Spotlight on Rowan Hickie - Hero in The Love of the Nightingale

What is your role in this production? In the production I play Hero, who is a member of the female chorus. What I love most about playing Hero and being a part of the female chorus is the fact that we get to interact not only with the characters in the play, but also make direct addresses to the audience. What I think is so magical and powerful about the female Chorus’ ability to speak to the audience and to see the audience, is that they manage to make the issues that occur during the play and make them contemporary and relevant for the audience watching.

Why did you audition for this production? I was in Alex Hawkins’ Theatre History class in the Fall, so that is where I first heard about the auditions. I was also really intrigued by the play itself as I had heard of the playwright, but not the play itself.

What is your background in theatre? I started doing community theatre productions in Calgary before I moved up to Edmonton for school. Currently I’m studying Drama at the U of A and loving every minute of it! My first Walterdale experience was acting in The Wyrd Sisters in Dec 2011, and it was during this production that I fell in love with the whole Walterdale experience.

What is the biggest challenge with this production? The most enjoyable thing?
I think that the biggest challenge with this production is also the most enjoyable part of it, and that would be the content of the play and the many contemporary issues that the play calls into question. I enjoy struggling with my views on certain issues and how to express them onstage while still successfully interpreting those views into my character and the text.

What do you think our audiences take away from this production? What I hope audiences will do after seeing this production would be to talk about it, to discuss the issues seen in the production and see how these issues are still prevalent in today’s society.

Any last comments you'd like to share? Enjoy the show !