What is your role in this production? I am playing two roles in this production. I am playing the character of Minnie, the maid at Girton, and Mrs. Lindley the shop-keep. This means I am doing a couple costume changes back stage and I am often helping with transitions between scenes.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I am a theatre and humanities educator with Edmonton Public Schools. I have worked creatively in theatre as a designer, director, assistant stage manager, and actor. Blue Stockings is my second Walterdale project, following my role as Assistant Stage Manager of the December production of Shatter by Trina Davies.
What brought you out for this show? Why did you want to be a part of it? It has been quite some time since I was last on the stage as a performer. I wanted the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and back onto the stage. When I read Blue Stockings, I knew this was a play I needed to be a part of. I am the first woman in my family to go to University and graduate with a degree. I am passionate about education and wanted to be a part of telling the story of real women who fought for the right to graduate.
What has been the most fun thing about working on the show? The biggest challenge? The cast and crew are the best part of working on this show. Walterdale is an incredible facility that attracts wonderful talents from every corner of our beautiful city. It is an honor to get to work closely with so many wonderfully talented individuals. The biggest challenge for the production is probably managing the large amount of people in the cast. Our production team has done a great job of laughing with the cast and then laying down the law for when its time to get to work.
What do you think audiences will take away from the show? Why should they come and see it? I think audiences will be left with a shocking reminder of the common ideologies that were prevalent not long ago. I hope audiences analyze the play critically and ask themselves how far have we really come? Is there more to be done? How can I be an advocate for change?
This show is about the advancement of women in history… who is a woman from the past (or present) that has inspired you? Why? There are many powerful and remarkable women in history that have inspired me. However, there is no question that the woman who has inspired me the most was my Grandmother. Her parents did not allow her to attend University because she was a girl. She would tell me stories of how she worked at the University of Alberta Book Store and would meet all the different students buying their books and how she desperately wished she could be one of them.
She encouraged me as a child to read, to write, and express my ideas. She instilled in me the importance of higher education. She told me to go after my dreams, even if someone else told me they were not achievable. She told me to never allow myself to depend on a man for my survival, and that by getting a higher education I could be an independent woman.
Without her, I would not be in this production today.