Sitting down with Whit after briefly making our first introduction less than a month earlier, I was truly inspired by the life he has lived thus far and the impact his company Riot Act Theatre has had on the SLC Community. Whit and I dove deeply into the impact of sitting in a theatre vs. watching Netflix, how our heartbeats actually sync up when in a live performance setting and how immersed one can be in such a moving environment. As director of Riot Act Theatre there is an endless pressure to getting a Utah resident hooked and to come back to a live show. Here, you are typically given one chance to make that happen. Whit is a well-traveled actor and director and has really enjoyed comparing and contrasting the approach to live theatre here in the US compared to the UK and how assimilating to the British culture truly opened more doors for him when it came to putting on productions. When psycho-analyzing his approach to his work and what sort of impact he would like to have, he found being a little Zen and a little out of his mind seemed to be the perfect balance. How constantly asking the, “WHY,” question when it comes to working with his actors and actresses gives him the space to create such an impact. And a little wisdom, “When you leave a production it shouldn’t feel easy, you have to leave your blood and heart on the stage.” I hope you enjoy our conversation. I find that Whit is just at the beginning of a long and very impressive career of taking classic plays and turning them on our heads. I love the progression he brings out with his realist approach at times and I am really looking forward to what is next on his journey.