What is your role in this production? I am doing double duty this show; onstage I am playing Young Heidi, the recollected self of a once famous operetta star, and then as soon as I am offstage I scoot down to the booth to take my place as the show’s sound operator. It’s my first time on the tech crew, which is very exciting! It’s also likely the first time a tech will be dressed a gown and tiara in the booth…
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? After having basically grown up onstage, I took a 6 hiatus from theatre while I was at university. I returned to performing after finishing my masters degree, and Follies will actually be my 18th show since graduating 6 years ago. I’m beyond thrilled to be back at the Walterdale this time around too; it’s my third show here, and it always feels like coming home!
What brought you out for this production? Barb, our lovely director, was the one who brought me to this show. Initially she just needed a sound operator, and as I was very interested in learning about the technical side of things, I jumped at the chance. As the process unfolded, she ended up needing a soprano and also someone to do a bit of tap dancing, so I jumped into those roles as well; it really is quite exciting having both an onstage and an offstage presence in this show!
This show is about theatre and nostalgia – got any good theatre stories? What do you love about doing theatre? Honestly I love the sense of play that is inherent to theatre. As adults we have so few opportunities to play and engage in story telling and make-believe! As for wild theatre stories: I was was once in a show called Titanic the Musical, and before one of our matinees a massive snow-storm triggered a power outage that resulted in our curtain time being delayed……we ended up having to cut half an hour from Act 2 on the fly; the Titanic sank very abruptly that day!
What has been the most challenging part of doing the show? I would say picking up the tap dance last minute…it has been an exhilarating challenge!
What has been the best thing about doing the show? The best part by far is being back with my Walterdale family; I feel so lucky that I get to come to rehearsal to play and explore alongside these wonderful and talented people.