Elise Killian What character do you play and what do you find most challenging and/ exciting about playing them?
I play Medium Alison; something challenging about this role is her body language matching her inner thoughts. I find myself observing the way I sit naturally and little ways I fidget and trying to pinpoint these for Alison. But, this is also so exciting because it’s not everyday you get to change your physicalities into a new person!
Now that you have been in rehearsals for a while, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?
These weeks have been incredible! I’ve very much enjoyed working with this amazing cast and artistic team. I love how everyone works together by sharing ideas and “sketching” out scenes to incorporate natural movement.
How does great collaboration function best?
Great collaboration is possible when there is communication and all members are involved. Mutual trust and understanding is also needed, and fortunately, this team and cast are full of these things!
What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?
I have worked on more musicals than straight plays, and I love how the music comes at times when speaking the words just isn’t enough. It’s human nature to sing and make music when we feel so much emotion, and musicals, especially Fun Home, combine dialogue and music in a way that is natural and beautiful. Even though conveying a message through song adds to the show, it is also a challenge at times.
What is your favorite moment in this musical?
This story is written so beautifully to capture these moments of Alison’s life. One of my favorite moments is when Joan and Bruce are bonding and Medium Alison has a good time with her dad and her girlfriend in the same room. It’s a small, beautiful moment that is so vital to the story of the relationship of her and her father to show that there were shining moments.
I play Medium Alison; something challenging about this role is her body language matching her inner thoughts. I find myself observing the way I sit naturally and little ways I fidget and trying to pinpoint these for Alison. But, this is also so exciting because it’s not everyday you get to change your physicalities into a new person!
Now that you have been in rehearsals for a while, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?
These weeks have been incredible! I’ve very much enjoyed working with this amazing cast and artistic team. I love how everyone works together by sharing ideas and “sketching” out scenes to incorporate natural movement.
How does great collaboration function best?
Great collaboration is possible when there is communication and all members are involved. Mutual trust and understanding is also needed, and fortunately, this team and cast are full of these things!
What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?
I have worked on more musicals than straight plays, and I love how the music comes at times when speaking the words just isn’t enough. It’s human nature to sing and make music when we feel so much emotion, and musicals, especially Fun Home, combine dialogue and music in a way that is natural and beautiful. Even though conveying a message through song adds to the show, it is also a challenge at times.
What is your favorite moment in this musical?
This story is written so beautifully to capture these moments of Alison’s life. One of my favorite moments is when Joan and Bruce are bonding and Medium Alison has a good time with her dad and her girlfriend in the same room. It’s a small, beautiful moment that is so vital to the story of the relationship of her and her father to show that there were shining moments.
