A conversation with the leads
Annika Danielson and Mikkel O’Shaughnessy of the University of Regina’s third-year Theatre student cohort talked with the Carillon about their recent production, Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Starring as the comedy’s romantic leads, Rosalind and Orlando, these two had a lot to share about their experience. The play ran from Oct 30 to Nov 2 and featured talented actors and crew members, an intriguing set design, well-executed blocking, and features of songs from popular culture.
What was your experience developing your character?
Mikkel / Orlando: My character started off with, obviously, reading the script, finding out what to do, but as it went on, it was just a lot of play. I’d bring something to rehearsal, whether it was just something from me or inspiration from another character who sounds like Orlando. Then, coming into rehearsal, I worked around the feedback. The more fun I had with it, the more random aspects came up of the character, I found.
Annika / Rosalind: My character came through the text, I think. We did a lot of analysis, and I think by analyzing all of the scenes, I was able to better understand Rosalind as a person. I agree with Mikkel – a lot of it also came from play, but I think that the foundation was from the script.
What was it like staging your production on the University Theatre stage rather than in the Shu Box?
A: It was very exciting. It was our first time. Well, most people’s first time doing a show on the main stage. So, for me at least, it was a little bit intimidating at first because it is so big, but once we got out there, I think I was just comfortable playing in the space.
M: I agree. I’ve seen a lot of shows in the University Theatre, so I knew what it was like to sit in the audience, but being on stage and looking out towards everyone for the first time was an intimidating experience. But, the more we started rehearsing on stage and the more we just actually did it, I felt like the space kind of shrank a little bit, and I became really comfortable.
How has your perspective on your characters changed since you first stepped into the roles?
A: I think my character just grew a lot. I really struggled at first to try and capture her love for Orlando, because that’s something I’ve never done before as an actor. So, I think, developing that and my trust in my castmates and trust for myself and the production was a really big thing. I learned to trust myself more through the process, which in turn made me trust Rosalind more, and have Rosalind trust herself.
M: I agree, trust was a really big factor when it came to the growth of the character because when I first started out, from the first read of the script, it was like, ‘This dude is just a lover boy of sorts.’ But, by trusting what other people were doing, it was really easy to find, ‘Oh, he’s not just this, he’s more dynamic. He’s more of a human being than I thought.’
What was it like working with so many people?
A: It was fun. At times, it was a little bit overwhelming, just because there’s so many bodies and everyone’s trying to do their job… It’s nice to be surrounded with so many supportive people. It definitely also was a little bit easier for [our cohort] because we had a schedule where we were coming into rehearsal every night, whereas lots of people were only called once or twice a week. They did an excellent job and were very, very critical to the whole process.
M: Once everyone truly knows how everyone responds and how everyone takes the opportunity to work with one another, and we flow, it just comes really fast. Most of them were cohorts younger than us, like first and second years, a couple of B.A. alums, [KK1] and we even had one of our sessional teachers come in and act with us.
How was this experience different from the plays you’ve done before?
M: This has been the biggest production I’ve been a part of acting-wise. It was truly something else because there’s a lot more people to focus on, not just me and a couple others. I’m thinking especially of the quick changes, which I’ve done before, but having to incorporate that many quick changes in such a small space where everyone’s running around, it was something else. That really made me think, ‘Wow, this is a bigger production than I’ve ever done.’
A: I’ve done productions with this size of cast on this size of stage, but I’ve never been the lead in them… This is also my first Shakespeare. So, the pressure of Shakespeare plus the added pressure of being the lead in the show, having so many people watch you and rely on you, was a lot of work. The whole magnitude of the show and the stakes of it were bigger than I’ve ever experienced.
What was your experience with Shakespeare before?
M: Reading it in high school, the four classics. Last year, we did a Shakespeare voice class, which focused on more monologue work. Other than that, I haven’t performed Shakespeare on stage. I think our classes really helped with understanding Shakespeare. Having that overload of Shakespeare really helped push the performance to the next level that we needed. I will need a hiatus from Shakespeare after this, though.
A: We did a lot of Shakespeare this semester, which we will admit was a lot and our profs will also admit was a lot. We were pretty prepared going into this, having an understanding of the poetry, but performing it is something entirely different.
What was your favourite part of this experience?
A: My favourite part in the play is when Rosalind, as Ganymede, meets Orlando and walks toward him in her very manly aura. My favourite part of the process is always performing, finally getting to show your work. Thanks to everyone who came to the show!
M: My favourite part of the play that I did was hitting my head on the rock. I loved doing that; it was hilarious, and I just loved that everyone else loved that. My favourite part of the play that I didn’t do was every Rosalind and Celia reaction… I’d just giggle to myself [off stage] about the chemistry that those two had. My favourite part of the production was getting to know these people again. I know them outside class, but work[ing] with them, see[ing their] different sides, and what their experience brings to the show, I love experiencing that.
Look out for more productions from the Theatre department, like the Cabaret and Fringe shows coming in the winter semester.
