Jenn Mikulski

Mauritius

FPCT Spotlight - January 11, 2011

Jenn Mikulski

 

What have you enjoyed about playing Jackie?

Jenn:  The role of Jackie is great for a whole host of reasons.  But the best part about this role probably is the fact that Jackie doesn’t hold anything back, ever, and if she does, there’s a reason for it.  Otherwise, if she’s angry or upset or whatever, she puts it out there. And she usually does so in quite colorful ways. 

 

How are you like or unlike Jackie?

Jenn:  Jackie and I are a lot alike.  We’re both very sarcastic, and we both have a tough veneer, but not too far beneath it, we’re both quite vulnerable.  That said, ultimately, I think Jackie is actually tougher than I am—physically and emotionally—because she’s a survivor.  She survived a difficult childhood, even after her half sister, Mary---the one person who might actually understand what she experienced—abandoned her.  That’s no small feat.  And we don’t know what else she might have had to survive in her childhood; all we know is that Jackie suffered a lot by others’ hands.  I also think that Jackie might be more forgiving than I am, because I’m convinced Jackie would have shared her life with her half sister, if Mary had been a little more receptive to it.   And while I’ve never been in such a situation, I’m not sure I’d be willing to do the same.

 

What has been challenging about this role?

Jenn: Definitely the stage combat.  We spend so much of our lives trying not to trip or fall, trying to avoid fights, etc., that learning how to do such things intentionally, and not harm ourselves, is a lot easier said than done.  Oww.  

 

What is your favorite role you have played so far?

Jenn:  As to which show I’ve had the most fun with thus far, it’s currently a toss up between Twelfth Night (I played Viola) andMauritius….  I LOVE doing Shakespeare--I love the challenge of the language and the characters. AND Twelfth Night is my favorite Shakespearean comedy.  But Shakespeare’s comedies have good guys and bad guys and they always tend to end on a happy note; and easily identified good guys and bad guys and “happily ever after” endings aren't exactly realistic.  I think that that’s why I enjoy Mauritiusso much.  The characters are very real; they have their good sides and their bad sides.  It’s really difficult to identify any character inMauritius as all “good guy” or all “bad guy”.  And I think, in a way, it makes the characters easier to relate to and empathize with. As for how Mauritius ends, audiences will have to decide for themselves, but I really don’t think you can call it a “happily ever after” ending.

 

What keeps you coming back to the stage?

Jenn:  First, the people. I met many of my best friends through theatre.   For whatever reason, I just click better with theatre people, and I feel at home among them. I like to think that other theatre people understand me better, and that’s why I click with many of them, but I can’t back that up. :-P  

And secondly, theatre allows me to relax and be myself when I want to be, and it lets me be someone else when I want to escape my world for a little while.  There is something to be said for that.   

 

You frequently work backstage as well as onstage.  How do they compare?

Jenn:  Both acting and stage managing are challenging roles. In my mind, being able to stage manage or act (or sometimes do both) is entirely dependent on being able to shift one’s point of view. As an actor, my point of view is only that of the character I’m playing. I have to make a lot of decisions, but most, if not all, relate entirely to my character—my motivations, how I interact with other characters, etc.  But as a stage manager, I have to be focused on just about every aspect of the show, the much bigger picture, so to speak.  A stage manager has to worry about many different details of a show from props and lines to lighting and sound cues.  Without offending any actors out there, I personally find acting a lot easier to do than stage managing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that acting is “easy” and that anyone can do it; it still involves a lot of hard work, creativity, etc.  But the focus of an actor is more limited than that of a stage manager. The stage manager has to the deal with a lot more of the “administrative” tasks that make up the bigger picture.    

 

What is your dream role?

Jenn:  This is going to sound like I’m sidestepping the question, but every role I’ve played to date is my “dream” role.  And yes, that includes Jackie in Mauritius.   The Baltimore theatre community is full of amazingly talented actors, many of them very well trained.  I’ve never had any formal theatrical training, so whenever I’m fortunate enough to get cast in a show, it is or becomes my dream role.  And anyway, I typically only audition for roles that I really, really, really want. 

 

What do you do when you aren't at the theater (are you sometimes not at the theater)?

Jenn:  Believe it or not, there are times when I’m not at the theatre.  Recently, those particular times were spent sleeping, eating and learning my lines.  Oh and celebrating the holidays.  But, when I actually have real free time, I love to read or just spend time with my fiancé and my dog, both of whom are perpetually understanding and accepting of how much time I spend at the theatre. I’d love to travel a lot more, but that has to wait until I win the lottery. 

 

What is something that people find surprising about you?

Jenn:   I don’t know why, but a lot of people are surprised (I’m assuming that’s what the strange looks mean) when I tell them that I find theatre-- acting, stage managing, etc.--relaxing.  My day job tends to be very stressful. I find my “release” in theatre.    

 

What is on the horizon?

Jenn:  At the moment, I don’t have anything set in stone.  I may be auditioning for the Shakespeare Factory Players’ production of The Winter's Tale.  Otherwise, the only thing presently on my radar is a bit of wedding planning.