Doug Peruski
Waiter at Achilles, a Greek Restaurant
Doug Peruski
Doug Peruski is an actor earned a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Georgia. Right out of college, he worked at NCR for three years but quit to pursue his dream of acting. Doug Peruski currently works as a waiter at a Greek restaurant called Achilles, while he also seeks theatre work. He has appeared in productions of Mirror Image and Five Actors In Search of a Cell Phone.
Doug Peruski: No Regrets
Doug Peruski says that he has no regrets.
He is about to pull up stakes and relocate to New York, the heart of the theatre world in the United States. As an actor, he says that is where he needs to be in order to grow as an artist.
Doug Peruski is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he received degrees in Theatre Arts and Computer Science. "At first I did what was expected of me," he recalls. "I followed the usual career path. Used my Computer Science degree and got a job at NCR." He stayed at NCR for three years but says he was never happy there. "In fact, I was downright miserable."
Finally, Doug Peruski says he decided that if he was going to be at all happy he would have to do the thing that he most loved in life, acting. So he resigned from NCR, found work as a waiter at a popular Greek restaurant called Achilles, and started looking for acting jobs. He managed to make a little money from his acting, appearing in several regional TV commercials and even landing a few guest roles in two popular TV series, Breaking Bad and The Big Bang Theory.
He also started The Square Peg Players with his friend, the playwright Thomas Forsythe. Peruski and Forsythe build The Square Peg Players into a popular Duluth attraction, most memorably with their weekly Improv Night. On Improv Nights, the renovated barn that served as the Square Peg headquarters and theatre was turned into a dinner theatre
But now Doug Peruski says that he and the Squares, as he calls them, have become a big fish in a small pond, and the time has come to move on. But he has no regrets. He expects to relocate to New York no later than the spring of 2015. He is also realizing a lifelong dream at that time by appearing in a new, off-off-Broadway production of West Side Story.
Doug Peruski: The Achilles Menu
Doug Peruski says that as good as the Greek restaurants are in New York, he is going to miss Achilles, the popular Greek restaurant in Duluth, Georgia where he has worked for the last four years.
When he first started working at Achilles, he says, he just needed a job. He had quit his job as a systems analyst at NCR in order to devote himself to acting. "I didn't even like Greek food all that much," he recalls with a laugh. "But then, I didn't know much about it, either."
It didn't take long for Doug Peruski to become a convert to Greek cuisine. He has raved out the fare at Achilles ever since, and his enthusiasm got even stronger in the early months of 2014, when Achilles hired a new chef named Jimmy Kefalos.
"Jimmy is a New Yorker, but he lived in Greece for six years and really learned his stuff," Doug Peruski says. He says that Kefalos emphasizes what he calls "New Greek Cuisine," and places a new emphasis on ingredients and presentation. "He actually calls it home cooking," Peruski says. "To be honest, I don't know what he means by that. But he really takes it to the next level." Kefalos, he says, has introduced a number of new dishes to the Achilles menu, including braised lamb shanks and plank-grilled prawns.
"There is also this thing he calls cracked potatoes that are cooked with coriander and red wine," Doug Peruski says. "When I first tasted that one – well, I thought, maybe I won't go to New York after all! Maybe I'll just stay here and eat."
Achilles is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.
Doug Peruski: He'll Play Diesel
Doug Peruski says he is excited about the future. The next twelve months of his life, he says, may make or break him, and he acknowledges he is taking a huge risk. But he says that sometimes in life, you have to take risks in order to advance yourself or further your cause.
Doug Peruski says that his cause is acting and the theatre. He is one of the founders of The Square Peg Players, a popular theatre troupe based in Duluth, Georgia. He and a group of friends founded "The Squares," as they call it, five years ago. After a false start with a poorly-received production of "Never Again!," written by Squares founding member Thomas Forsythe, the group hit its stride with a string of popular plays, and in particular its popular "Improv Night."
But that is all about to change. Peruski has decided to pull up stakes and take The Square Peg Players to New York no later than next spring. At that time he will also begin rehearsals for a new production of West Side Story. He recently announced that he is realizing a lifelong dream by being cast in a New York Production of the classic musical. He has the part of Diesel, one of the members of the Jets, a street gang who do battle with another gang called the Sharks.
Before he leaves, the Square Peg Players will revive "Not Again!", a Thomas Forsythe play the troupe first staged five years ago. That first production was a flop, and the Square Peg Players nearly did not survive it. But Doug Peruski says that this time they are going to do it right. "I know there are critics out there who are hoping it will flop this time, too – just so they can write reviews that say something like, ‘not again with this play!" But that isn't going to happen."
Doug Peruski: Not Again!, Again
Doug Peruski and the Square Peg Players are nearly finished with their tenure in Duluth, Georgia. In what some theatre critics are calling the end of an era, Peruski is shutting down the popular theatre group and relocating it to New York sometime early next year.
But Doug Peruski and his cohorts says they are going to go out with a bang. They recently announced a revival of Not Again!, the first play staged by the group known affectionately as "The Squares" five years ago. While Doug Peruski received high marks from critics, the production itself was panned as an overblown farce.
"We still believe in ‘Not Again!'" Peruski said recently, in announcing the revival. "I think we rushed the whole thing into production that first time. I know Tom didn't take it well," meaning Thomas Forsythe, the play's author. "He lost a lot of confidence. But I read the play again a few months ago, and was reminded of what drew me to it in the first place. I think it's a great play that got bogged down with some bad decisions and bad luck in that first production. This time, we're going to do it right."
Doug Peruski says he will be reprising his role as Philip, the owner of a failing bakery who turns to gambling on horse races in an effort to raise money quickly. Square Peg Players veterans Brian Sugarman and Allyson Fielder are also reprising their roles. But the rest of the cast, says Peruski, will be all new.
Doug Peruski says he will be sharing directorial duties with Angela Forsythe, the wife of the playwright. Like Peruski, Angela Forsythe is a graduate of the University of Georgia Theatre Arts program and is also a founding member of the Square Peg Players.
Doug Peruski: His Photo Exhibit
Doug Peruski says he expects to be relocating to New York City no later than the spring of 2015. He is taking his theatre troupe, the Square Peg Players, along with him. He has also been cast in a new production of West Side Story.
For now, though, Doug Peruski is continuing the life he has been leading in Duluth, Georgia for a number of years. He is employed as a waiter at a Greek restaurant called Achilles and working with the Square Peg Players in a renovated barn on the outskirts of Duluth.
But he can now add "photographer" to his résumé. He has been a shutterbug for many years, but says he was recently able to convince the management at Achilles to put some of his photographs on display in the restaurant.
"I was surprised they said yes," Doug Peruski says. "They've had all these pictures of Greece up forever – a marketplace in Athens, Mediterranean scenes, that sort of thing. Whereas my pictures were all taken around here. I've got some landscapes shot in Athens, Georgia," he adds, laughing, "so maybe they're just telling me that they've got a sense of humor."
The photographs, says Doug Peruski, are mostly black and white portraits of friends and associates in the theatre world. "Actors love to pose for pictures," he says. The mostly posed shots are rich in light and shadow, which Doug Peruski says is his specialty.
"I wrote descriptions of each photo and have them stuck on the wall by each print," he says. "It may take a while for people to go through the exhibit." He paused, and began dissolving in laughter. "There are nearly thirty-five pictures, and you know, each one is worth a thousand words..."
Doug Peruski: What a Systems Analyst Does
Doug Peruski majored in Theatre Arts at the University of Georgia, and minored in Computer Science. He got a job with NCR soon after his graduation, and spent three years as a systems analyst with the computer hardware, software, and electronics company.
As a computer systems analyst, Doug Peruski says, it was his job to determine how the computer system of a business was serving its needs, and finding out what he could do to make those systems and procedures more effective. He worked closely with clients to determine what system upgrades were financially feasible and what technologies are available that could increase the client company's efficiency. "In some instances, I would design and develop new systems, train users, and configure hardware and software as the need would arise," Doug Peruski recalls.
Becoming a computer systems analyst, he says, does not require any particular certification, although his degree in Computer Science has served him well. Computer systems analysts need to stay current with the latest innovations in technology, and Doug Peruski found it necessary to earn additional credentials from the Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals in order to best serve NCR clients.
Ultimately, Doug Peruski says he was not cut out to be a Systems Analyst. "The job is totally intertwined with business, and that just isn't me," he says today. "I'm an artist." He resigned after what he describes as "three long years" in order to pursue the theatre. "And I did it without a safety net. I had some savings and stock options, but they didn't last long. But you know what? I'm a lot happier now, waiting on tables at Achilles and living the dream, than I ever was at NCR. Like they say, I have no regrets."
Doug Peruski: A No-Brainer
Doug Peruski began his collegiate career at Kennesaw State University, where he studied acting and at The University of Georgia, and graduated from the latter institution with a BA in Theatre Arts. He minored in Computer Science.
Family members were surprised by Doug Peruski's choice of Kennesaw State University, but he insisted that he wanted to go there. "My drama teacher at Peachtree Ridge recommended KSU," Doug Peruski says, referring to his old high school. "She said it had a really good drama department." KSU did indeed have a good drama department, and Doug Peruski says that he learned a lot while he was there. But as his sophomore year drew to a close, he realized that it wasn't going to be enough. And so he transferred to the University of Georgia
"It was a no-brainer, really," Doug Peruski recalls. "I mean, I really grew to like KSU, but sometimes situations force your hand."
Doug Peruski enrolled in classes at UGA's Department of Theatre and Film Studies, part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The Department of Theatre and Film Studies has twenty-one faculty members, four distinguished adjunct faculty members, three full-time staff members, and 36 graduate assistants.
Doug Peruski got himself involved in everything the department had to offer – or at least, everything that he could fit into his increasingly busy schedule. He says he really grew from the experience. "That's when a career in Theatre first seemed really viable to me," he says today. "I could feel it. I learned so much there and internalized it all. The experience was one-of-a-kind, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Doug Peruski: Three Miserable Years
Doug Peruski is an actor from Duluth, Georgia. But he says that he is making plans to move to New York soon. "It's the center of the Theatre world in the United States," he says.
For now, though, Doug Peruski is working as a waiter in a Greek restaurant, and taking what acting jobs he can find. Most of what he finds are roles in regional theatre, or in small local productions.
While he fully expects to be in New York in the near future, Doug Peruski says that he will always love Duluth and the State of Georgia. "I really love it here," he says. He attended Peachtree Ridge High School, where he got his first real taste of the dramatic arts. "It was in an acting class I didn't want to take, at first," Doug Peruski says. "Miss Terrapin's class. She gave me a scene from Flowers for Algernon. After I got over my butterflies – because I'd never been in anything like that before – well, I just came alive. I got the acting bug. And I've had it ever since."
Doug Peruski went on to study acting at Kennesaw State University and at the University of Georgia, Athens, where he earned a degree in Theatre Arts, and minored in Computer Science. After college he spent three miserable years working at NCR, and then quit to devote himself to acting full time.
Since making the switch, Doug Peruski has had parts in Mirror Image and Five Actors In Search of a Cell Phone. He also played Philip in Not Again!, which he says is a screwball comedy. Not Again! turned out to be a box office flop, but Doug Peruski received excellent reviews. "We look forward to seeing more of this surprising and talented young actor," wrote one critic.
Doug Peruski says he had no choice but to quit NCR for acting. "I had to do it," he says. "I know it's risky. But if I didn't at least try, I knew that I would always regret it."
Doug Peruski: Learning to Like Greek Food
Doug Peruski is an aspiring actor who currently lives in Duluth, Georgia. He has a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Georgia, and spent three years after college as a systems analyst at NCR. Now though, he is working as a waiter in a Greek restaurant called Achilles.
Doug Peruski says that after three years, he felt that he had no choice but to reconsider his direction in. "NCR was just taking over my life," he insists. "I don't make nearly as much money now, but as a waiter I have a lot more free time."
When he first began working at Achilles, Doug Peruski says he didn't know much about Greek food, and what he did know, he didn't like. But Greek food was a revelation to him: he has grown to love it. "We have a flatbread machine that makes the most delicious flatbread," he says. "Your basic Greek flatbread, we use it for gyros – fresh out of that machine? It's to die for!"
Doug Peruski says that it is not uncommon for him to wait on tables of people who have no idea what Greek food is all about. By now, he says that he has routine that he goes through. "Start out with Moussaka," he always tells them. "It's probably the most widely recognized of all Greek dishes. It's an oven-baked casserole, with layered eggplant and spiced meat filling, and it's topped with a creamy bechamel."
He also tells them to try a dish called pastitsio. "Pastitsio is similar to moussaka," Doug Peruski says. "There are three main parts to it – pasta, meat filling, and a creamy bechamel sauce. They're layered in a pan and baked to golden perfection."
Finally, Doug Peruski tells them to try the Achilles baklava. "Baklava is a classic Greek pastry," he says. "No Greek meal would be complete without it."
These and other classic Greek dishes may be enough to turn anyone into a Greek food enthusiast, the way it did Doug Peruski.
Doug Peruski: Loves Everything About Theatre
Doug Peruski studied acting at Kennesaw State University and at The University of Georgia, and graduated from the latter institution with a BA in Theatre Arts. He minored in Computer Science.
“I love everything about the theatre,” Doug Peruski says. He is an aspiring actor who has worked mostly in regional theatre in and around his home in Duluth, Georgia. In addition to his Theatre Arts degree, Doug Peruski has taken singing and dancing lessons privately for many years. As a singer, he says he possesses a fine baritone. But he admits that he is only passable as a dancer. “No one will mistake me for Fred Astaire,” he laughs. “I can do the basic steps – enough to get through a simple routine – but dancing is definitely not my strong suit!”
Doug Peruski says the coursework for getting his Theatre Arts degree was rigorous, but that he loved every minute of it. The required classes included Stagecraft, Costume Technology, Performance I and Performance II, Introduction to Dramatic Literature, and Issues in Contemporary Theatre.
But he says his favorite class was Fundamentals of Play Direction. The course involved the independent production of a play of the student’s choosing, although it had to be approved by his instructor. Doug Peruski selected Fourteen Miles Home, a one-act drama by the Irish playwright, Fearchar Flan. Doug Peruski recalls it as an exhilarating time. “We rehearsed for two months. Then the curtain went up.” He received an A for that production, and says it was one of the greatest learning experiences he had in the theatre.
After college Doug Peruski worked as a systems analyst at NCR for three years, but recalls it as a difficult time of his life. “I never really got into it,” he says. “My heart wasn’t into it. I wasn’t happy. My girlfriend left me. The only reason I stayed as long as I did was because the pay was so good.” Finally, enough was enough, and Doug Peruski quit his job to try his hand at acting.
Doug Peruski: What a Systems Analyst Does
Doug Peruski is committed to a career in Theatre. He has a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Georgia, and has appeared in numerous plays in regional theatre and summer stock. He’s even had a few TV appearances. Doug Peruski is making plans to relocate to New York soon, to try breaking into acting in a big way.
But before this period of his life, he worked as a systems analyst at NCR, a position he held for three years. He says that while “systems analyst” is a familiar term for many, a lot of people have no idea what a systems analyst does.
“I didn’t really know myself, at first,” he admits. “The first few weeks there I had to do all this training – classes on COBOL and JCL. Most of the assignments after that were for support of existing systems. My first assignment was on a development team to replace the entire accounting and operating system for the company. There were a bunch of us on the project, divided into various sub-groups based on business functions, like accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory control, and stuff like that.
“I worked on the inventory control subsystem. My team consisted of another analyst with five years of experience, plus myself, and a full-time user, a guy named Ed. Ed had over twenty years with the company.
“After we started designing the inventory control system with Ed, I learned the true meaning of the words integrated system. The new system had to communicate with the other sub-systems. Anyway, to make a long story short, midway through development, the company decided not to build the system from scratch, but to buy a software package and customize it. Pulled the rug out from under us. We waited four months for the contract to be negotiated and signed.
“I also had other duties, of course. I was the data dictionary coordinator. I was the security request coordinator. I also had to give lots of presentations to other project teams, supervisors, and users. At first I was nervous about these public speeches. But then it occurred to me, this is just acting! And it’s what I want to do more than anything else!
Doug Peruski: His Favorite Greek Foods
Doug Peruski is an aspiring actor who lives in Duluth, Georgia. He has a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Georgia, and is making plans to relocate to New York to try breaking into theatre. In the meantime, he is working as a waiter in a Greek restaurant called Achilles.
“When I first started working there, it was just a job, you know?” Doug Peruski says. He had previously been a systems analyst at NCR, but quit after three years to pursue acting. “NCR was just taking over my life. I don’t make nearly as much money now, but as a waiter I have a lot more free time.”
Doug Peruski says he didn’t care all that much for Greek food when he first started working at Achilles, but has grown to love it. “We have a flatbread machine that makes the most delicious flatbread – your basic Greek flatbread, we use it for gyros – fresh out of that machine? It’s to die for!”
For those “foodies” who aren’t yet familiar with Greek food, Doug Peruski has some recommendations. “Start out with Moussaka,” he says. “It’s probably the most widely recognized of all Greek dishes. It’s an oven-baked casserole, with layered eggplant and spiced meat filling, and it’s topped with a creamy bechamel. The one we make at Achilles is outstanding.”
He also recommends a dish called pastitsio. “Pastitsio is similar to moussaka,” he says. “There are three main parts to it – pasta, meat filling, and a creamy bechamel sauce. They’re layered in a pan and baked to golden perfection.”
No Greek meal would be complete, Doug Peruski says, without baklava. “Baklava is a classic Greek pastry. It’s made with a flaky filo dough. It gets layered with a cinnamon-spiced nut mix, and covered in syrup. It’s the perfect finish to a Greek meal!”
These and other classic Greek dishes may be enough to turn anyone into a Greek food enthusiast, the way it did Doug Peruski.
Doug Peruski: Remembering Miss Terrapin
Doug Peruski remembers his years at the University of Georgia, Athens as an invaluable experience, and the one that made all the difference in his life. But he says it couldn’t have gone as well as it did if he hadn’t had the initial experience in the drama departments at Peachtree Ridge High School, and at Kennesaw State University.
“I read somewhere once that if a student is lucky, he or she will have that one teacher that really makes a difference. I think I was still in middle school then, and it didn’t make any sense to me. But boy, did I ever find out how true that is!”
For Doug Peruski, the teacher who made a difference was Miss Terrapin, his drama teacher at Peachtree Ridge. “When I first had one of her classes, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. “And she sensed that, somehow. And I guess she liked me. I don’t know why, because I was just another dumb freshman. But she reached out to me. And we developed this friendship. She drew me out. She made me think about things that I hadn’t ever thought about before.”
Doug Peruski credits Miss Terrapin with first encouraging him to try his hand at acting. She assigned him a scene from Flowers for Algernon, and as he remembers it today, “I just came alive. I had never experienced anything like that – the feeling of being someone else for a little while, of bringing a character to life, by channeling my own emotions through someone else’s words. It was just – I’m trying to describe it, but it was just indescribable.”
Doug Peruski took every class he could from Miss Terrapin – “She’s Mrs. Endoval now,” he says – and she directed him in four student plays over the years. When he finished high school, she suggested he enroll at Kennesaw State University.
Doug Peruski: All About Theatre at UGA
Doug Peruski earned his Theatre Arts degree from the University of Georgia. But before enrolling at UGA he attended Kennesaw State University, a medium-sized university just northwest of Atlanta.
Kennesaw State University, or KSU, is the third-largest university in Georgia. There is an average of 24,600 students enrolled there each year, from 132 countries, although the vast majority, of course, are from the United States. “My drama teacher at Peachtree Ridge recommended KSU,” Doug Peruski says. “She said it had a really good drama department.” It did, and Doug Peruski says he learned a lot from his involvement there. But as his second year there drew to a close, he realized that it wasn’t enough. If he wanted to broaden his experiences in the theatre, he needed some of the benefits he felt he could only get at a major school.
“So I transferred to UGA,” Doug Peruski recalls. “It was a no-brainer, really. I mean, I really grew to like KSU, but sometimes situations force your hand.”
The University of George has the distinction of being the first state-chartered university in the United States. Doug Peruski enrolled for classes in UGA’s Department of Theatre and Film Studies, part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The department has re-formed, divided, and sub-divided since its origins as UGA’s Thalian Dramatic Club in 1893. Today the Department of Theatre and Film Studies has Twenty-one faculty members, four distinguished adjunct faculty members, three full-time staff members, and 36 graduate assistants. Doug Peruski immersed himself in the department, and says he really grew as an actor. “That’s when a career in Theatre first seemed really viable to me,” he says today. “I could feel it. I learned so much there and internalized it all. The experience was one-of-a-kind, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Doug Peruski
Doug Peruski works as a waiter at a Greek restaurant called Achilles. He says if customers try to make a personal connection to a waiter, like being friendly and calling him or her by name, they’ll probably end up getting better service.
Doug Peruski
Doug Peruski is pursing his dream career. He quit a job at NCR, where he had an excellent salary, because it made him unhappy and took too much time away from acting. Doug Peruski is currently working as a waiter in a Greek restaurant, and taking whatever acting jobs he can.
Doug Peruski
Doug Peruski has appeared in numerous plays in and around Duluth, Georgia, where he currently lives and works. He has been in productions of Five Actors In Search of a Cell Phone, and Not Again!, among many others. He has also made several TV commercials, and had a few other small TV roles.
Contact Doug Peruski
Doug Peruski has appeared in a number of small theatre productions in the Duluth, Georgia area, including a dinner theatre production of Not Again!, in which he played Philip, a supporting role. Doug Peruski attended Kennesaw State University but transferred to the University of Georgia after his sophomore year. He currently works as a waiter at Achilles, a Greek restaurant in Duluth.
Email: dougperuski1@gmail.com
Website: http://follr.me/dougperuski
Location: Duluth, GA, United States