By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
Over the next several weeks I will be interviewing members of the cast and crew from Remember, Maggy?
A play written by Carol Murray and her son Matt.
Fun fact, Matt wrote a show that will have a two-week run in the Blythe Festival next August, The Chronicles of Sarnia.
But back to Maggy…
Maggy is a show being presented by Theatre Kent and sponsored by Glasstown Brewing Company that will take the stage February 10 and 11 at the Kiwanis Theatre in Chatham.
The show tells the story of four women, sisters Kate and Maggy, there mother Niamh (pronounced Neve) and a friend of Kate, Irene.
This play deals with the challenges of family, friendships and an aging mother stricken with Alzheimer’s disease.
It is a beautiful story that four very talented ladies are preparing to tell.
This week I spoke to Gina Paradis who plays Niamh.
Gina is one of the few people I knew from Theatre Kent prior to moving to Wallaceburg.
Gina is, in many ways, the matriarch of the company as she and her husband Andre have been involved with TK for over 40 years which, by my math, puts them right at or near the inception of the area’s community theatre company.
It is, therefore, fitting that she plays the role of the matriarch in this show.
This role is Gina’s first foray onto the boards (that’s a cool theatre way of saying on stage) since 2006.
That doesn’t mean Gina has been away from theatre since then, she has often worked behind the scenes in wardrobe or stage managing as well as being very active with the Western Ontario Drama League (WODL).
Gina is seldom far from the stage.
I asked Gina a few questions about her role in Remember, Maggy? Following are the questions and her responses:
What do you feel is the most rewarding part of playing Niamh?
Being on stage, getting to know the other cast members better and getting to know myself better.
I am struck by the fact that creating a character can actually lead to a better understanding of ones self, regardless of your age. That is because in acting, you truly do put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If your ego is involved and you are trying to tell your story instead of that of your character the show suffers, the audience ends up with mind candy and attending is a waste of time, effort and money.
Who has Niamh become to you?
Niamh can seem like a hard character, a hard woman, but I want people to know that she has heart.
It is because of the central struggle in this story that she became the woman that the audience will see.
Like everyone, there are layers and Gina does a wonderful job of peeling away the tough exterior to reveal the frail, heartbroken woman who simply seeks an answer that never came.
What are the challenges of this role?
I have always played strong women in previous roles and since I hail from a family of strong women, I always had lots to draw from with those characters.
However, Niamh has Alzheimer’s and that is not a condition I have dealt directly with in my life.
This meant research and diving into understanding the challenges of this terrible disease to assist me in understanding how to tell the story of Niamh with integrity and honesty. I want to tell the story of a real person that people relate to, that people feel for, not a caricature that people simply feel sorry for.
Why would you encourage people to come to this show?
I often go to theatrical productions to be entertained or to escape, but sometimes I just wants to feel deeply.
If the audience laughs, maybe even cries, most importantly they feel something then we (the cast) have done our job of telling the story of this family.
Almost everyone has been touched by Alzheimer’s and this show can be a cathartic and eye-opening experience as these four ladies explore the challenges of not just the disease, but more importantly, family and relationships.
What do you love about performing in this show?
Taking on a role and becoming something that I’m not.
I have enjoyed taking on this role because it has given me more of a challenge because (I hope) I am not as harsh as Niamh, but I hope I have brought out who she truly is.
It has been incredibly gratifying to be able to play Niamh and tell the story of this complex woman.
It has been nice to be with a team that is invested in the show 100%.
While I have known these ladies before, I have really become connected to them through this process. She noted that when performing a comedy, you get to know people, but it is often superficial. In Maggy, the cast has become very close as they have allowed themselves to be vulnerable in order to tell a story that will resonate with audiences.
Remember, Maggy? plays at the Chatham Kiwanis Theatre February 10 and 11. For ticket information call the Capitol Theatre or go to cktickets.com.
