Actor Tim Busfield preparing MSU students for real life
EAST LANSING - A one-year tryout.
That’s what Tim Busfield says Michigan State University gave him by hiring him as an artist in residence for the upcoming 2016-17 academic year.
More than 30 years of work in theatre, film and television, coupled with years chasing a baseball career, has prepared him for the audition, he said.
The actor, director and producer whose work includes roles in “Field of Dreams,” “Thirtysomething” and “The West Wing” will spend approximately 30% of his time teaching and the rest developing content for WKAR-TV, MSU’s public television channel. His interest in working for MSU was sparked when he read about the potential sale of WKAR-TV earlier this year, he said.
On the teaching side, Busfield said he'll focus on getting students ready to work.
“I really want to help students with the process,” he said. “From how to deal with rejection to things like moving actors, creating scenes and getting the bad out.”
Getting the bad out, as Busfield calls it, involves pushing students to work on numerous small projects, rather than pouring their hearts and souls into one endeavor.
It’s never been easier for students to create art, Busfield said, thanks to technology getting cheaper and more platforms like YouTube for artists to show off their work.
Bringing on media professionals to help create content for WKAR benefits the station, as well as the students who will get to work alongside them, Busfield said. That real-life experience will help students get jobs once their time at MSU is over, he added.
"(Busfield's) excitement, experience, community focus and desire to give back are a perfect fit for WKAR," said Susi Elkins, interim director of broadcasting at WKAR-TV.
MSU will pay Busfield $134,444 for his year on campus.
Busfield is no stranger to East Lansing. Growing up in the shadow of MSU, his family was heavily involved with the university, including his father, Roger Busfield, who taught speech and theatre for half a dozen years.
“I remember my mother would drop me off at the theatre near campus and give me 40 cents, enough for a popcorn and a coke, and pick me up in the afternoon,” Busfield said.
Before speaking to MSU graduates in 2013, Busfield met with MSU President Lou Anna Simon and told her about growing up in East Lansing. He included a lie about spreading toilet paper on Cowles House. Simon's face told him she bought it initially, Busfield said with a laugh.
After graduating from East Lansing High School in 1975, Busfield spent time in the U.S. Navy before using the G.I. Bill to attend East Tennessee State University to play college baseball. When it became clear he wasn’t going to have a professional baseball career, he asked his coach at the time where the theatre building was.
Busfield still remembers the look of utter confusion his coach gave him before pointing him toward the theatre.
After working his way through the college and regional theatre circuit, he started getting positive reviews and met with executives from major networks and film studios. His career includes an Emmy-winning run on the 1980s sitcom “Thirtysomething” as well as roles in “Revenge of the Nerds” and “Little Big League.”
Busfield lives with his wife, Melissa Gilbert in Brighton. Gilbert, who portrayed Laura Ingalls Wilder on "Little House on the Prairie" for a decade, gets recognized far more frequently than Busfield, he said. The couple most recently worked together on “One Smart Fellow,” a short film that’s slated to air at the Traverse City Film Festival later this year.
Outside of MSU, Busfield said he wants to continue helping young people find a love of theatre. He refers to the process as “feeding the guppies." Busfield is hosting a two-day seminar at WKAR on September 10-11 to help K-12 students prepare for fall play auditions.
Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@wolcottr.
About Tim Busfield
Age: 59
Hometown: East Lansing
College: East Tennessee State University. Received an honorary degree from MSU in 2013
Resides in: Brighton with his wife, Melissa Gilbert
Biggest film appearances: "Field of Dreams," "Little Big League," and "Revenge of the Nerds"
Biggest TV show appearances: "Thirtysomething," "The West Wing," "Ed," and "Trapper John, M.D."