In Part One of a series of interviews with the cast of Rockville Little Theatre’s Our Town, meet Zoe Bulitt.
Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform on the stage and other roles you may have performed.
Zoe: My name is Zoe Bulitt, and I just moved back to the area after just graduating from Monmouth University last May. You may have recently seen me in The Laramie Project as an ensemble member and in Jesus Christ Superstar also as an ensemble member at Kensington Arts Theatre, as well as in Legally Blonde the Musical at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre as Serena.
Why did you want to be part of RLT’s production of Our Town?
I actually did Our Town in college. Being able to perform such a classic standard in American theatre is a privilege, especially a play such as this with such a strong message about life and how we decide to live it.
Who do you play in the show?
I play Emily Webb, who is the main character we follow throughout the show. We get to see her live out her day-to-day life and share her experiences as she grows.
How do you relate to your character? What traits do you share and not share, and what do you admire most about her?
I very much relate to Emily in that we both are romantics and kind of live in our heads in our own little worlds. We both very much have a picture in our heads of how we want the world to be, whether that’s how it actually is or not. We are also both very ambitious in our passions. It is mentioned many times throughout the show that she is the smartest girl in her class and goes above and beyond what is asked of her. One trait I very much admire about her is her ability to speak outright and speak the truth. She will tell you her opinion if you ask for it and not hold back.
Have you had any challenges preparing for your role, and how has your director Laurie Freed helped you with these challenges?
Since I had done the show before, I wanted to make sure I didn’t do exactly what I had done the last time, and that is very hard to do. Sometimes it almost feels like muscle memory from having done it so many times, but Laurie has been great about getting me out of that. She has given me new direction I had never even thought about before and questions me a lot more about my intentions and actions.
Why is Our Town still so popular? What does Our Town have to say to today’s theater audiences?
Like I said before, it’s a classic standard in American theatre because it is a clip of the past and highlights the everyday life of the early 1900s, but it is still very relatable to today. It reminds us that as we go through the motions of day-to-day life that time is fleeting. Things that seemed insignificant and small in the moment can be looked back on as the most important days of our lives. From meeting the love of your life to a birthday, it all has purpose and meaning.
Which scene or scenes move you the most in Our Town and why?
I particularly love when George and Emily are in the drug store scene with their ice cream sodas and discussing the next steps of their lives, whether it be together or not (you’ll have to come see to find out!). It is so innocent and pure. I don’t think there is a scene like that in today’s modern literature.
Our Town plays from April 29-May 8, 2016 at Rockville Little Theatre performing at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre – 603 Edmonston Drive, in Rockville, MD. For tickets, call (240) 314-8690, buy them at the box office, or online.
