In the Spotlife: Marc Stith of 'The Nether'

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Marc Stith Photo of Marc Stith by Nathan Rigaud.

MEET MARC STITH

Marc Stith plays Sims (known to some as Papa) in Benchmark Theatre’s ‘The Nether,’ set in a futuristic world where the internet is a virtual wonderland that indulges your every desire. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment in The Nether, it triggers a high-stakes interrogation into the ethics of the broadening internet. The play runs through April 23 at the Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan St. (Photo below of Marc Stith by McLeod9Creative.)

  • Marc Stith. Photo by McLeod9CreativeHometown: Jefferson City, Mo.
  • Home now: Castle Rock
  • College: BFA in theater from the University of Central Missouri
  • What have you done for us lately? I played Arnold in Hir at the Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden
  • What’s next? I will play Bill Fordam in August: Osage County from Sept. 1-Oct. 15 at the Vintage Theatre in Aurora
  • Twitter-sized bio: Closet optimist, aspiring cynic, socially awkward penguin, dog and cat lover. I quietly resent people who put clothes on their pets.
  • Twitter and Instagram handle: @japhydean

  • What was the role that changed your life? I was cast as Jed Jenkins in Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson. It was 1990, and I was a student in college. It was the first play I did subsequent to taking an acting class from Dr. Richard Herman. Before that class, I had no idea of how to go about approaching a role, or any concept of the “magic if” – that sort of thing. And I was really just awful. So thank God for teachers. Fifth of July was the first script where I got to apply theories learned in class, so to this day I consider that to be the moment when acting really began for me. And if I may – a quick shout-out to the University of Central Missouri. They have an outstanding theatre program. I am a proud alumnus.
  • Mark RuffaloIdeal scene partner: Mark Ruffalo is so understated and natural and interesting to watch. Yes, calling The Hulk ‘understated’ is pretty ridiculous. But I’m thinking The Kids Are All Right Mark Ruffalo. Infinitely Polar Bear Mark Ruffalo. Indie-film Mark Ruffalo! (That said, sharing a scene with Hulk would be cool, too.)
  • What is The Nether all about? The play explores whether the moral codes and laws and ideals of real-life society apply in a virtual world – and does time spent in the virtual world further define who we are (or how we act) in the real world? There are a few surprises and twists along the way. I’m hesitant to divulge more.
  • Tell us about the challenge of playing your part: Without giving too much away, I’m kind of playing two roles … but not really. One role is an idealized version of the other – or what one character “pretends to be” in a different place and time. Because it’s his interpretation of his own existence in that setting, he has character affectations that wouldn’t necessarily be present in a historically accurate period piece.
  • What do you hope audiences get out of seeing this play? The major themes of the play could be seriously challenging for some audience members. I hope they trust us to take them on that journey. And I would hope that their drive home is full of compelling discussion and healthy debate.


    • More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

  • TLCWhat’s one thing most people don’t know about you? If you want to instantly bond with me, just walk up to me and start singing a TLC song. Any TLC song. I will shamelessly join you. I am not kidding. I will. Also, I lived in Los Angeles for seven years and played bass guitar in a power trio. We did the Sunset Boulevard thing, playing the Whiskey and the Roxy, among other clubs. It was a fun time in my life, and a bucket list item for sure.
  • What’s one thing you want to get off your chest? I’m alarmed by the current political landscape in this country. It’s surreal. We live in a time when millions of people are making a conscious choice to be uninformed and ignorant of reality, rather than to be confronted with ideas that conflict with their personal or political ideologies. It’s concerning because the process of having our belief systems occasionally challenged – being forced to consider something from a different perspective – is healthy. It contributes to our growth and evolution as thinking beings. But there’s a resistance to that right now, which means that collectively we have, in some ways, stopped moving forward. Throw in a well-funded, partisan media that for many has become a substitute for independent thought; on that  constantly demonizes ‘the other side’ in lieu of actual journalism; AND  our society’s propensity for violence … It just feels very, very volatile right now, and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. But I also think that underscores the need for artists to be productive and fully engaged right now. The optimist in me thinks that some really good art will emerge as a result.



    • Marc Stith. Hir. Miners Alley PlayhouseRecently, Marc Stith played a father who is tortured by his wife after he has had a stroke in ‘Hir,’ opposite Martha Harmon Pardee, at the Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden. 

    Benchmark Theatre’s The Nether: Ticket information

    • The NetherBy Jennifer Haley
    • Directed by Rachel Bouchard
    • Through April 23
    • Performances 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 6 p.m. Sundays
    • Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan St.
    • Tickets $20-$30
    • For tickets or information, go to benchmarktheatre.com



    Cast list:


    •  Haley Johnson as Morris
    •  Jim Hunt as Doyle
    •  Ella Madison as Iris
    •  Marc Stith as Sims/Papa
    •  Cameron Varner as Woodnut

    More ‘In the Spotlife’ profiles:
    Meet Lauren Bahlman of Wide-Eyed West’s theMumblings
    Meet Mark Collins of And Toto Too’s Lost Creatures
    Meet Carley Cornelius of Colorado Springs TheatreWorks’ Constellations
    Meet Emily Paton Davies of Miners Alley Playhouse’s God of Carnage
    Meet Kelsey Didion of Curious Theatre’s Constellations
    Meet Denise Freestone of OpenStage’s August: Osage County
    Meet Sam Gregory of the Arvada Center’s Tartuffe

    Meet John Hauser of Curious Theatre’s Hand to God
    Meet Jim Hunt of Buntport’s The Zeus Problem
    Meet Jeff Jesmer of Spotlight Theatre’s The Crucible
    Meet Wayne Kennedy of BDT Stage’s Mid-Life 2
    Meet Carla Kaiser Kotrc of Miners Alley Playhouse’s A Skull in Connemara
    Meet Seth Maisel of Town Hall Arts Center’s The Firestorm
    Meet Tim McCracken of Local Theatre’s The Firestorm
    Meet Angela Mendez of Beauty and the Beast
    Meet Joelle Montoya of Su Teatro’s El Sol Que Tu Eres
    Meet Rebekah Ortiz of The Robber Bridegroom
    Meet Anne Oberbroeckling of Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s Ripcord
    Meet Jessica Robblee of Buntport Theatre for All Ages’ Siren Song: A Pirate Odyssey
    Meet Cory Sapienza of Miners Alley Playhouse’s Hir
    Meet Sean Scrutchins of the Arvada Center’s Bus Stop
    Meet Jane Shirley of The Avenue’s Santa’s Big Red Sack
    Meet Peter Trinh of the Aurora Fox’s Chinglish
    Meet Petra Ulyrich of Germinal Stage-Denver’s Johnny Got His Gun
    Meet Megan Van De Hey of the Arvada Center’s Sister Act
    Meet Sharon Kay White of the Arvada Center’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas

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