In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, meet Linda Bard.
Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on stage?
They have seen me perform at American University, where I graduated last May!
Why did you want to be part of the cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Avant Bard?
Randy’s idea is so different from the traditional Midsummer that one might expect, so it’s not just another run-of-the-mill production of it. He also most graciously invited me to audition. So I did!
Who do you play in the show? How do you relate to her?
I play Snug, and I relate to her because I am also a scaredy cat sometimes.
What’s the show about from the point of view of your character?
From the point of view of Snug, the show is about having to deal with situations that make you uncomfortable—ones that you wish you could get yourself out of, but you already committed, so here goes.
Director Randy Baker has reimagined the show with shadow puppets and a percussion orchestra. For you as a performer, what’s new and different about it, and what are you enjoying about it?
Midsummer is done so much that it is refreshing to have this new, unique take on it. For me as a performer, I am doing a lot more than I would be doing if we were just doing the play “normally.” If that were the case, I’d only be in like three scenes, but now I’m in almost all of them, so that’s pretty cool!
What is your favorite line or lines that your character says, and what is your favorite line that someone else says in the show?
I don’t really have a favorite line of my own, although it is super fun to do my prologue during the play within the play. My favorite line in the show might just be “Lord, what fools these mortals be” (Puck), because it’s just so true.
What are you doing next on the stage?
I am not sure what I’m doing next, but keep your eyes peeled! ;)
What do you want audiences to take with them after seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Maybe that drugs only lead to confusion?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays from January 14 to February 7, 2016, at Avant Bard performing at Guston Arts Center, Theatre Two – 2700 South Lang Street, in Arlington, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (703) 418-4808, or purchase them online.
LINKS:
Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Part 1: Annalisa Dias.
Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Part 2: Jon Jon Johnson.
Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Part 3: Zach Brewster-Geisz.
Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part 4: Linda Bard.
Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Part 5: Daven Ralston.
