Like Alice through the looking glass, a pivotal actor has made a second trip into the fantasy of Prince George theatre.
Toronto actor Sharmila Dey portrayed the titular lead character in Theatre NorthWest's production of Alice In Wonderland back in 2016. She makes her return to the TNW stage in their new production Hedda Noir, this time in the supporting role of Thea Elvstead.
In this script, even background characters have backstories and she is delighted to bring this one's deceits to life.
"Thea has just run away from everything in her life that is stable and secure," Dey said. "It is high stakes for her. She's risked everything, and that kind of character is exciting to play."
Whereas Alice required that Dey be involved in almost every moment of stage time, this portrayal has more space for her to observe the other actors and assess the writing and direction with more intellectual room. It's a different but important way to learn the theatre craft from a different perspective, she explained.
This is a full tilt new experience, since Hedda Noir has never been produced before. TNW director Jack Grinhaus has been working for years on the script, adapting it from the famous play Hedda Gabler written by master playwright Henrik Ibsen.
"Ibsen is one of my favourite writers to read but I have never had the chance to be in one of his plays before," said Dey. "I guess I still haven't been, but this is a close relationship. I see Ibsen coming through, but Jack has done a great job of embodying him while presenting a whole new imagining of the original play. He has shifted it into the film noir genre, that old cinematic black-and-white murder mystery feel, and to me it is like I'm dreaming but starting to wake up, you know that feeling?, where you don't quite know which is real and which is dream? Which is Jack and which is Ibsen? It's a lovely place to be. It's very engaging for me to be a part of this."
She called the script "a page turner" and the plot "tantalizing" but one of the best reasons to buy a ticket, she said, was the fact it is a world premiere. "It is history in the making. Be part of it."
That fresh script, the startup of a new theatrical entity, was one of the things she looked forward to about working again at TNW but she harboured another reason: the city itself.
"I found out last time, and it has happened again for me this time, that the people of Prince George are really interested in the arts," Dey said. "I'm always getting told about a gallery or an exhibition or a concert that's happening, and people pointing out the local events that I might be interested in while I'm in town. I love it. I love that about P.G. And I also have to tell you, there is something else unique and cool here, and I'm not just saying this, it's true. When I'm walking, big pickup trucks will stop to let me cross before I even get to the intersection. When I'm in the grocery store, people will say 'excuse me, pardon me' when they come close to me in the aisles. They don't know I'm from out of town. That just means people in Prince George treat each other well, and have a respect for people that you absolutely do not get in the big city. It's not like that in Toronto. People there are nice, but people in Prince George are openly respectful."
The mutual respect between audience and performers gets underway on Feb. 15 when Hedda Noir opens its run. It carries on until Mar. 4 with tickets available now online at the Theatre NorthWest website or in person at Books & Company.
