#WCW - BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE ACTRESS

At Duke Energy Theater May 18-27
May 17, 2017 / Blog
By Becky Bereiter

Opening night for Peter Quilter's The Actress is May 18 at Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square, brought to you by our friends at Three Bone Theatre.

The comedy dramatizes the events backstage as a colorful, complicated woman (Lydia) makes her farewell performance, while dealing with the unexpected arrival of her infuriating ex-husband.  Drama and comedy collide as they say their goodbyes, declare their love, roar with laughter, spit insults, renew old battles, and grab a final embrace.

Ahead of the big premiere, we went one-on-one with Robin Tynes - she's the founding artistic director of Three Bone Theatre and is in the show as well, as the leading lady's daughter, Nicole.

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Blumenthal Performing Arts: Why did Three Bone Theatre decide to take on The Actress?

Robin Tynes: We are always looking for new shows that tell stories that we feel like aren't seen frequently on the stage. We loved that this raucous new comedy is family-friendly (most of our shows are more adult), and still speaks to the experiences that many women have throughout aging. In our culture, particularly in the performing arts, there just aren't very many roles written for older women that are multidimensional, complex characters. We love how the character of Lydia is written and hope that many of our audience members will be able to relate to one of the hilarious characters on stage.

Blumenthal Performing Arts: Three Bone Theatre's Facebook page talks a lot about what it’s like to be an aging woman in the arts. What challenges/opportunities and conversations are you hearing?

Robin Tynes: One of the main tenants of Three Bone Theatre is being a socially engaged organization. We try to tie our pieces in with real conversations that are happening in our community. We are committed to having community partners that tie in with each of our shows so that we are giving the audience a way to get involved directly in their city. For The Actress, we had our inaugural classroom series (made possible by the ASC) and that allowed us to work with a group of senior women in Charlotte, throughout the rehearsal process. This included a listening session where we went to the senior home and listened to the women's experiences about aging, and also a session where we brought scenes to the group and had them discuss what resonated and what didn't. It helps us make sure that our work is informed and authentic. While The Actress is very funny, we want to make sure we recognize the strength and poignancy of Lydia navigating this very challenging time in her life.

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Blumenthal Performing Arts: What is your favorite part of this production?

Robin Tynes: My favorite part has been performing in the production! As Artistic Director, I rarely get to be on the stage but it's been such a joy working alongside such a talented cast and with Charles LaBorde directing us. It really is a fun show to work on. I always think it's a good sign when things make me laugh backstage even though I've heard them a million times in rehearsal!

Blumenthal Performing Arts: Talk to us about the show's leading lady, Paula Baldwin 

Robin Tynes: Paula Baldwin plays Lydia, The Actress (and title role). Paula has been connected to the theatre for most of her adult life as an actress, director and educator. Charlotte theatre patrons may have seen her work with some of the other theatres in town, including CPCC, Theatre Charlotte, and CAST, among others. This is her first show with Three Bone Theatre. She is also the theatre teacher at Independence High School. It's always a joy working with Paula because she brings her A-game every single night. She is usually one of the first in the cast off-book (memorized), and she is constantly exploring new facets of her character. I was lucky enough to work with her (and cast member Bob Paolino, as well) in Angels in America at CAST. She's terrific on stage and off.

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Paula Baldwin

Blumenthal Performing Arts: For those who don’t know about Three Bone Theatre – what are you all about

Robin Tynes: We are a local professional theatre company currently in our fifth season. We primarily do contemporary plays, that are often Charlotte premieres. We like the bring the fresh themes to the stage and encourage our audiences to lean into the conversation. Our mission is to create a performing arts experience that is socially engaged, professionally managed, and creatively inspired. Our purpose is to use the "three bone" concept as a catalyst for hope, strength, and humor.  We believe in the power of creating a stronger, enriched society through the accessibility of theatre and the arts. We enjoy doing great work with great people.

Blumenthal Performing Arts: Sell the show in one sentence. Go!

Robin Tynes: A smart, intelligent and very amusing play about a Grand Dame of the stage's final bow!

Robin has worked as a performer, director and teaching artist in Charlotte for the past five years. She has her BFA in Musical Theatre from Catawba College and currently serves as the Education Systems Coordinator for Children's Theatre of Charlotte. 

The Actress is at Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square May 18-27. Tickets still available!