In Part 6 in a series of interviews with the cast of Death By Design at Greenbelt Arts Center, meet Alie Kamara.
Joel: Introduce yourself to our readers and tell them what other shows you have appeared in and some of the roles you have played?
I am Alie Kamara, I live in Greenbelt, MD. I have performed at the Greenbelt Art Center once prior to Death by Design, in a show called Dog Sees God:Confession of a Teenage Block Head. I played, Matt, a germaphobe sex addict, who is based off Pigpen and the Peanuts characters. I have done a lot of Community College theater plays, such as Macduff in Macbeth, Napoleon, in Animal Farm and Carter, In, Fat Pig. I was in a Wolf Pack Theatre production, called Masquerade recently.
Why did you want to be in Death By Design at Greenbelt Arts Center?
Who do you play in Death By Design and how do you relate to her?
I play Eric, the radical socialist, who is filled with a fiery determination to get his point across anyway he sees fit. I relate to him in a sense that were both very passionate about the things we deeply care about and we will not sleep until our desire is fulfilled.
What do you admire about your character and what do you not admire?
I admire his wit and strong will power to have his voice heard, he strongly believes he is a revolutionary who is here to have a divine purpose to the people and for the people and to serve that purpose. I do not admire his lack of empathy toward people. He can be very mean and nasty at times with an iron fist.
What have been the challenges you have encountered while preparing for your role and how have you overcome these challenges? How did your director help you?
This role required a lot of patience and energy. It requires me to have a command presence. He is a Young Radical, who knows in order for him to get his point across, he has to be very virile, which leads into him demanding attention from everyone. The accent was also very difficult for me to get and I am still working on perfecting it, to the best of my ability. My speech coach, Pauline and some cast mates have really been very helpful in the process of me learning the accent. My director, Anne Lowe, gave me specific notes on body language and movement of this energetic character, which was very helpful.
What is your big highlight in the show and what do we learn about your character when you perform it?
You’ll just have to come and see the show to find that out. I do not want to give away the illusion of the performance, but I will say that the wait will be worth it. You learn that my character has somewhat some sympathy after all.
What have you learned about yourself during this whole process?
That I have the ability to persevere and work hard. As an actor you’re sort of a painter in a way. Do you know how many canvases Van Gogh had to through before he got that beautiful picture? A lot. You can’t expect greatness overnight, you gotta keep on working at it.
What do you want audiences to take with them after watching you perform in Death By Design?
Nothing more then a night full of laughter, suspense, anticipation, and a good performance from myself and my castmates.
Death by Design plays from November 7 to 23, 2014 at Greenbelt Arts Center – 123 Centerway, in Greenbelt, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (301) 441-8770, or purchase them online.
LINKS
Meet the Cast of ‘Death By Design’ at Greenbelt Arts Center:Part 1: Meet Jill Vanderweit.
Meet the Cast of ‘Death By Design’ at Greenbelt Arts Center:Part 2: Meet Sarah K. Scott.
Meet the Cast of ‘Death By Design’ at Greenbelt Arts Center:Part 3: Meet Shelley Rochester.
Meet the Cast of ‘Death By Design’ at Greenbelt Arts Center:Part 4: Meet Colin Davies.
Meet the Cast of ‘Death By Design’ at Greenbelt Arts Center: Part 5: Meet James McDaniel.
Meet the Cast of ‘Death By Design’ at Greenbelt Arts Center: Part 6: Meet Alie Kamara.
