What is your role in Reasons to Be Pretty? I'm an actor in the show and I play Carly. Carly is interesting because she's not involved in a lot of scenes but she plays a major role in the action. She's the catalyst for Steph and Greg's argument and it's the way that Kent treats her that ultimately causes a major riff between Greg and Kent. So it's important to really understand her relationships because it informs the audience (and me) as to who Carly is as a person. Why did you want to work on this production? It's been a while since I've been onstage (Fringe 2010) and it was time to get back on the horse. I auditioned for Sarah because the script is challenging and the major ideas aren't very pleasant.
What is your background in theatre? This is my first show with the Walterdale but I've been around the theatre block. I have 2 degrees in theatre (BA and MA). I've been involved with a number of fringe shows, Fort Edmonton Park, Nextfest, a handful of indie shows and productions during University. I've worked as an actor, director, stage manager, dramaturge, administrator and playwright. My show (Pushed) went up at Nextfest 2011.
What is the more challenging thing about the script? The hardest thing about this play is how awful the characters can be and really digging to find their 'redemption' or their human-ness. What is the best thing? The group has been really wonderful and the challenge (even though it's hard) is worth it for that moment in rehearsal when you go "I get it!"
What do you hope audiences will take away from this production? I think that Neil (that's right. we're on a first name basis) goes for the difficult ending. By not wrapping things up with a pretty little bow, I think he's asking the audience to be real, to be complex and to realize that sometimes things get harder instead of easier (and that doesn't mean that things don't turn out positively). I hope the audience will walk away talking about the nature of relationships.
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