Danny & The Deep Blue Sea: Highlight on Bria McLaughlin
As Wolf Manor are about to launch our 2017 season with #DannyTo, we wanted to get our eager audience more acquainted with our ensemble! We have compiled some questions for each other to better discuss our work and our process!
First up we look at Bria McLaughlin, who is make her debut as Roberta in Danny & The Deep Blue Sea! She has had an amazing few years since graduating from Ryerson and the whole company is excited to finally have the opportunity to work with her!
A photo posted by Wolf Manor Theatre Collective (@wolfmanor) on Jan 12, 2017 at 1:08pm PST
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WOLVES: You’ve had a really wonderful year with some super companies. How was been stepping into the Wolf Manor rehearsal room been different? What is the work like between the three of you in the rehearsal room?
BRIA: I remember Wolf Manor when it was the class clubhouse. The place to go after your rehearsal for a beer or to the pickup the notebook you left afrer the last party and I think they’ve done a wonderful job of keeping that quality. It’s a company, it’s a factory, it’s a home. You can see they work to build around their artists and for their artists and that’s a rare and wonderful thing. Working with WM you always feel heard, you know you are taken care of and Dylan will be sure the kettle is hot the monent you walk through that door.
WOLVES: You’ve dabbled with this role before, what’s it like to revisit and take it even further? Who is Roberta to you and what do you connect with in her?
BRIA: If you’re Lucky enough to get to take on a script like this you’re really never done discovering. Every run we’re finding new moments, new beats, new choices so getting a second chance to go back and really sink your teeth in it, I mean that’s the dream. Roberta to me is the person in the mirror you tear down on bad days. She is the person who hears all those horrible awful things you say about yourself. I think what resonates for me most with Roberta is the extraordinary pressure shes put on herself. She for me, is the best part of this job. Confronting your own demons to ease people of theirs. She sees perfection and failure and no in between, and will punish herself tirelessly for failing. I think it’s very easy to get up in who you think you need to be.
WOLVES: What do you hope an audience walks away with from watching your performance?
BRIA: I think this is in a lot of ways a story about forgiveness and healing. That is something that starts from within. So if somebody came to this show and finally forgave themself for sone horrible, awful, not so bad thing they did years ago. I think that would be wonderful.
WOLVES: Has working, commuting, and the holidays been a challenge for you throughout the process? If so, how did maintain your sanity?
BRIA: Oh heavens, commuting is certainly something. it takes me about 1.5- 2 hours and 3-5 methods of transportation including the casual occurrence known as the Durham Region Transit system to get anywhere. I have no sanity, I have a presto card.
WOLVES: Has playing Roberta been a different acting experience from other roles? Or is she similar to other roles you’ve played in the past?
BRIA: Roberta is definitely one of the most challenging roles I’ve taken on. Shes extremely complex but very simple so theres a balance in underatanding as an actor but not revealing to much in the show.
WOLVES: What will you miss most about this show?
BRIA: What I will miss most will be the team, we do have alot of fun in rehearsal. Getting to know each of these beautiful people as artists and individuals has really been great. Do not miss Bria’s incredible work over the next two weeks! We open tomorrow at The Imperial Pub!
Tickets: http://www.nowtickets.ca/events/39787223/danny-amp-the-deep-blue-sea
