Eyes on Actors: Lauren Miller

Lauren Miller, a perennial performer, is back for more Twelfth Night!

Q: Describe your first experience with Unrehearsed Shakespeare.
LAUREN: My first Bard in the Barn Show was Two Gentlemen of Verona and it was extremely cold outside. I think one of my characters was Lucetta, I was Erin O’Conners mad and this was during her Miss Illinois time and her character needed a picture of herself and I had to hand her one of her Miss Illinois pins. At the time I didn’t get it.

Q: For you, how is Unrehearsed Shakespeare different from more conventional shows? Do you have a preference?
LAUREN: It’s way more exciting! With a conventional show you see the cast list, you have rehearsals, you know everyone’s blocking and you know the show. With Unrehearsed sometimes you’ve never read the play, you only know your lines because you don’t have the entire script like you would with a conventional play, you only know your blocking from your text sessions, and you don’t know who else is in the cast. For all you know Juliet is going to be played by a dude. It makes it so much more fun! I definitely love Unrehearsed more.

Q: You’ve performed outdoors with Bard in the Barn, in the larger Sunset Studio in Milwaukee, and in the cozy bars of Chicago. How does space affect your performance?
LAUREN: With Barn in the Barn it was sometimes harder to perform because of the weather and how cold it would get. Performing indoors makes it much easier to focus on your scroll. It’s also easier to connect with the audience and get them more involved because of the tight space.

Q: Do you find that your technique/approach has changed over time?
LAUREN: I’d like to think my technique has improved since i started when I was a freshman. I’ve definitely learned a lot just from continuing to perform, learning from peers, and taking Bill’s Unrehearsed Shakespeare class. But I’m still learning every time I take on a new scroll.

Q: Finally: favorite role?
LAUREN: I would have to say Maria in Twelfth Night. I got to play the part for Bill’s Unrehearsed Shakespeare class. It was one of the biggest roles I had ever got cast as and it was so much more challenging. It was a part where I was really able to improve my technique and understand text sessions. It was also just a really fun role to play because she’s so cunning and mischievous!

You can see Twelfth Night tonight! Come join us for some magic.

January 7th
JUSTIN’S, 3358 N Southport Ave, second floor
Doors open at 7:00, show starts at 7:30
$5 Suggested Donation

PLUS: After the show, we’ll be announcing our Season lineup for 2014.

Author: Jared