Tuesday, May 5, 2015 Page 3 WWW.PRESSPUBS.COM
SHOREVIEW PRESS
Sommer Continued from page 1 For the past seven seasons the highly trained actor has created the role of morally ambiguous Sterling Cooper employee Harry Crane on mega-hit AMC show “Mad Men,â€? famously set to cap its series May 17. Peterson said his childhood buddy hasn’t let fame change him, and the two still get together several times a year. Peterson has visited Sommer in both Los Angeles and New York, and they’ll see each other next at a May 9 Stillwater Library Foundation fundraiser where Sommer has agreed to schmooze (see sidebar). Peterson’s not sure what’s next on his friend’s professional agenda, but said he’s handled fame in “a very grounded, level-headed way. “He’s pretty realistic about it,â€? he noted. “He knows that as big a success as ‘Mad Men’ has been, the gate can turn the other way really quickly. ‘Mad Men’ is a really unusual, special thing ‌ to be a success on a show like that happens only on very rare occasions, so certainly he recognizes that and feels blessed by that.â€?
Setting the stage Peterson, most recently of Moorhead, remembered hitting it off with Sommer after he moved to Stillwater from Ohio and the two became thirdgrade Cub Scouts. They were neighbors on Croixdale Boulevard and spent spare time exploring the neighborhood and playing copious board games. As sophomores they both had one-scene, three-line roles in SAHS’ nonmusic production of “Les Miserables.â€? Still, former Oak-Land Junior High teacher Gloria Halverson remembered Sommer as a “positive, bright, creative student who loved to act. He had the ability to project characterization far beyond his young age.â€? The friends also sang in the SAHS choir (“Rich had a pretty strong bass,â€? his friend reported) and concert choir the Vagabonds. “Good singer, good person and fun,â€? commented SAHS music teacher Erik Christiansen, who oversaw both groups. “[Sommer] is one of our most loyal alumni. I had no doubt he was going to be successful ‌ nevertheless I am very proud of the person he is, and his success.â€?
– Submitted photo
Sommer now (above) and Sommer in high school (right).
The friends were also part art of a high school improv comedy troupe affiliated with Minneapolis club Comedy Sportz; team “Slush Puppiesâ€? competed with eight or 10 other schools around the metro. “Rich had a way of connecting with people from all sorts of different circles,â€? Peterson remembered. “the same time, he certainly spent lots of time with the theater nerds and choir nerds. I’d venture to guess just about everybody in our class knew who he was ‌ and in that sense he was a popular person. He was often in trouble with teachers for talking in class, making distractions or trying to make jokes in class ‌ but it wasn’t anything serious. “He was interested in so many other things ‌ that schoolwork in some sense fell off his table. But he certainly had good relationships with teachers, so he was able to make that work for him.â€? Before graduation the friends roomed together at Concordia University, where Peterson studied speech, English and communications and Sommer pursued theater. The two formed another student improv group (again called the Slush Puppies), but that one had paid gigs across the region after Sommer acted as booking manager. “I think his passion has been the most impressive thing,â€? said Peterson. “The Slush Pup-
To Sell or Buy a Home . . .
Kale Hassan 651-486-4860 www.KALEHASSAN.com
BUILD THE FOUNDATION - CREATE YOUR LEGACY
pies would not have happened if not for Rich organizing it, being passionate about it and saying ‘Hey, this is something we can do.’ I think he learned a lot about what it takes to have a career in acting, that sense of selling yourself or marketing yourself.� Sommer also appeared in Concordia productions, taking the lead of Tevye in a popular production of “Fiddler on the Roof � his senior year. “Rich was very interested in learning, but not so interested in homework, remembered David Wintersteen, associate professor of theater at Concordia. “If he was engaged, it was a lively classroom. If he thought an assignment was BS, Rich would either respond with something ridiculous or just not do the assignment. He would not ‘jump through hoops’ or do busy work; he had to see the relevance of the assignment. “Rich’s talent was clear. His Tevye was sensitive and deep — a challenging role for a 22-year-old actor. I am not surprised Rich has found success and made a career.� Sommer also studied at Minneapolis Brave New Workshop for a time. In 2004 he earned a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio where he met his wife, actress Virginia Donohoe Sommer (who coincidentally is from Mankato). The couple moved to New York to pursue acting careers. Sommer’s resume includes a stint with improv troupe Upright Citizens Brigade and several commercials, TV show appearances and roles in plays, but Peterson said his first big break was the role of Anne Hathaway’s friend in the 2006 Meryl Streep movie “The Devil Wears Prada.� The casting director from that production singled out Sommer for the iconic role of Harry Crane in the about-to-be-filmed season one of “Mad Men,� which debuted in 2007. In between, Sommer and Peterson attended their 10-year reunion at SAHS. “I remember him talking about filming the ‘Mad Men’ pilot, and how it was to start
airing in the next couple of months,â€? said Peterson. “ I don’t know that classmates were starstruck then ‌ I think Rich is a very social person and maintains good relationships with people, so I think people were just excited to jump back into a relationship with him like they had in high school.â€? Peterson watches “Mad Menâ€? each week and is as anxious as the rest of the Western world to see how it ends. “The writing is amazing, the story lines are great and I’m really interested to see how it wraps up,â€? he said. “Harry Crane has really gone in a different direction. He was sort of the guy you were rooting for in the first season, and now he took a different direction.â€? These days Peterson sees his old buddy several times a year, with a Christmastime gathering of local friends an annual tradition. Five years ago Peterson visited Sommer on the “Mad Menâ€? set and met his fellow actors Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway), Robert Morse (Bert Cooper) and John Slattery (Roger Sterling). “In that setting they’re at work doing their jobs,â€? he noted. “It’s kind of cool to see they’re regular people like everybody else. “What I found amazing is, everything’s on a soundstage, so this big warehouse building has all the sets inside,â€? he added. “What we picture as a house put together is really a couple of rooms chopped up next to each other. When you walk out the door, there’s not another part of the house.â€? Walking around New York with his friend in 2012 (Sommer was appearing as Duane Wilson in “Harveyâ€? on Broadway) was also enlightening. “People would recognize him
and come up and talk to him on the street and say ‘Hey, you’re the guy from ‘Mad Men,’â€? he remembered. “He’s certainly able to go out in public and kind of live his normal life, but people do recognize and approach him. And he’s very genial when people do that.â€? According to entertainment website CarterMatt.com, Sommer recently filmed a pilot for a CBS sitcom called “Good Sessionâ€? that may or may not be picked up this spring. The Sommers have two children: Beatrice, 7 and Patrick, 4. Although Peterson couldn’t say what a typical day is like for Sommer these days, he noted his friend remains a board game freak. In fact, his podcast about board games debuted last year on http:// nerdist.com/the-indoor-kids135-indoor-kids-of-all-typeswith-rich-sommer. The friends still play a lot when Sommer is in Minnesota. Sommer doesn’t get back to Stillwater much because his parents moved away. “But I think he has very fond memories,â€? Peterson noted. “He wouldn’t be doing this fundraiser if he didn’t. When we get together we talk about his career and about everything ‌ but a lot of our focus is on playing board games.â€? He has no idea whether “Mad Menâ€? has made his friend wealthy or not. His favorite part about his friend’s personality? “Maybe the word would be commitment. I think Rich is a person who commits to things, and if he says yes to something then he’s in 100 percent. I think each of us know we’d be there for each other no matter what happens. He’s committed to his family, his acting, to friendship and to life in general.â€?
If you go Starring Rich Sommer When: 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 9 Where: Lowell Inn, 102 Second St. N., Stillwater Details: $60. Stillwater native Rich Sommer (Harry Crane on AMC’s “Mad Men�) mingles and is interviewed by Lee Valsvik of KOOL 108. Buffet dinner, live auction, cash bar. Earlier event from 5 to 7 p.m. is cocktail party with Sommer ($50). Wear ’60s garb. Benefit for Stillwater Library Foundation. Contact: 651-275-4338, ext. 130 or splfoundation@ gmail.com, or get tickets at library.
Congrats 2015
Grads!
Share your pride and joy this June! 7JGP 1QY (ZVGPF DGUV YKUJGU VQ [QWT HCXQTKVG ITCFWCVG KP QWT URGEKCN UGEVKQP CRRGCTKPI KP VJG White Bear Press, Vadnais Heights Press, The Lowdown St. Croix Valley Area and Forest Lake Area, Quad Community Press, Shoreview Press & The Citizen.
,668( '$7( -WPG PF VJ &KVK\GP -WPG VJ) '($'/,1( :GFPGUFC[ 0C[ VJ RO
Shoreview
Community Foundation
ONLY $25!
Sample: Congratulations We are so proud of the beautiful, strong, independent woman you have become. Dream big – the world is yours.
Join us for FREE Ice Cream and Live Music June, 17th at Concert in the Commons! What:
Then
Free Ice Cream provided by Shoreview Community Foundation
Where: Haffeman Pavilion (behind Community Center) When: Wednesday June, 17th - 7:00pm. Mark your calendar NOW!
Donations are welcomed to Build the Foundation. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GIVING TO THE FOUNDATION, VISIT: WWW.SHOREVIEWCOMMUNITYFOUNDATION.ORG
Love, Mom & Dad
Student’s Name: ____________________________________ Telephone: ________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________ Message: __________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ School: ___________________________________________ Circle One: White Bear / Vadnais Heights /Shoreview / Quad / Citizen / Lowdown Discover
Visa
Mastercard Exp. Date _____________
Credit Card # ______________________________________
Now
E-mail photo & text to: ENCUUKHKGF#RTGUURWDU EQO QT HKNN QWV HQTO CPF OCKN QT UVQR KPVQ 3TGUU 3WDNKECVKQPU %NQQO $XG :JKVG %GCT /CMG 01 ,PENWFG C UGNH CFFTGUUGF UVCORGF GPXGNQRG HQT WU VQ TGVWTP [QWT RJQVQU
Open Mon. - Fri. 8am-5:00pm
651-407-1222