Maren Ward #interview @OpenEyeTheatre #amjoy

Maren Ward is with me today. Maren is an actress who debuted in Constance in the Darkness:A musical in miniature at Open Eye theater in Minneapolis.

What was the most extreme change to personality, hair, body, etc that you have done to prepare for a role?

It's funny that you ask this because what I've been thinking about lately is how much I regret NOT making an extreme change for my once in a lifetime opportunity to play the Jackie Gleason inspired character in To the Moon at Open Eye. I should have cut my hair short and had this horrific mole on the back of my head removed. I was afraid at the time of short hair and instead Sue Haas painstakingly tied my hair up every night.(I'm sorry Sue!!)  I've since had the mole removed and had shorter hair and would make a different choice next time. In 1994 I bleached my hair to play a Courtney Love inspired character. Doesn't feel that extreme to me right now but at the time it was kind of a big deal.

What is a question you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview?

Ha! Um, funny again. One time I did a radio interview for Marya Morstad on KFAI when she was doing a series for MNartists and I was so nervous and couldn't complete a single sentence and she later confessed it was the worst interview she'd ever had... or at least the hardest to edit.....and since then I've had interview phobia so I can't exactly say that there's anything I've always wanted to be asked.  I think what I want the most to talk about right now is how I've had this extreme pleasure and gift of performing in two plays back to back written by longtime friends/colleagues - Savannah Reich's Hatchet Lady and Josef Evans' Constance in the Darkness . I've had the time of my life immersing in their language and imagination. It's an extraordinary experience to revel so completely inside of words on a page. I've been delighting in it as a very special, particular, intimate form of love.

Do You have any upcoming performances?
My next performance will be at Open Eye again in Michael Sommers' new work in development "Alfred and Me". We start work next week and it goes up April 12-14th. After that I don't have any performing lined up. I direct the zAmya Theater project at St. Stephen's Human Services and we're building street theater pieces to be performed on Nicollet Mall in the Spring and will be making a play for the new ampitheater outside of Minneapolis Central LIbrary that will go up in September.  You can find me there! And, of course, will be seeking more opportunities to perform. 

Of all the roles you played in the past which is your favorite?

This is a really tough question. A couple of people have asked me which character in this current play - in which I have 5 characters -  is my favorite and I have a difficult time answering even that! Because what's really fun is to do all of them as aspects of one. Tana in Freewheeling in the Attic of Whim by John Bueche (Bedlam 2000) and Mucklejohn/Mucklejean Magglepot in Turducken by Josef Evans (Bedlam 2008) are among my favorite character memories.

 If you could give advice to a younger actor/actress what would it be?

Keep learning. Find what you like to do movement wise and do it. Use your body.  Find a path for self inquiry and growth. The more you know yourself the better you can become someone else. Study, learn, practice mindfulness, being completely present. Also pay attention to the parts of your life that have nothing to do with theater! I asked someone else this once and she said "Decide if you want to have children and if you do, get on it!". I think that's really good advice.

Thanks for joining me Maren

Thanks for having me.