FPCT Spotlight - March 10, 2011

Kerry Brady

 

What drew you to this role?

Kerry:  I actually didn’t know much about the role when I was called in to read for it.  I knew that the story took place following the Restoration of Charles II and that it focused on the last man to legally portray women upon on the English stage.  I like history, I love Shakespeare and I get to speak with an English accent… what more could I ask for in a role?

 

What has been fun about this production?

Kerry:  Working with the rest of this cast.  Some are friends from former shows, others I just met a few weeks ago, but we all seem to work very well together, and we always have a great time goofing off backstage.

 

What has been challenging about this role?

Kerry: Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate the “play within a play” aspect.  For example - during the last two scenes, Tim Elliott and I have to portray Ned and Margaret as themselves and as actors both in rehearsal and during an actual performance.  As an actor, you need to be able to differentiate between two or three distinct levels of character, and that can be tricky at times.

 

Are you anything like your character, Margaret?

Kerry:  I can identify with Margaret’s eagerness to perform and her desire to be a successful actress.  But I certainly hope I have more talent than she displayed in her audition for Mr. Betterton’s theatre!!

 

What are the challenges of working on a period piece?

Kerry:  Two of the biggest challenges are the costumes and the hair.  Trying to locate or recreate pieces of a 17th century wardrobe on a limited budget has taken a lot of ingenuity.  We’ve all pulled articles of clothing from our own closets, as well as borrowed items from groups like The Mobtown Players and The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre.  Plus, most of us have to wear wigs or other hairpieces in addition to our own hair in order to replicate the extremely ornate styles that were popular during that time period.

 

What keeps you coming back to the stage?

Kerry: I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I didn’t act anymore.  I get bored really easily…

 

What else do you do when you aren't acting?

Kerry:  I work in the accounting department for a local real estate company during the week.  I’m lucky because everyone in my office is very supportive of the theatre and the projects I choose to do.  On most weekends, I can be found leading guided tours behind-the-scenes at the aquarium.

 

What are your top three favorite movies of all time?

Kerry: That’s a tough question for me to answer as I am terribly indecisive.  I guess I would have to say Pan’s Labyrinth, Dead Poets’ Society and Amelie.  I could watch any of those three over and over and probably not get tired of it.

 

Who has been your acting inspiration?

Kerry:  I have been influenced and inspired by numerous actors over the years, both locally and nationally known.  But when I was very young I saw Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan the film version of Annie and that was it.  I was hooked.  It was such a loathsome character and she just made it look like so much FUN… and I knew that was what I wanted to do.

 

What is your dream role?

Kerry:  Eva Perón in Evita.

 

What is the craziest thing you have ever had to do on stage?

Kerry:  I think it’s a tie.  Either having to conduct a “swordfight” using only an umbrella and a toilet brush as weapons (Six Dead Queens… and an Inflatable Henry!) or allowing another actor to crack a raw egg all over my face during an avant-garde adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie.  That one also involved a homemade ABBA-style music video… it was just weird in general.

 

What is on the horizon?

Kerry:  I have a couple of auditions coming up in the next few weeks, but nothing concrete yet.  I was also thinking about going back to school later this year.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens…

 

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