Spencer Prokop thanks his high school crush for getting him hooked on the world of acting. You see, it was she who really wanted a part in their school play, The Curious Savage. As fate would have it, Prokop was the one who got in. The rest, as they say, is history. Some 25 years later, the tall and slender East Dallas actor enjoys a local career in stage and film. Most recently, he embarked on his newest venture of recording voices for major market CD-ROM games, including Microsoft.
The voice recordings have allowed the actor to branch into something new that he really likes. “People tend to be relaxed,” he says, talking about the differences between working on stage verses in the studio. It was Dallas-based Ensemble Studios that heard Prokop’s voice auditions. They got him on track for the game Ages of Empires II: Ages of Kings, which was recently produced by Microsoft. In addition, Prokop has completed the voice characterizations for the game Deus Ex, a release by Ion Storm.
Prokop’s success in comedy and Improv no doubt helped to prepare him for the challenges of recording voices on CD-ROM games. In 1996, The Dallas Observer named The (Unnamed) Comedy Troupe, of which Prokop was a member, as “Best Comedy Show.” In addition, he was a founding member of Lone Star Comedy, which currently has plans to open a new home on Lower Greenville this summer.
The key to success in comedy is to “take suggestions (from the audience) at the beginning and go from there,” says Prokop. A similar improvisational technique is used for voice recordings, as character descriptions are the only material given up-front, while the purpose of the game is not usually stated.
In the sometimes uncertain world of theatrical employment, Prokop feels it’s hard to determine the amount of work he will have at any given time. While he belongs to the Equity Association, a union for stage actors, “trying to get a start here can be very rough.” This is mainly due to the number of big ticket cultural institutions in Dallas such as the Theater Center and the Meyerson. The philosophy of having employment during specific times of the year is also an old one. “There is no rhyme or reason (to employment) now,” he says.
Despite uncertainties, Prokop is content with the Dallas theater scene. He has appeared in a number of local venues, including the Dallas Theater Center, and Pegasus Theater. He has also been on several episodes of Walker Texas Ranger, and was in the made-for-TV movie Without Warning: The James Brady Story.
Prokop says his acting type is that of a “professional, middle class, white American male. Los Angeles is a huge party that would be nice to attend, but I wouldn’t want to go to without an invitation. You have to be 21 years old or 95 pounds.”
Looking back, he “really couldn’t see doing anything else.” He crafts his life to create a “balance between art and commerce,” noting that he’s never had to work in food service! Sometimes you just do a “bunch of commercials,” he says.
When asked what advice he would give to young actors, Prokop responds “it would really depend on what they wanted out of acting. It’s important to get a theater background first because it teaches discipline and work ethic, as well as the importance of thinking about the ensemble of a play.” He adds that one is then prepared for the realities of what actors encounter.
Today, Spencer Prokop balances his interests with family life. He and his wife, video producer Patti Lewis, live in the Junius Heights neighborhood. Prokop says that he loves the character of this area, and because most of his freelance work extends outside of the neighborhood, he appreciates its closeness to I-30 for easy access to the rest of the Metroplex.
While he is aware that there are other actors in the neighborhood to hang out with, much of Prokop’s attention has been devoted to Chase, his son who was born last fall. The added responsibility of caring for a child has only enhanced Prokop’s work. He is able to take Chase to auditions — and yes, dad held his contented son close in his arms throughout our interview.
“A performance should really be effortless,” says Prokop. “Every now and then things just fall into place.”
