Interview with Carlie Shearer and Hailee Franklin
Carlie
What drew you to this show? This show drew me in for a lot of reasons. First, I think it's always interesting to participate in shows that are relatively new works. Men on Boats was produced in 2016. It's really valuable to me as a performer and patron of theatre to explore not only pieces that have been a part of the cannon for years, but to witness and be a part of theatre that is being written and produced currently. Another aspect of this that is so exciting to me is the opportunity to be a part of a cast that is comprised of female and gender-fluid individuals. It is just a different atmosphere than any other ensemble I've been a part of because we all have shared experiences that foster a natural sense of trust. To all come together and play roles that we would never be able to have in a more traditionally written play is freeing and has helped us bond together in a unique way. I'm not sure I'll ever have to opportunity to be in a collective like this again, so auditioning was a really exciting prospect and I feel lucky that I've gotten to be a part of it. What has your character process been like? Creating Dunn's character was a fascinating process. Usually when you have a character that was a real person in history, you have the opportunity to learn a good deal about them through research. But Dunn was one of those on the expedition whose story was pretty mysterious. Even if this plot plays with history in wacky ways that offer creative liberty, the fact that historical events are in play makes you question yourself on a lot of things: How do you "do justice" to a person when you don't even know their birthday, or their marital status, or their history with the people around them? There is no concrete answer really, but the exciting thing is that this meant I got to play around a lot in answering these questions. And I had the privilege of observing my fellow ensemble members reactions and ideas. The way that Bradley interacts with Dunn in our production is different from the way Old Shady does and so on. I was oftentimes inspired by my cast mates and many of my ideas stemmed from being around the creativity of my peers. If you could meet the expedition member that your character is based on, what would you want to ask them? Oh, I'd want to know so much about Dunn because so much of his life is still a big question mark to modern historians. I think if I had to pick something though it would be about what his hopes and aspirations were for this expedition before he even hit the water. It would offer so much nuance to what I know about how his story played out. I want to know Dunn's motivations and what an exploration like this really meant to him in the narrative of his life. It would honestly bring me a weird sense of closure haha. It's fun to think of a reality where I could talk to Dunn and that one of these men who lived in 1869 would be able to know that there are a bunch of actors in drag talking about them in 2022 on a stage somewhere. It'd be a treat to watch him try to process that one. You all spend a lot of time on the river. How has that process been/ what have been the challenges? Adapting to the river has been both difficult and extremely fun. I appreciate the fact that our director, Beth Kattleman, really leaned into the fact that, in a huge sense, the river and landscape are invisible characters throughout the show. And, in recognizing this, she knew that the ensemble had to focus a great deal on our physicality in the water. I can't say it was always easy to rehearse the rapid scenes; wearing a wooden boat around your shoulders that you have to adapt to without naming into your cast mates, learning how to row in a way that you feel the resistance of invisible water, and (the MOST fun) staying in a rotating squat for the better part of three hours on a tilted stage haha. But learning how to mime through the water and stay in a cohesive drift with my boat mates was a super valuable physical exploration. I am grateful to our movement coach, Jeanine Thompson (Who actually rowed on this historic route!? I mean come on!) because her insights really helped us bring the rapids to life in a way that enhances our show. Without giving too much away, what is your favorite part or line in the show? It's tough to pick a favorite part the show, I do think the snake scene is ridiculous and fun; having wooden props that clunk around and are 2D brings another level of humor and whimsy to the show. Interacting with props like the snake is always a good time. How do you think this story is relevant today? I think this story is relevant because it prompts us to think about how we remember our history. Who do we valorize through history? Who do we name places after, and why? Throughout history there is a sort of "Great Man" theory. When we think of English we talk about the "Great Man" Shakespeare, Science: Einstein, and in remembering this historical event -- Powell. But in reality, there is so much more to this history. There are other men on this expedition, previous explorers that have run these rapids, and peoples that already inhabit this land. Where is their place in our retelling? This question can be applied to so much of our current retelling of history. Anything else you would like to add? I'm grateful to be a part of our ensemble and I hope everyone enjoys the show! :) |
Hailee
What drew you to this show? I loved the idea of getting to tell the story of these white men through the lens of people who are the complete opposite of that. I believe this show highlights a lot of issues that were present during the time period this expedition took place; therefore, seeing what would have been mostly the minority population at the time play these characters really lets the audience see the irony in what these men were doing. What has your character process been like? I really needed to trust myself a lot while working on this show. This is my first show besides doing high-school productions, so everything was on a larger scale than what I was used to. I struggled at the beginning with playing a character like Seneca because I couldn’t tell if my masculine mannerisms were reading clearly, or if I just looked like I did not know what I was doing. I also struggled A LOT with the comedic aspects of this show. I usually do more dramatic acting, so figuring out how to make things more comedic has been a big challenge for me. If you could meet the expedition member that your character is based on, what would you want to ask them? I would ask them to tell me more about their childhood. The Howlands seem to have such a troubled past, and I am interested in learning more about the way they were raised and how that affected them. You all spend a lot of time on the river. How has that process been/ what have been the challenges? This process has been challenging and rewarding at the same time. It is hard fully to understand and put into practice the art of being in the water and how to show that through body movement without actually being submerged. Personally, I have never been on a boat or anything like that, so I had a difficult time understanding how it would feel to be in a boat and how to move like I was in the water. Luckily, most of my fellow cast-mates had done similar things to what we do in the show, so I learned by watching them. Also, Jeanine Thompson was there to help us, and she is AMAZING and has so much experience. Without giving too much away, what is your favorite part or line in the show? My favorite part of the show is the snake scene. Specifically, when Powell and Old Shady are marching and singing as the rest of the group is trying to calm down after a stressful event. How do you think this story is relevant today? I think the diversity this show has to offer is something that should be very important today. People who are not cisgender white men do not get a lot of opportunities to be the leads in shows where the main plot has nothing to do with how they look. I think that is what sticks out to me the most when I sit and reflect on our show and what I think when I look around and see my cast-mates. Anything else you would like to add or speak to? Thank you so much for your support! |