Father-son duo “The Acting Herds” of Waldport inspire each other on the stage and in life

 

By BARBARA B. COVELL/YachatsNews

Gary Herd began acting in elementary school in Abilene, Texas and still remembers his lines and songs from the school’s annual Christmas show.

“I acted through high school,” says Gary Herd, 51. “Then life happened and I stepped back.”

It wasn’t until his son, Alex, then 10 years old, got a part in the 2017 production of “Adams Family the Musical” in Newport that got Gary Herd thinking of acting again.

“As I watched him in the opening number, I cried,” Gary Herd says now. “It took me 30-plus years to get back into acting. Now I’m hooked.”

In the ensuing years Gary Herd picked up more roles as did Alex. To date, Gary has been in 10 shows at the Newport Performing Arts Center and Alex Herd has performed in 20 — motivated by each other’s performances.

Now known as “The Acting Herds,” the father-son duo from Waldport are regulars on the Newport stage, delighting audiences and cast members with their talent, collaboration and creativity.

They are humble about their performances yet invigorated and enthusiastic for what lies ahead as Alex Herd, 17, heads off to college next year.

Inspiring each other

Alex Herd said his desire to perform comes from his dad’s dedication to the arts. In turn, the father said his inspiration came from his son’s desire to learn and be involved with theater.

Seeing his son on the stage seven years ago led Gary to audition for the next Coastal Arts Production show. He didn’t get the part so used his woodworking and carpentry skills to help design sets until “the right part came along.” He first role was King Triton in “The Little Mermaid” in 2019.

Alex Herd says he had a desire to start acting from a young age before landing his first role in “Adams Family.”

“I was lucky that my parents were so supportive and encouraging,” Alex says. “My part was a ghost in the background. This particular ghost was a Charlie Chaplin-type character so we rented movies and watched Chaplin’s performances. I began to use his gestures and moves in my portrayal. It was a lot of fun.”

Gary Herd’s favorite role was last year as Lennie in “Of Mice and Men.” It was his first role developing characterization.

“I had an enormous amount of lines,” he says. “It was a blast working with (director) Marc Maislen. He gave notes after every rehearsal, encouraging actors to go deep and have fun. I loved every performance.”

Maislen says Herd’s depth of character, his fearlessness and vigilance to give 100 percent was felt by the entire cast and crew.

Alex Herd’s favorite performance was this year in “Fiddler on the Roof,” where he played Perchik – his biggest role so far.

“I knew little about the music, so I watched the movie and loved it. Fiddler is still relevant to this day. Having a song was a blast, I love to sing.”

Gary Herd added that his son’s vocals were spot on, culminating in a power moment by hitting a high note perfectly at the end.

Jason Holland, the head of Oregon Coast Council for the Arts and director of “Fiddler on the Roof” said working with Alex Herd was a dream.

“For a high school student, he is such a pro,” Holland said. “He comes prepared, knows his material and has ideas — an important part of being an actor.”

The Herds have been in five Coastal Act Productions shows together – their last in February  for “The Music Man” portraying two of the barbershop quartet and singing tenor and bass. Alex says he was inspired by his father’s background singing barbershop quartet, which include years of international tours.

Father and son also worked together in Fiddler, Alex as a cast member and Gary as set designer.

Holland says they share two common traits which are wonderful qualities when putting on a show — collaboration and creativity.

“Gary is a dream to work with,” Holland said. “I would go to Gary with an idea or theme and Gary would come right back saying ‘How about we try this?’ It would be exactly what I was imagining but couldn’t articulate. He adds special touches to everything he designs and took it to the next level.”

Alex Herd is active in the youth summer camp programs at the Performing Arts Center, this year as an assistant director for “Game of Tiaras”, a funny and family-friendly adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear and composing an original song for the show, as he did last year for “The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza.”

What’s upcoming?

This fall Alex has been cast as Ferdinand, the young lover in Shakespeare’s “The  Tempest.”

“While auditioning, Alex demonstrated the seriousness needed for the role, showing his youthful exuberance and heart-felt love needed in his pairing with Miranda,” says Maislen, its director.  He is also portraying the genie in Coastal Act Productions “Aladdin Jr.”

Later this fall, father and son hope to be in a Coastal Act Productions show although it hasn’t been announced and auditions won’t be held until October.  It will be their last production together before Alex graduates next June from Waldport High School.

In the fall of 2025 Alex Herd hopes to attend Stanford, Chapman University or USC to study filmmaking with the goal to act in films.

“I had a realization that in order to be a film actor, I needed to study the art of filmmaking,” he says. Herd is in WHS’ National Honor Society with a 4.0 grade point average, completed 12 college credits last year and plans to add another eight writing credits this school year.

Gary Herd intends to continue acting, saying he’s “been bitten by the bug pretty hard.” He’s also wants to continue with set design as well as participating in an OCCA program for teaching artist preparation that provides them with tools and training to help develop their abilities as instructors.

Maislen and Holland both say the trust between father and son is strong by creatively challenging each other and supporting each other with their mutual love of theater.

“Something I saw rubbing off on each other was the joy and collaboration in ‘Fiddler’,” said Holland. “I call theater a team sport. Gary and Alex both come to a cast and creative team with that spirit in mind.”

“What a joy to have both of them in our community,” Holland said.

Oftentimes the father-son dynamic can become strained during the teenage years. But Gary Herd says they have always had a strong relationship and acting has enhanced it a little more. Alex feels their interests are aligned, not only in acting but in writing music and self-taught piano.

“We naturally gravitate towards each other,” he said. “My mom is amazed.”

Other pursuits

Once a contestant on an NBC-TV reality show that featured his passion for woodworking, Gary Herd became known as The Bearded Woodworker. He now has a YouTube channel featuring 205 videos with 17,000 subscribers.

“I wanted to make it on the small screen, so I’ve built upon designs that reflect my creative self,” he said. “I am fascinated by manmade objects such as trains or bridges. People like to post their own accomplishments and often ask for my opinion.”

Gary Herd has also achieved his dream of becoming a muralist. These mammoth designs are on buildings from Newport to Reedsport.

“I am getting more work lately and enjoying it more,” he says. “I have completed six and am finishing another one in Reedsport now. I am also working on one for the Visual Arts Center.”

Sara Herd gives full support to her husband and son. Sara Herd works for Lincoln County Public Health and provides the emotional and financial support for both to pursue their artistic endeavors. She also helps at the Performing Arts Center as a ticket taker, house manager and stage manager for some performances.

“We couldn’t do all of this without her,” says Gary Herd.

• Barbara B. Covell is a Waldport-based freelance writer who can be reached at bbcovell@mac.com