Kristen Finlay – Page 18 – Walterdale Theatre

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – Dan Fessenden is Lord Darlington

Who are you and who do you play? My name is Dan Fessenden and I play the suave and debonair Lord Darlington.

What is your background in theatre? I am excited to return for my second show at the Walterdale. Last year I was in Ravenscroft.

What brought you out for this show? I love Walterdale Theatre! I’ve seen lots of shows and have wanted to be on the stage for a while. Last year was my first one which was the culmination of that goal! There’s a lot of room for growth as an actor, and I’m happy to have another chance to do so. I’m also excited to be working with many of the same talented cast and crew at the Walterdale again!

What is the most enjoyable thing about working on this production? The entire production is full of some excellently talented and creative people. We’ve had a lot of fun putting together the show and I think that will come across for anyone who comes to see it. The script itself is full of great lines and moments!

What is the most challenging thing? One of the most interesting things for me by far has been the fact that my character is not actually the character I relate most to in the story. So playing this other person has been both fun and challenging.

Got a favourite Oscar Wilde quote? “The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple”

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – Émanuelle Dubbeldam is Rosalie!

What is your role in this production? I play Rosalie — Lady Windermere’s maid — as well as Miss Graham.

What is your background in theatre? Although it’s my first time on the Walterdale stage, I have been involved in theatre since the tender age of seven. I have made a couple of appearances at NextFest and the Fringe, and, being bilingual, through l’UniThéâtre. I have about seven years of improv experience and definitely consider it to be my favourite form of theatre.

What brought you out for this show? I knew the story was interesting and filled to the brim with amusing characters, and I figured it would be a blast to be a part of. Boy, was I right!

Why do you think audiences shoudl come and see this show? Lady Windermere’s Fan is extremely cleverly written, with twists and turns in every scene. Each character brings a new dimension to the story and there is humour sprinkled throughout. It’s loads of fun to watch; trust me, I have seen it many times by now.

What has been the most fun so far working on the show? The little accidents that turn out to be hilarious. Everyone involved has a great sense of humour, I’m surprised we get anything done at all.

The most challenging thing? The posture! I’m a sloucher through and through.

What is your favorite Oscar Wilde quote? “London is too full of fogs—and serious people. Whether the fogs produce the serious people or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don’t know.”

Meet the Team of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – Elis Blouin is Stage Manager

Who are you and what is your role on this production? I’m Elis Blouin. As Stage Manager I track and attend every rehearsal, set scenes, call lines, give cues, assist the director, and act as general liaison for all facets of production for the cast and crew members.

What is your background in theatre? My first taste of theatre came to me in grade 3, with my role as Queen of Hearts in Alice and Wonderland. I attended drama and choir classes throughout junior and senior high school, working in numerous productions on and behind the scenes with makeup, costumes, painting, managing, and directing. I took some theatre classes in college and developed a drama club in Wyoming for children ages 8-12 where I singlehandedly directed, managed, wrote, and produced two productions a year.

What brought you out for this show? I’m new to Canada and I figured the theatre should be my first stop in becoming acquainted with my new city. I live near-by and took notice of the beautiful building right away. I made some inquiries and Walterdale came highly recommended from local theatre goers.

Why do you think audiences should come and see this show? Oscar Wilde’s insight on what it means to be a part of society is always refreshing. Lady Windermere’s Fan was written in the 1800’s, when European fashion was held as high as morality. We have a talented cast that does a beautiful job of displaying its own camaraderie in the delivery of their characters.

What has been the most fun so far working on the show? The most challenging thing? A large cast of 16 (not to mention the loads of crew members) make this a very fun and challenging circus to keep organized.

What is your favorite Oscar Wilde quote?

There are too many to choose just one!

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all,” is from Wilde’s essay titled The Critic as Artist. It’s one of my favorites, but there are so many good lines in Lady Windermere’s Fan as well. This one, “Whether the fogs produce the serious people or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don’t know, but the whole thing rather gets on my nerves…” always makes me giggle.

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – David Owen is Lord Augustus Lorton

Who: I am David Owen and I play Lord Augustus Lorton.

What is my background in theatre: I have a PhD in theatre and performance studies from York University, an MFA in Directing from the U of C, and an MA in Dramatic Theory and Criticism from the U of A. I am also a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada. At the Walterdale, I was the Artistic Director from 1999-2001 and directed Doctor Faustus and The Birthday Party. As an actor at the Walterdale, I was in The Grace of Mary Traverse, Jehanne of the Witches, and the one-act Enter the Giants.

What brought me out: I moved back to Edmonton last year and I wanted to audition for Glengarry Glen Ross but my schedule wouldn’t allow it. This year, finding myself back in Edmonton again and with a more forgiving schedule AND an Oscar Wilde show to try out for, I jumped at the chance! It feels great to be back.

Why should audiences come out: Who doesn’t like to laugh? Audiences should come see the show because it is ridiculously funny but also because it allows us to laugh at ourselves and at relationships and false appearances and societies pressures. These can all be very stressful at times, and taken too seriously, and we can all benefit from a playful critique of this “demmed thing we call society.”

The most fun thing: The outrageous accents!

The most challenging thing: The outrageous accents!

Favourite Wilde quote: “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.” Algernon, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – Hannah Haugen is Lady Agatha Carlisle!

Who are you and what is your role in Lady Windermere’s Fan? My name is Hannah Haugen and in Lady Windermere’s Fan I play Lady Agatha Carlisle-the contained daughter of a Duchess and soft spoken young lady of the upper class. Agatha is a joy to play and a creative challenge with her limited and joyous dialogue.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I have been acting since nine years old and just graduated from Jasper Place High School as a very involved drama student. Over my time there I took part in lots of productions, the most recent as Emily Webb in Our Town. The past three years I have preformed on the Walterdale stage at the Zone 8 City One Act Festival in anything from Chekhov to MacIvor.

Why do you think audiences should come see the show? Lady Windermere’s Fan is a funny and vibrant piece that audiences will come to enjoy the aristocratic energy, classic humor and insightful moments on life and class. I personally love the ability of so many characters in this piece to house eccentricity and hilarity whilst never losing their realism or worth.

What has been most enjoyable part of the process so far? So far the most fun moments in rehearsal have been working with Leslie Caffaro who plays my Mother (The Duchess of Berrwick) as she pushes around her doting daughter with some serious style. Or the cupcakes at lasts week’s rehearsal, it’s a tie really. Either way Lady Windermere’s Fan will be a pulsing and comical production I hope to see lots and lots of people enjoy!

Meet the Team of RED – Anglia Redding is the Stage Manager!

What is your role on this production? I’m the stage manager, which means I help the director by wrangling actors, helping with lines, and lots of other things to numerous to mention. During the run of the show, I’m in the booth, making sure the lights and sound are seen and heard!

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? I’m a graduate of Keyano College with a diploma in Visual & Performing Arts. I acted onstage in quite a few shows, such as Narnia, The Odd Couple (the female version), Damn Yankees, Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and Les Belles Soeurs before moving to Edmonton in 2012.

I started with Walterdale in 2012 when I was asked to assistant stage manage The Weir. I’ve since started stage managing and have been the SM for Starless, Jeffrey, Magpies, Jesus Master Builder, and W;t all here at Walterdale. I’ve since stage managed Gossamer Feast and Fag Hag Fandango by Gerald Osborn for 2016’s Stage Struck! I also been lucky to SM Death Comes to Auntie Norma at the 2015 Fringe and Jesus Master Builder at the 2016 Fringe. You’ll be seeing me in the booth again later in the year for Othello.

What brought you out for this show? Bethany and I have wanted to do something together ever since we met during the production of W;t and I was honoured when she called and asked me to stage manage for Red. I jumped at the chance and it was an extra added bonus to be alongside Sarah Van Tassel again.

This play is extremely in-depth, not just about the lives of two painters who are opposites, but how art affects our lives in different ways. It was fascinating moving through the different art periods and what really caused the demise of some and the rise of others.

What is the most challenging thing about working on this show? The most fun/enjoyable thing? The most challenging thing for me has been how sick I’ve been! I’ve had to miss quite a few rehearsals due to bronchitis, but I’m on the mend and ready to get back on my feet.

The most enjoyable for me was walking in one day and seeing the set. It’s just…amazing doesn’t seem the right word. It made me breathless (not because of the bronchitis) because it seemed so…intimate. I forgot it was a set and it looked like an artist’s space where paintings and art came to life.

Art plays a big role in this show. Who is your favorite artist and why? Favorite painting/sculpture? Do you have a picture? I really adore Georges Suerat, who painted A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The painting is made entirely of dots that blend together to form figures and shapes; the colours blend together optically to show you the scene and that just knocks my socks right off.

I’m also big into Banksy, the English-based graffiti artist who’s extremely cheeky. I enjoy how he uses dark humour to make political and social statements. He’s all over London and England and no one knows who he is. It’s amazing.

Congratulations to Darrell Portz, Walterdale’s Member of the Month for September 2016!

Darrell has been an active member of the Tech committee for a number of years. He has provided a lot of very valuable input on the technical choices and has taken on creating the lobby videos since we introduced it for Chess. In addition, he has been very active leading the archive committee which maintains Walterdale’s historical information and he maintains the archive photo’s section of… our web site which he recently used to great effect by creating the Jack Wilson Award video. Darrell is also an actor, most recently performing on Walterdale’s stage in Six Degrees of Separation; he directed Dracula in the 2013/14 Season; and he has done numerous sound designs at Walterdale. Darrell is very energetic and knowledgeable, and always a fun person to work with on projects.

Meet the Cast of RED – Mark Finlay is Mark Rothko

What is my role in this production? I am playing Mark Rothko – Rothko was an artist, considered one of the forefront Abstract Expressionists of the 1950’s. Rothko was very secretive about his process and very philosophical about his work and its impact.

What is your background in theatre? I am a very sporadic performer, usually only doing a show once every 5-7 years. These past few months have been an exception, as this is the second in a row that I am acting in. I was cast as Molokov in the Walterdale’s production of Chess this past summer, which was my very first show here. Unquestioningly, Rothko is by far the most difficult and challenging part I have ever been asked to take on – there is no singing, and no comedy… it is a dramatic role with TONS of dialogue.

What brought you out for this show? I heard that they might be looking for large guys that yell, and thought I might get to shave my head… I’m kind of typecast that way! Actually, Bethany Hughes (the director) was choreographer on Chess, and I enjoyed working with her and she seemed like she would be fun to work with in a different capacity!

Why did you audition? I have been asking myself the same question…I don’t undertake the audition process often, and I felt that maybe if I did more of them I would learn something or get better at it. A number of people from Chess auditioned, and I didn’t fully decide until very late in the process. I had no real expectation of even being considered for such a significant role in a production, and was quite surprised when I was offered the part!

What about this show intrigues you? I am curious to see which character the audience most identifies with: Ken or Rothko? The two have vastly disparate views on art, intention, experience and mortality. Of late, I have been able to identify with Rothko.

What is the most challenging thing about working on this show? The most challenging thing is easily THE SCRIPT!! There are SO MANY WORDS – Words that many people I know wouldn’t commonly use in conversation! Getting a handle on the monologues was probably my biggest challenge, as well as being able to “see” art in the same way Rothko does. I am able to identify with aspects of Rothko, so I think the character came easier to me than the dialogue did.

The most enjoyable thing? There are multiple things that I’m enjoying. I really enjoying getting to know the people I’m working with – that aspect of theatre probably is the part that I enjoy the most. Rehearsals are HARD WORK… anyone that tells you different is either far more skilled than I am, or delusional. There are fun and funny moments, but it’s hard work – that can be enjoyable, but it is also fatiguing. The other thing I am enjoying is trying to be someone that I am most definitely NOT in real life. Having also never seen this play before, I have no frame of reference to base my work off of – which is challenging but enjoyable as well.

Art plays a big role in this show. Who is your favorite artist and why? My favorite artists are my kids…I have a screen saver of a picture my youngest son drew about 4 years ago… it won’t be hanging in a gallery, but it is in my personal collection and continues to make me smile.

As far as other art, I am a fan of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. I have two original Matt Boisvert pictures at home, and my wife and I have a smattering of other pictures from Albertan artists we know and appreciate. As John Cleese once said in a Monty Python sketch: “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.”

Meet the Team of RED – Sarah Van Tassel is the Mentor Director

What is your role on this production? I’m the Mentor Director. Walterdale is encouraging newer directors to direct their first show on our stage, and as such pairs them up with a “mentor” – someone who has directed on our stage previously and who can be a resource for the director.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? I’ve been working in independent and community theatre since graduating university in 2006. I have held various roles on the Walterdale Board, including Artistic Director and President, and have been onstage and backstage for a slew of productions, including: W;t, Jeffrey, Burning Vision, Love of the Nightingale, Reasons to be Pretty, and You Are Here.

What brought you out for this show? Why did you join the team? What about this show intrigues you? Bethany and I were working together on W;t when she mentioned that she was thinking of submitting Red for this season. She asked if I’d be willing to be her “mentor” as she hadn’t directed at Walterdale previously and I said yes, without hesitation. I adore working with Bethany and this is such a great script.

For me, the conversations about symbiotic relationship between the art and the viewer are fascinating. I’ve always felt that all art is subjective and what the viewer brings to the table when viewing said art matters – but what about the intention of the artists when they created the piece – is it just as important? It’s so interesting to explore these concepts.

What is the most challenging thing about working on this show? The most enjoyable thing? This has been a really unique experience for me – as mentor it’s about trying to help Bethany realize her vision of the show and support that as the production develops. It’s been really great to watch the show develop and see Bethany’s vision of it come to life.

Art plays a big role in this show. Who is your favorite artist and why? I’ve always loved pop art. Warhol and Lichtenstein, in particular. I love the way that pop art appropriates other mediums and creates new and unique pieces out of it. Lichtenstein’s Drowning Girl is one of my favourites.

Meet the Team of Red – Catherine Wenschlag is Production Manager

What is your role on this production? I’m the Production Manager, so I oversee the logistical needs of the show. I work to ensure all areas are communicating with each other, that deadlines are met, and that we’re within budget. I love this role because it is mostly about organization and communication – two of my favorite activities.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? Walterdale is my home away from home! Since joining in 2009 I’ve filled a variety of roles. Last season I worked on four productions: Ravenscroft (actor), W;t (production manager), The Sunset Syndrome (director), Chess (assistant director), and served on the Board of Directors as Secretary. Outside of Walterdale, I’ve been acting and stage managing for over 30 years.

What brought you out for this show? Why did you join the team? What about this show intrigues you? I wanted to support the director, Bethany Hughes, in any way I could – and I happened to have a skill set that was useful to the team. I’m very excited for this season at Walterdale and am eager to help bring each show to audiences.

What is the most challenging thing about working on this show? The most fun thing? I’ve found that the most challenging thing as a production manager is making sure everyone gets the information they need to do the best job possible. Some people are looking time members, some are new – and some are taking on new roles. It’s easy to say, “if you have any questions, just ask” – but if you’re new, sometimes you don’t know what questions to ask! So I try to anticipate needs and meet those in addition to the other requests that come up. The most fun is definitely the people – this is a stellar creative team and I’m loving watching them create magic.

Art plays a big role in this show. Who is your favorite artist and why? Monet. I find him soothing, comforting, but not simple. The first time I saw an original in person I was incredibly moved. The ones of parliament are among my favourite.