#blessed, the first show of our second season is now open through November 2nd at the Evergreen Theatre! Continue to meet our cast and come see the show! Check out the blog every Monday and Wednesday for Q and A's to help you get to know our company a little bit better!
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| Emily Childers - Mary |
My name is Emily Childers and I am playing Mary.
Where are you from ? What do you consider to be your hometown?
Memphis, Tennessee.
What first drew you to acting?
My dad put me into some theatre camps as a child. I liked being the center of attention and I needed to let off some excess energy, so dad signed me up.
Where did you receive your training?
I have a B.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Memphis. I have improv training from the Second City Acting Conservatory in Chicago, and I did post-graduate work at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy where my main concentration was physical theatre.
Who were your mentors? Who do you admire and look up to, either on-stage or in all aspects of your life?
Bob Hetherington: he's only directed me in one show and taught me in two classes, but that man speaks my language when it come to theatre and direction. Also Claudia Schnuerer from Accademia dell'Arte, she was our movement teacher and she taught me how to really embody my body and how to move as an actor.
What's your favorite part of the theatrical process?
The choices that we make.
What's your least favorite part?
Getting off book [laughs].
What are some of your favorite past roles?
Alice in Closer at The University of Memphis. Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest at Theatre Memphis.
How would you define your style. What do you like to focus on as you prepare a character?
The physical. I start with how they move and how they talk; what part of the body they would lead with. I like to start on the outside of the character and work my way in.
When you're not working with Threepenny Theatre, how do you spend your time?
Well, I bar-tend at Houston's Restaurant, so come and grab a tasty martini from me at any time. I see a lot of theatre around town. I live in a house with three boys who are constantly keeping me busy, entertained and on my toes. There's never a dull moment in my house.
How do you like the Threepenny process?
I absolutely love it. Matt knows what he is doing. He is very well educated in the script he is directing, and he meets the actor where they are. He lets us make choices, but also lets us know what works, what doesn't work. He's very loving and non-judgmental, and I'm so, so happy to be part of all the shows that Threepenny has put on since its inception as a founding company member.
The "Big" Question: why do you continue to do what you do onstage, and once you are all said and done, what would you like to have accomplished with your art, not just in this show, but in your life?
I say it all the time to myself and to other people: I don't do theatre because I want to, I do it because I have to. It fills a certain part of me that nothing else does. Performing is never work and it's never a bad time. The more theatre training I get, the smaller my dreams and goals seem to become when it comes to theatre, but I think it's because I am realizing that Broadway, for me, isn't the Nth degree, having a huge fan base isn't the Nth degree. Being able to keep theatre in my life: whether it is to see theatre, or to teach theatre or to continue my actor training and be involved in a theatre community: there are many different ways of keeping theatre in your life, and I'm realizing that, and I'm coming to terms with that, and it's taking pressure off of me. And I know that through it all, I will always do theatre. I think that part of it is that when I'm not chasing theatre, theatre seems to chase me.
Anyone you'd like to send some love out to? Shout outs?
SHOUT OUT! Shout out to my cast members. Shout out to my mom, my dad and my step-mom, and a shout out to all the Memphis actors.
Always be closing. Any final words to people about #blessed?
Come and see our show. You'll be blessed and highly favored [laughs].
And to wrap up, some quick-fire "Inside the Actor's Studio" questions!
What is your favorite word? rhymes with Puck? [laughs]
What is your least favorite word? beverage
What turns you on: creatively, spiritually or emotionally? intelligence
What turns you off? the phrase "I know."
What's one thing you love about Memphis? The hospitality and food.
What sound or noise do you love? laughter
What sound or noise do you hate? my neighbor's dog [laughs]
What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt? Teaching at a collegiate or conservatory level
What profession would you not like to do? I don't want to be a server/bartender all my life.
Finally, if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
"It was always okay."
Thank you, Emily! Check the blog on Wednesday for another interview! and come see #blessed, open now and running through November 2nd!.
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