.
"I'm looking forward to seeing a day stretch out before me with possibilities, not already scheduled hour by hour," Lambert said.
She called ASF a beautiful home, and said she cherishes the many friends she's made there.
"I just want to thank everyone in this organization, because that's really what's beautiful about it is the people," Lambert said.
Retirement plans for Lambert
Rest, travel and getting out in the community more are on the horizon.
"I may volunteer at the zoo," Lambert said. "I've always thought that might be interesting and different."
Community service like that is nothing new to Lambert.
"She's done a lot of public readings, and appeared at a lot of charity functions," Harmon said.
More:ASF gives Prospero a maternal twist in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'
Lambert also has a special guide to retirement. Husband and actor Rodney Clark is also known for a wealth of roles at ASF — everything from Bear Bryant to Scrooge. These days, Lambert said Clark is happy and plays a lot of golf.
"He's assured me that the life of retirement is going to be great. I'm trusting him on that," Lambert said. "I'm not a golfer, so I'm going to have to find my own interests and I don't know what they are. But I'm ready for new adventures."
When Greta met Rodney
The origin story of Lambert and Clark is, of course, linked to theater. She was doing a play in St. Louis, and he was in his third production of "To Kill a Mockingbird," playing Boo Radley.
"From the minute I set eyes on him, I thought I just know you," Lambert said. "He's from Anniston, and he was living in New York."
After that show, she went back to ASF, told the artistic director about Clark, and got him an audition for "A Christmas Carol." Of course, Clark got the job, and would spend many years at ASF in the role.
"When I did my one person 'Christmas Carol,' I stole from him," Lambert said. "His Scrooge was so good."
Lambert's definition of success
"I've had a rich, full, artistic life here," Lambert said. "And all the bonus that comes with it."
It's a perspective that's changed through the years.
"(Success) is not what everybody's told me it should be," Lambert said. "Maybe not everybody's cut out for movies, Broadway and television... I have a home in a community where I know people. I've discovered what success means."
She looks back fondly on her early days in theater, before the administrative work. "There was a lovely freedom in that," Lambert said.
Hands down, Lambert said that her favorite role at ASF has been Ivy Rowe from "Fair and Tender Ladies."
"My second would probably be Lady Macbeth, since I've wanted to play that since I was in the fifth grade," Lambert said. "'A Streetcar Named Desire' was also a very memorable performance. Those are my top three."
Greta Lambert's early years
When she was a little girl in Birmingham, Lambert was somewhat shy. "I still am," she said.
She enjoyed reading out loud in class and running puppet shows.
As the elder sister of three, she had big goals, but acting wasn't one of them. Lambert wanted to become a secret agent for the chance to wear disguises and speak in foreign accents. "My dad and I used to watch all the spy shows," she said.
Lambert was a cheerleader at Hueytown High School, because that was the path she had to being a performer. "I didn't know anything about football. I would just cheer when everybody else cheered," she said.
In 1969, when Lambert was in junior high, one of her earliest community theater productions was in the cast of the comedy “Cactus Flower” at the Actors Theater in Birmingham. She'd also play a witch in "Macbeth" there.
Lambert excelled in speech and drama. Her speech teacher, Nell Salamone, enrolled her in Junior Civitan speech contests. "That's kinda how I earned my money to go to college," Lambert said.
At first, Lambert’s mom wanted her to become a dentist. Her mom was single and wanted to make sure Lambert could provide for herself.
Salamone took Lambert to meet theater faculty at the University of Montevallo, and Lambert would attend there. Her first university production was "A Midsummer Night's Dream," where she played the fairy queen Titania. Along with acting, she directed several plays there.
Lambert would finish her master’s degree at the University of Florida.
After graduate school, Lambert moved to D.C., and made her way up to New York to look for work.
Getting an agent led Lambert back to Alabama. "They submitted me to Alabama Shakespeare Festival, because it was a 10 month contract," she said.
She took the ASF job in 1985, just as the company was getting started at its new Montgomery site in the Carolyn Blount Theatre. For her opening production, Lambert was once again Queen Titania.
During this time, Lambert split her year between Montgomery and New York, where she did some off-Broadway.
Lambert’s first production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at ASF was in 1987, playing Prospero’s daughter, 15-year-old Miranda.
For about two years, Lambert went to Los Angeles. She made an appearance on TV with "The Young Riders" in 1992, and "Picket Fences" in 1993.
She continued coming back to perform at ASF. "I finally thought, this is silly. I should just move to Montgomery," Lambert said.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Take a bow: Actor, director Greta Lambert retiring from ASF staff
