Some “MET Mondays” will consist of a MET Profile: a brief profile of a MET Company Member.  They’ll answer various questions, talk about acting/directing/designing & even answer a few questions from James Lipton’s survey from “Inside the Actor’s Studio”.

And, since Monday’s are my day to update the blog, I’m first on the chopping block! 😉

ImageAshley Hall

What is is your favorite role you’ve played in a MET production?  I’ve liked every role I’ve played for different reasons, but Elizabeth Jelkes from Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is definitely my favorite thus far. She was a such a great character; a strong, outspoken woman in a time when women weren’t suppose to be. I loved the journey she went through during the course of the show. Not to mention that that role really challenged me & I felt that I really grew as an actress.

What do you do to prepare before a performance? I usually listen to my iPod while doing my hair & make-up. What I listen to really depends on the show. I usually make a playlist of songs that relate to my character. For Boeing Boeing, I listened to upbeat 60s songs (think the soundtrack to “Austin Powers”) with some Edith Piaf thrown into the mix. For Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, it was a lot of classical music, especially the piece that was played throughout the show. (Fun fact: I listened to “Hey There, Lil Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham a lot during J&H. Director Peter Wray often said that Elizabeth & Hyde’s relationship was a lot like Little Red & the Wolf (with them switching the roles on & off throughout the course of the show).I had the line “Little Red Riding Hood, I’d like to hold ya if I could, but you might think I’m a Big Bad Wolf so I won’t. What big heart I have, all the better to love you with. Little Red Ridin’ Hood, even bad wolves can be good” posted on my mirror backstage).

What do you like best about performing? When I was younger, it was the applause & the attention. As I got older, in my late teens, I began to realize that I loved performing for two reasons. First of all, I love creating something from nothing. Yes, you have the script & the lines & the stage directions, but the actor brings those words, the character & their experiences to life. That’s very fascinating to me. Secondly, I love making people feel. I know that sounds cheesey, but I like to see how theatre affects people. It doesn’t have to be a life changing experience for them, it can be as simple as a child’s smile after a children’s show.

What is your dream role? I have a few, so it’s impossible to pick just one! But one of my main ones is Peter Pan, mainly because that was what got me interested in theatre as a child (seeing Mary Martin as Peter Pan on television). Others include Ophelia in Hamlet, Alice in Closer & the title role in a play called Ondine.

What is your favorite word? For how it sounds, “serenpidity”. For what it means, “create”.

 

Maryland Ensemble Theatre