Rusty DeWees

A pair of broke-down work boots waits at the door of Rusty DeWees’s house atop Worcester Mountain, high above Stowe. These aren’t stage props. Later that evening, DeWees will amble onto the stage of a tiny town hall somewhere in Vermont, wearing those busted-up kickers, tank top and ripped jeans, and a flat brim trucker cap. If the audience is lucky, he’ll have his acoustic guitar with him.

For the past 22 years, DeWees has played The Logger, a blue collar, rough around the edges, playfully contrary woodchuck. I spent some time with DeWees in late winter, and it became clear: Rusty may play the part, but in real life, he’s not “The” Logger. Here’s the eclectic story of his route from Stowe to Manhattan and back home to Stowe.

So you’re a Stowe boy.

My family moved here from Philadelphia when I was in third grade. Stowe’s a great place to live. Everyone knows each other and you feel loved by all.

How did you get where you are today?

Well, it’s funny. I actually became an actor without knowing a damn thing. I honestly wanted to be a trucker or a Greyhound bus driver. After high school, I drove dump trucks, coached JV basketball and taught Sunday school. When I was 22, I earned a basketball scholarship to Champlain College. I decided I liked Burlington enough to stick around. I had always loved theater and performed in school plays since I played Peter Pan at age seven. During the days, I was a gas jockey on Shelburne Road and started doing some chorus work with the Lyric Theater group in Burlington.

In my mid-20s, I landed a real job as a UPS driver and had to make a choice between sticking with that job, which paid well, or pursue the theater. I opted for the Vermont Repertory Theater under the director Robert Ringer. Every rehearsal was an acting class. David Budbill’s Judevine came along, which is kind of like Our Town for Vermont. I got to play a bunch of different characters and ended up performing in the play four times over six years.

Describe your path to the stage.

I was never a goal-guy. I’m naturally curious and just took opportunities that seemed interesting. I moved to New York when I was 29 and got a job making scenery for Saturday Night Live and fashion shows. A friend from Stowe put me in contact with William Doyle Galleries, a top-level auction house. I became Bill’s right-hand man. We drove all around looking for antiques and artworks. I went from pumping gas on Shelburne Road to having lunch with Gloria Vanderbilt at ‘21’ Club.

Bill gave me the summers off so, I would come back to Vermont to do landscaping and summer-stock theater. Then, lightning struck in a bottle. I was stacking wood with a friend who introduced me to an actor who ultimately connected me with his New York agent. Three months later, I was flying first class to L.A. with my Screen Actors Guild card. My first job was playing a Maine lobsterman in a Kellogg’s commercial. I still knew nothing about the business other than to make the cold calls and follow up on leads. That led to dozens of national commercials, plenty of network shows, and major movies including Black Dog, The Devil’s Own and Pieces of April. I was also in Jay Craven’s productions of Where the Rivers Flow North, Stranger in the Kingdom and Disappearances.

What prompted you to come home?

I was missing Vermont. I drove home most weekends from New York, and during those road trips, I developed The Logger. I would create and run through lines till they stuck in my head.

I made the first Logger videotape—and it was actual videotape—in 1998. Vermont Public Television aired it during their December pledge drive. It played one snowy night when pretty much all of Vermont was stuck inside with just three channels. I ended up selling 12,000 of those tapes by Christmas! I approached The Logger as a business and started producing myself all around the state.

How did you conceive of the Tiny Town Hall Tours?

The Tiny Town Hall Tour is a chance to utilize the small halls and granges that locals have worked to preserve. Th at intimate-size space allows my show to become more conversational with the audience, which pushes me to grow as a performer and writer.

Who’s your core audience?

Working class folks. I’ve always been attracted to this population because I come from it. I sometimes advertise: “Show up on a lawn or farm tractor, get in free, two per tractor.” Th is spring, I had five folks show up in North Hero on farm tractors, and four lawn tractors drove up in Milton. A grandfather and two of his grandkids each had their own tractor! And that eight-year-old fella could really wheel it.

You pour tremendous energy into your stage performances. How do you prepare for a show?

I don’t write out my material word for word, but I’m constantly rehearsing in my head. I’m pretty disciplined and need to be razor sharp. Most of my ideas come to me while I’m driving: car, tractor or lawn mower.

Most challenging part?

It’s not hard to perform, but I work hard at performing. Staying healthy is vital. I have control over that, to a degree. At 58, I eat and rest in a way that works with my body. I manage my schedule to maximize my health.

Advice to aspiring performers?

Whatever you choose—acting, singing, writing—do it as much as you can. Go all in. And once you’ve established yourself, rely on yourself to fi nd jobs and get paid. Get jobs because you want them; you’ll find ways to make it happen.