THE WAYWARD WOMEN opens March 17 at Mary’s Attic (5400 N Clark St)
ADRIAN GARCIA plays JULIAN
Q: How long have you been in Chicago?
ADRIAN: I grew up in a small town called Crete, Illinois, about an hour south of here, and my father lived in the city during my formative years, so Chicago has always felt like home to me. I left Illinois in 2006 to attend college in New Hampshire, but came back soon after graduating in 2010. I’ve been living here since and working with a number of theater companies in both performance and educational positions.
Q: What can you tell us about Julian?
ADRIAN: Julian is the young servant to Cordelius. Fate has blessed him with good nature, a sharp wit, and a logical outlook on life; unfortunately he is trapped by his servitude. I think audiences will love Julian’s humor and cross-dressing. I don’t know if Julian sticks with Cordelius out of love, loyalty, or because he’s stuck in that position, but I think his willingness to jump into strange situations for his master is admirable.
Q: THE WAYWARD WOMEN is set on the fictional Island of Amosa, a matriarchal society. Does this differ much from other performances?
ADRIAN: I’ve been in a number of plays with strong female characters, but none have ever had an entire world based on matriarchy. I think it’s great! I think it adds a fun level to my, and subsequently, Julian’s “performance” as Dame Joanne, to have to fit into this seemingly much different world.
Q: What experience do you have with Shakespeare? Have you got a favorite play? Character?
ADRIAN: I’ve loved Shakespeare since my first reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 7th grade and from the first time I saw one of his plays produced: The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Chicago Shakes in 8th grade. One of my biggest thrills in college was studying acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and seeing world-class theater–especially Shakespeare–performed. My favorite play is still Midsummer. I’ve seen it at Chicago Shakes, The Globe in London, and at Royal Shakespeare Theatre. I’ve been in it twice. After having such great exposure to Shakespeare in England, classmates and I went on to create The Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals–Dartmouth College’s first and only student-run Shakespeare troupe, founded in 2008 and still going strong today. We would audition for each other, cast each other by blind vote, and we directed all of our shows cooperatively. In my mind, there is still nowhere as gorgeous as the BEMA for outdoor Shakespeare– a green clearing with a natural stone stage, hilly background, and surrounded by trees. I don’t know if I have a favorite character, but Mercutio, Bottom, and Feste are definitely up there.
Q: Julian spends much of the play pretending to be higher-status than he really is, yet still doesn’t seem to derive much power from this. Do you relate to this character at all, or is he a complete stranger to you?
ADRIAN: I think a lot of people, myself included, can relate to the feeling of being smarter than whoever is giving the orders. Lots of people know better, but can’t do better because of their position In life. For me, Julian has the potential to be a miserably downtrodden character, but he tries to be optimistic even as nothing goes his way. I can relate to that a little bit, and at the least I find it an admirable quality that I would like to have in my own life.
Q: Favorite line?
ADRIAN: My favorite line, to paraphrase, is when Dame Anu calls Dame Grendela “This distillery that ambleth as a woman.” I’m not sure why, but that line absolutely tickles me.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
ADRIAN: I’m very excited to be a part of this production. It’s a rare treat to have such complex and beautiful language to play with in a play written recently. I’m thrilled to share that with an audience. Like a Shakespeare show, I expect no one in the audience will catch every joke, every reference, and every turn of phrase Jared has sprinkled into this poetic and dense piece; however, I have all the faith in the world that our very talented cast will bring it to life well enough to be enjoyed by everyone.
Come! Let us tickle you!
THE WAYWARD WOMEN
March 17 – April 2
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays
7:00pm
Mary’s Attic, 5400 N Clark Street
$3 at the Door