RUTHLESS
Until
July 30, Chester Playhouse presents Ruthless! ~ a campy cult favourite in which the beautiful and
talented 12-year-old Tina Denmark will
do ANYTHING to play the lead in the school play … ANYTHING! The show famously
spoofs Broadway musicals such as Gypsy and Mame,
as well as classic films including The Bad Seed and All About Eve.
Ruthless! is a 90 minute hilarious romp through the world of Broadway, child
acting, parenthood, and unbridled ambition. Recently we spoke with actress Amy Reitsma about what audiences can expect during the run.
When
and why did you get involved with theatre?
I
started getting involved when I was 9 years old. My mom had many friends at the
old Neptune Theatre, so we used to go to plays and musicals quite a bit in my
youth. I always loved acting and watching theatre, but wasn't bitten by the bug
until I met a young actor (who was probably 11, but seemed 18 and completely
worldly at the time to my 10 year old mind) at an opening night party of the
play 1949. He mentioned something about 'not getting paid enough' and it dawned
on me that people actually got paid to perform. I thought that sounded like the
best job in the world.
Are
they the same reasons that you do it today?
Yes
and no. Money is definitely not why I'm in this business, but the sheer love of
the art and the people who make it hasn't changed. I never want to be someone
who lives for the weekend. I've tried 9-5 and it doesn't suit me at all.
Sometimes I wish it would, because I think it would make some of the choices
I've had to make a little simpler. The grass is always greener, I suppose.
What
are the challenges of the profession?
There
are many, as there are in all professions. I find staying positive and staying
motivated can be hard when you are in the midst of a dry spell. Certainly
financial issues are frustrating and stressful at times. Also keeping yourself
grounded and honest when it's time to network, and not losing yourself to the
machine that the arts can be. That's the most important. Staying true to
yourself and reminding yourself why you wanted to be an actor in the first place.
What
are the rewards?
You
get to do the job you love. Not many can say that. That's a huge reward.
How
did you get involved with Ruthless?
It was all perfect timing,
basically. I’m now based in London, England, so I haven’t worked in Canada for
2.5 years. I had been invited to come over and do a show with Zuppa Theatre at
Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Whitehorse, which gave me the perfect excuse
to come home to visit for a few weeks. I had planned originally to head back to
London at the end of June. Kyle Gillis (who is also in the show) randomly sent
me a casting breakdown for Ruthless, and I started thinking how nice it would
be to extend my stay in NS and turn it into a proper ‘working holiday’. So I
emailed Mary Lou asking if there was anything in the show for me. We’ve known
each other for years but have never worked together, and luckily there was a
great role that fit so she said yes, I changed my flight and here I am!
What
did you know of the production previously?
I had heard of the song ‘Teaching
Third Grade’, and ‘I Hate Musicals’, and that is literally all I knew of the
show. It’s one of the funniest musicals I’ve worked on in a while.
As
a performer, is it as fun to be a part of as it is for the audience?
It’s too much fun sometimes. The
audience is always the final piece of the puzzle for any show, and the audience-
performer relationship is SO much fun in ‘Ruthless’. It changes every night and keeps us on our
toes.
What
can audiences expect during the run?
They can expect to laugh. ‘Ruthless’
is as far from ‘serious drama’ as you can get. It mixes so many different types
of comedy and musical theatre references it can be dizzying at times, but in a
great way. The first act is a perfect set up for act two, where everything gets
turned on its head and the whole thing rampages towards the climax. The music
is surprisingly complicated for a musical that makes fun of musicals, which was
a great challenge for us, and Mary Lou has directed and choreographed it so the
physical style of the piece is as fun for the audience to watch as it is for us
to play.
Again,
as a performer, what do you think of the Chester Playhouse?
I can’t tell you how nice it’s been
to come back home and work this contract. TheChester Playhouse is a beautiful
space for an actor and audience member. The theatre itself is so well designed-
the acoustics are clear and bright, and the sight lines of the space ensure
there are no ‘bad’ seats. It’s very audience friendly. The bar upstairs has a
beautiful veranda with a pretty view, and is run by lovely people. The creative
team: Mary Lou Martin (director), Sarah Richardson (MD), the band (Chris
Mitchell and Stephanie McKeown), Bob Elliott (set design), Mary Mills
(costumes) and JennHewitt (our SM) have been incredibly easy and fun to work
with, and the cast (Kyle Gillis, Katrina Westin, Cassie
Muise, Kristi Anderson and Dominique Le Blanc) are undeniably some of the most
talented musical theatre performers this province has to offer.
What
are your thoughts on the state of theatre in Halifax & Atlantic Canada?
I
think theatre is in good hands here. I wish there were more opportunities to
study or train, and I wish there was more work. Companies like LunaSea, 2B,
Zuppa, DaPoPo, Forerunner, among so many others are doing a great job of making
sure that independent theatre doesn't die, despite the cutbacks to the arts
that we are all experiencing. It's a hard time to be an artist in Canada, and I
take great pride in my peers and have great hope for and faith in their future
work.
What
can we be doing better?
We
can be encouraging our youth to go to theatre. We should be teaching them the
value of live theatre and performance. We should be fighting the cuts that are
being inflicted upon the arts in Canada, and we should be getting out there and
supporting the arts by seeing shows and talking about them.
What's
next on your creative agenda?
I head back to London in August, and
other than a few voiceovers I’m not sure! I moved to a different part of the
London the week before I came out here, so I should take some time to properly
unpack and see my new neighbourhood and have an actual holiday. But if I know
myself I’ll be emailing my agents from Heathrow airport as soon as I land…
Ruthless!
Until
July 30 @ The Chester Playhouse
Chester,
Nova Scotia
