THE MISSUS
MARTHA BURNS
Q: What has it been like to have George as director?
George’s direction is like his writing: surprising, original, unpredictable and full of heart.
Q: Tell us about your character.
Gwen is someone who has had a lovely comfortable life and all of a sudden doesn’t have it any more. She loves her family.
Q: What’s something we don’t know about Martha Burns?
I hope that there is a lot that you don’t know about me, but here’s one fact you may not know. I have very small feet.
Q: What did you think the first time you saw your hubby, Paul Gross?
Wow, does he ever have small feet!
THE PLAYWRIGHT
GEORGE F. WALKER
Q: This is your first new play in a decade. What prompted the return to the stage?
The play just came to me. It was a surprise that I had one in me.
Q: If you could have dinner with any playwright, who would it be and what would be your conversation starter?
Samuel Beckett. And I’d begin by asking him, “Why bother?”
Q: If you could prorogue anything in your life right now, what would it be?
Memory loss.
THE SHRINK
JERRY FRANKEN
Q: Tell us about your character.
He is aware of life’s problems and still enjoys it.
Q: What’s your favourite theatre-lingo term, what does it mean, and why do you love it?
“Thank you! You’re finished.” It’s a type of contradiction I enjoy.
Q: What’s your secret technique for memorizing your lines?
Rehearsal and hard work.
Q: What’s the best movie you’ve seen this month (and why)?
Dr. Zhivago — the idea of revolution fascinates me.
THE HUSBAND
PETER DONALDSON
Q: When a cellphone goes off during a show, what goes through your head?
Damn, I thought I turned that thing off.
Q: What are you and wife Sheila [McCarthy]’s Valentine’s Day plans?
Everyday is Valentine’s Day for Sheila and me.
Q: When theatre-goers leave the auditorium after seeing this play, they’ll exclaim …
“Thank God that Donaldson character finally shut up.”
THE DAUGHTER
JENNY YOUNG
Q: What has it been like sharing the stage with these actors?
Intimidating, but they too have their process of fumbling through the work. They’re kind, generous and wonderful to watch.
Q: What’s the challenge to your role? She is schizophrenic.
She hears voices and is paranoid. So figuring out what’s real … but not a caricature of a sick mental health patient. She has ugly moments that I don’t want to shy away from.