Our last chat with Jessica Cannizzaro who is playing Hamlet one more time on 3/29 at 2pm.
So, it's been a few weeks since we last spoke. How is it going so far?
Opening weekend was a wonderful success! So terrific to see so many loving, supportive faces in the audience at each show. We are right on the precipice of jumping into our extension week, and I couldn’t be more excited. Get those tickets today, and join the cast after the show for a beer!
What are some of the challenges you've faced in rehearsal?
Overcoming my own fears. Attempting to say “To be, or not to be,” without thinking too much about the countless other times those words have been spoken and immortalized across the world. Trying to stage-fight former firefighter Alex Pepperman (Laertes) and win.
What are some of the pleasant surprises you've encountered?
Learning that Hamlet is just like us! He just sees more ghosts. And causes more destruction. And speaks in more soliloquies. Oh wait, he’s nothing like us at all.
Turning to the gender question. Have you found it difficult playing Hamlet from the perspective of a woman?
No, since women are generally smarter and prettier than men. Oh, you want a real answer? Okay then: Yes, always, every single day. And at the same time, no. Though the role as Shakespeare wrote it is at times unquestionably male, it is moreover unquestionably human. These words cry out across the pages of time, fly above the weight of the centuries, get recited over and over at school and scribbled into the margins of marble notebooks that are artfully doused in Crayola. Hamlet plays to our rawest emotions and speaks to the deepest kernel of truth hidden inside of each of us: when we are most scared, when we are most happy, when we don’t know where to turn. Whenever I find it difficult to be a girl playing Hamlet, I strip everything else away and return to the honesty, transcendence, and humanity of these ridiculously, stupidly, insanely beautiful words.
What do you look forward to coming into rehearsals every night?
Getting to play with some of the most supportive kids around town. No matter how my day is going, I know that when I walk into the rehearsal room, I will be greeted with laughter and love. These kids are hilarious and talented, full of cheer and creativity, and they bring every ounce of that spirit into every single rehearsal. Opening up the script each night with these kids is a new adventure, one that moves me the way wind moves through leaves and puts my mind at ease like a cool drink on the hottest day in August. I can always depend on the brilliance and support of this talented cast, and that is a lovely thing to look forward to each night.
Are you ready for an audience? Do you think the audience is ready for you?
Get your tickets for our remaining six performances and find out!
Get tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1294826
Or $20 cash only at the door
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