The Little Theatre of Alexandria

There is no easy answer to the question, “why are you producing Dirty Blonde” ?  The responsibilities of the producers are, for the most part, the same from show to show:  assemble the design team, watch over the budget, and keep the “trains running on time.”  However, every time we produce together something slightly different draws us in.  For Hairspray (the  last show we produced together), for example, we wanted to be involved because we loved the music, thought it had an important message, and liked working with the director, Sue Pinkman.  Dirty Blonde has likewise been a combination of factors.  First, we loved director Jennifer Lyman’s vision for how the play should look and feel.  Because of the many different scenes and two distinct stories—one love story and another about Mae West—a production of Dirty Blonde could easily spin out of the control.  Jennifer saw simplicity.  But as any techie can confirm, simplicity rarely m...

What do you find appealing about your character and this show?   I am most impressed with Mae West's spirit.  She was a strong woman who knew exactly what she wanted even though odds were against her.   She set the standard for what sexy is, and you still see that influence today.  She didn't stop when she hit obstacles, and most appealing to me is her tenacity and ambition.  She wrote her own plays and movie scripts.  She kept journals and acted as though everything was off the top of her head, but it truly was hard work, drive and business savvy. How long have you been acting and what made you get involved in theatre?  How did you get involved with LTA?     My first show since college was in 2011 as Velma von Tussle in Hairspray at LTA.  I had been performing for years as a singer, but hadn't considered theatre until I saw a show here, and was struck by magic of this theatre and the incredible...

Tell me a little about your character (or what it is like to play multiple characters). Jo is an aspiring actress who has idolized Mae West’s “tough girl” persona and successful career since high school. As an office temp in New York – unmarried, in a job without benefits – Jo escapes into her obsession, but ultimately is able to share her passion with the only person she can truly be herself with, Charlie.   What were some of the challenges for you in this piece? I’ve always struggled with playing characters “like myself.”   Playing an actress with an office job, who’s not married, or thin, or tall – it was hard at first to feel like I had to do anything other than show up!   But I have learned a lot about Jo through this process, what she is hiding from and how she lets her relationship with Charlie break down those walls, and I love getting to “be” her. What do you hope the audience will take away from this play? These characters overcome fears, ster...