DATE: Saturday, July 19, 1997               TAG: 9707180078
SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

LOCAL ACTOR BRINGS STAGE ACT HOME

LEE ESKEY, 26, is slowly working his way to New York, honing his skills from one stage to another to build his resume, which dates back to his years at Portsmouth Catholic High.

This summer, Eskey is the leading man, Petruchio, in the Virginia Shakespeare Festival production of ``The Taming of the Shrew'' in Williamsburg. He also has a major role in the festival's second production, ``Coriolanus.''

Eskey has played Shakespeare in Washington at the Folger Theater, in Denver at the National Theater Conservatory, in Louisville at the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and on the road for a year with the National Players.

``This is the first time I've done Shakespeare in Virginia,'' he said.

``To be honest, it's a fairly minor festival, but I'm so happy to be able to come back and act in this area.''

Recently, Eskey has been doing some film work, mostly in minor roles, and was in ``Murder at 1600,'' released last spring by Warner Brothers.

``Films are fun, but they are not my focus at the moment,'' he said. ``I'm aiming for New York because the best actors are in the theater.''

Eskey has a bachelor's degree in drama from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and a master's from the National Theatre Conservatory.

So far, he has not managed to earn a living acting.

``I've always had to have another source of income,'' he said. ``But I'm happy to say I've never had to wait tables or do telephone solicitation.''

Instead, he goes for jobs such as working in the marketing office of the Kennedy Center in Washington. Doing magic acts helped him work his way through college.

``Being a magician is 90 percent theater,'' he said.

Eskey has been stage-struck since he was a youngster. During his high school years in Portsmouth, he frequently won honors in the national forensics competition known as the Tournament of Champions.

Back then, he was earning his money as a cook at Seawall Restaurant, where he worked for four years.

``But that wasn't for me,'' he said. ``I was a good cook, not a great cook.''

Over the years, Eskey has become proficient in ballroom, tap and ballet dancing. He plays Highland bagpipe, a tin whistle and several other instruments. He also has studied stage combat.

All of it, he said, is aimed at surviving in theater.

``It's a tough career,'' he said. ``My goal is to become the best possible actor.''

Doing Shakespeare is ``the richest of theater,'' Eskey says.

``If you can bring an audience in and make them leave not knowing they have heard Shakespeare, you've done it right,'' he said. ``If they hear the poetry, then it hasn't been done correctly.''

The current production in Williamsburg of ``The Taming of the Shrew'' is designed in a sleek art deco motif with action set in Miami in the 1920s. ``Coriolanus'' is staged in the late Victorian era in costumes that reflect the military society of Europe in the last decades of the 19th century.

This summer marks the 19th season of the Virginia Shakespeare Festival in Williamsburg.

``The Taming of the Shrew'' opened July 11, and ``Coriolanus'' opened Friday. The two shows will play on alternate days for a total of 20 performances through Aug. 3. Curtain time is 8 p.m. daily, except Mondays, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

VIRGINIA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Portsmouth native Lee Eskey, left, will play Petruchio in ``The

Taming of the Shrew,'' co-starring Russell Rinker. KEYWORDS: INTERVIEW PROFILE

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