SW: I auditioned for
the role a few months ago – came in and sang for them and they had me come
back and I had to read with a couple of different “Arthurs” and read with
“Sir Lancelot” and sang a little more and then they called me the next day
and offered me the role.
RP: I’ve been to your website
and I listened to the demo cuts you have there. I was very impressed with
a couple of cuts – first I love the “Pearl’s a Singer” cut –
SW: Yes – it’s very
different than the others.
RP: But then you have a cut of
Donde Lieta from La Boheme – and it’s amazing. I kept thinking – are these
two different people singing?
SW: The two songs are very
different. I’m pretty blessed that I have been able to study with voice
teachers that encouraged me to be as versatile as possible, so I feel
blessed about that.
RP: I really enjoyed the
excerpt from La Boheme that’s my favorite opera.
SW: I had the pleasure of
being in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Boheme five years ago. I was in
the female ensemble – it was the only opera I’ve done to date, but it was
such a wonderful experience. I’d love to do something like that again. I
don’t know that I necessarily have the training right now, because it
takes a lot of very specific training, but that’s one of the things that
I’d like to spend time working on and eventually perform in another opera.
RP: Have you ever worked at the
Pasadena Playhouse before?
SW: I have not! This is my
first time and I love it!
RP: It’s a great place, isn’t
it?
SW: It’s really great! It’s
run so efficiently and Sheldon is wonderful. Everyone is so hospitable.
RP: And you have a pretty good
size stage.
SW: Yes – it’s one of those
house where you feel you really have a connection with the audience. When
you’re in one of those great big houses it’s a little more difficult to
reach the audience.
RP: I imagine you have some
elaborate costuming for this production?
SW: Actually, because we’re
doing such a different concept, everyone wears the same costume all the
way through and they’re basically peasant costumes, because the basic
concept is that we’re all players who are re-enacting the story of
Camelot.
RP: I see –
SW: So we put on a crown
here and there – we put on a robe or something like that, but mainly the
costuming is implied.
RP: That sounds like an
interesting idea.
SW: It is very interesting,
but I think it definitely works as a concept.
RP: You started your previews
already, haven’t you?
SW: We started previews on
the 8th of January.
RP: And how do you think
they’re going?
SW: Great! The responses
have been very very positive! It’s very encouraging.
RP: Have there been many
changes since your first preview until – let’s say, today?
SW: Yes! Absolutely. In
fact, as of tonight we’ll be adding a new song that was cut originally
just to streamline the production, but we found that in telling the story
that it was an important part of the show – so we’re putting it back in
tonight. Since the first day of previews we have come in and continued to
rehearse all day, every day, and so for instance, we come in at one
o’clock and rehearse – break for dinner and then do the show at night.
Until we open we’re constantly changing and trying to fine tune.
RP: This new number, is that
one of the traditional pieces that was in the original show?
SW: Yes – it is.
RP: Which one?
SW: It’s the song called
“Take Me To The Fair” and it’s the song that Guinevere sings to the three
knights trying to convince them to fight Lancelot – to battle him in a
joust, because basically she wants to humiliate him, so it was an
important song.
RP: This is before she realizes
her true feelings for him?
SW: Or maybe it’s because
of her feelings, and she’s trying to deny them.
RP: Do you have a favorite song
that you do in the show?
SW: Oh that’s hard – let me
see. It’s probably “The Lusty Month of May” is really fun because we get
to twirl around and throw flowers all over the place. Some of the other
pieces are nice and quiet and still where we kind of stand and sing.
RP: “Follow me” is also a nice
song.
SW: It is. When we were
doing the national tour I played the character that sings “Follow Me”. The
reason why David (Lee) decided to cut some characters is to streamline it.
He’s taken out the character of Merlin – he’s taken out the character of
Nimue and in some productions the character of Morgan Le Fey. That’s
mainly because in the story Merlin ages backwards – he lives his life
backwards. So it was decided that because of the confusing plot points and
if the scene did not center around the relation of the love triangle, it
was taken out of this production. That was so it would cut to the core of
the story and not confuse it with other issues.
RP: I don’t think I’ve ever
heard of a Camelot without Merlin.
SW: That’s what everybody
says! These people are a little apprehensive about that, which is funny,
because in the original production, when Merlin is there he’s on stage for
a very short time. It think it’s only one or two scenes at the top of the
first act, but then he’s not in the rest of the show. They make mention of
him but he’s not in the show. It’s interesting to see how people have an
attachment to Merlin, but we do make mention of him and he does make a
tiny appearance in this show, and you’ll have to come and see where it is.
But mostly we are relying on the fact that people know who he is and what
his attachment to Arthur was. But it’s not central to this particular
story so it’s OK.
RP: Do you have any plans for
future projects after the show?
SW: Well, I’m a new mom so
I want to spend time with my son, and just enjoy this.
RP: Since this is your first
appearance at the Pasadena Playhouse, did you have any apprehensions about
taking this role before you accepted?
SW: Well, (laughing) the
only apprehension I had was that we were told at the audition that there
would be brief, tasteful nudity for Guinevere and Lancelot.
RP: Are you serious?
SW: Yes – I was
apprehensive about that. However, it’s gone off without a hitch and
everyone has been very supportive so it’s gone off without a hitch and it
really was a non-issue by the time it came about. It happens in a flash,
and it’s over and done with and we move on. It is an important part of the
story and it is very brief and very tasteful.
RP: Would you say that you have
redefined the word “flash” in this play?
RP: What kind of reaction have
you had in the previews – do people come up and want to talk?
SW: Oh yes, people come the
“green room” nightly – I’ve had some friends, theatre people and non
theatre people and everyone has been very positive about the show.
RP: Let me talk about you for a
minute. You are from Minnesota, right.
SW: Yes, I am.
RP: What was the transition
like? Was it kind of scary making the jump to the big city?
SW: It happened in a sort
of smooth way. My husband wrote a sit-com and we were told that we needed
to move out here for him to continue filming on the sit-com. However,
after filming one episode they cancelled the show.
RP: Oh no!
SW: Well, that happens. So
when we found ourselves here. We had covered most of our bases back in
Minnesota. I’d done a lot of theatre there.
RP: So you are going to become
a Californian?
SW: Well, who knows? I’d
like to go to New York
RP: Do you consider yourself
“an actor who sings” or a “singer who acts”?
SW: I think I’ll say “an
actor who sings”. I think my answer would have been different a few years
ago. That’s a really hard one for me. I love them both, but I think I’ll
stick with “an actor who sings”.
RP: You’ve been training for a
long time, right? You probably started when you were a little kid?
SW: Yes. I started singing
when I was four or five years old. Began studying when I was six and took
classical voice training when I was sixteen years old.
RP: That is so evident when I
hear you. There’s a certain quality that only comes from a trained voice.
SW: Well thank, you I’m
glad you like it.
RP: The purpose of this
interview is to get to know you a little and to tell our readers about
your upcoming show. Is there anything you would like to add – something I
have not covered or a statement you think is important?
RP: Well, with people who are
as committed to the art as you are, I think theatre is in good hands and
the audiences will respond in a very positive way.
We spoke a few more minutes and Shannon was off to
perform in a preview later that evening. Her artistic sense and desire to
excel is very evident in her conversation, and while we spoke by phone, it
was easy to imagine her punctuating and underscoring her conversation with
hand gestures and facial expressions.
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