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Ruth Wallman on playing Jean in "The Quarry"

4/2/2014

 
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What character are you playing and what is she like?

Jean the narrator of The Quarry, is witty, tart, sardonic, quick, and has a very clear sense of how things should be in her small town in Vermont. She is also heart-broken after the death of her beloved husband, which has sent her reeling, and left her feeling unmoored, even three years later. There's regret, for the way she may have kept her husband from living a fulfilling life, for her estrangement from her only daughter, and by telling her story she hopes to explain her side of things. In relating the story of her life, she reveals how alone she has always been. Is this by choice? Is she lonely? She would like you to think not. And she definitely does not want you to know how afraid she is.

The last show you worked on with Vermont Stage was The Clean House... are you glad to be back?

I am thrilled to be back in a Vermont Stage production! Working with Cristina is a privilege, and with the great cast she has brought together and the support of the excellent designers and back stage folk, it will be a wonderful journey. The most exciting element is the opportunity to work on a new play with two talented artists. Greg's play is so beautifully written, the words jump off the page and into my mouth. Randal's music is marvelous - sensitive and quiet, funny and sad, and I look forward to figuring out how the music and the words meld together into a whole.

What do you think will be the most challenging thing you have to tackle in the creation of this play?

The Quarry is basically Jean's story. It is long and has many chapters. The challenge will be to weave those chapters together, so that each has its own arc, and yet together they make a whole. Jean has a wonderful line: "I believe our lives have one main story. Lots of side stories, sure, but one main one. " Finding the thread that weaves those side stories together with momentum, shades of feeling, hot and cold, and yet not revealing too much of the mystery until it is time, will be the challenge, the adventure that we are about to embark upon together.

What do you think this play is about?

Like all good plays, it is about life, how we live it, the mistakes we make, and ultimately, after facing our fears, redemption. The play may be set in Vermont, but the themes are universal. The characters are all so real, flawed, yet sweet and we want to love them.

What would you like the audience to be talking about after the show?

I hope the audience will be moved, awed by the beauty of the words and music, amazed at the production. They will want to discuss the mystery of The Quarry. They will laugh remembering some of the humor, and will talk to all their friends, urging them to come to see the show!



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