Meet the Cast: Clue

The Year 12 and 13 Drama production of Clue will premiere tonight (23 July) with a second performance tomorrow night. We spoke to some of the cast about their characters and what it has been like for them being the first to perform in Marian’s new black box theatre.

Jazmine Kurzfeld: White

While preparing to take on the role of White, Jazmine Kurzfeld has turned to Emily from Gilmore Girls for inspiration.

“For the past two productions, I’ve played teenage girls, so the switch to an older, classier woman has been a little harder,” Jazmine says.

“White is from the more traditional Clue game and I feel that that is what she is - she’s quite traditional. She’s a very mysterious widow of five ex-husbands who died in mysterious circumstances and she’s a bit tragic.

“She’s been one of the more difficult  roles for me to get into. She keeps to herself and doesn't interact with the group a lot so I’ve been looking at other characters, such as Emily from Gilmore Girls who remind me of her.” 

Olivia Chambers: Cook and Motorist

Olivia Chambers was a late addition to the Clue cast playing the Cook and Motorist.

“I have been doing drama since I was seven years old but stopped doing drama as a subject in Year 11. I  was asked to do the production last year as well because someone couldn't do it and that’s the situation this year. You can take the girl out of drama but not the drama out of the girl,” Olivia says.

The cook is a character who has seen some stuff in her life.

“She’s been cooking her whole life and she’s seen a type of person. She’s got this threatening and scary presence about her.”

Olivia is excited for the audience to experience the production in the new black box theatre.

It just feels more professional and you can use your imagination more. There’s so much more you can do, it just feels like the real thing.

“The audience can expect that it will feel like a more real experience than if the actors were on a stage. It will feel more intimate and closer and professional,” she says.

Sophie Lumb: Scarlett

The character of Scarlett is a far cry from what Sophie Lumb has previously performed during her years of drama at Marian, but it’s a challenge she’s excited to take on.

“I sent the director a joke audition for Scarlett and then the next day she’s like ‘Sophie, can you read for Scarlett?’ and here I am!”

“I usually play guy roles and so doing a feminine character is a bit harder and it has taken me a bit longer to actually get into it. I’m not a super feminine person myself, so that has pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Sophie says.

The key to bringing Scarlett to life is ensuring that she’s confident in her lines.

“Scarlett is a prostitute and she’s very proud of it. It’s not something she tries to hide, she’s very much ‘Yea this is me, I do that’ and so for me, I need to be confident in my lines because that’s who Scarlett is - she’s confident.”

Abby Hayward: Wadsworth

Abby Hayward began the production in the role of Cook/Motorist but then was moved into playing Wadsworth for Act I of the show.

“The characters are quite different. The cook was a bit frumpy and gruff, whereas Wadsworth has his head screwed on and is a bit uptight.

“I love being Wadsworth because I can let my personality shine. I don’t feel like I have played a character like this before so it’s something new for me, but I enjoy it, and changing my voice to sound more posh has been fun.”

Lucy Chapman: Wadsworth

The character of Wadsworth is different to anything Lucy Chapman has played before.

“He’s English and he’s a bit posh,” Lucy says.

“I have played male roles before but they’ve been really energetic and had really big actions but Wadsworth is really put together and calm whereas the ones I have played in the past have been a bit much. 

“It’s a lot easier to look smart rather than play dumb.”

Mya Hayward: Plum

Plum is an “academic casanova”, says Mya Hayward who plays him. “He thinks he can woo women with his brains.”

“He’s a bit bolshy but he’s smart and he thinks he knows everything - he’s a bit up himself.”

It’s a role that hasn’t been easy to transition into for Mya.

“I’ve found it quite hard to play a Casanova character. He’s quite close to Scarlett so the banter between them has helped - we play off of each other well.”

The audience can expect to see a lot of chaos and “some really funny lines”

“They won’t expect what’s coming. There’s a lot of drama, a lot of action, and it’s very fast paced. We have such a massive appreciation for Ellen Scott directing it. She’s doing such an amazing job and she’s just a natural at it.”

Sienna Ikin - Mustard

Comedic relief character parts is something Sienna Iken has had experience with in past productions, and the role of Mustard is definitely that.

“He’s quite interesting to play. He’s a bit dumb and used to be in the army. He’s more street smart than book smart but he believes he’s smarter than what he actually is,” Sienna says.

“I think the audience is really going to enjoy him. He’s quite funny with his facial expressions in that he’s meant to be brave in one aspect, but actually he’s a bit of a coward.”

“I’m used to playing more masculine characters so this is definitely something I’m comfortable in but I’m trying to differentiate him from my past male characters by understanding and portraying his intention. I do quite enjoy doing the comedic relief stuff.”

Jasmine Barr-Williams: Green

Jasmine Barr-Williams is used to playing masculine roles, but Green is challenging her to find her inner-awkwardness to bring him to life.

“He’s different to the other male characters I’ve played in the past who have been confident, proud, and kind of stupid whereas Green is smarter, but he’s quiet. He’s probably the most timid, quiet and socially awkward person in the group. He’s super clumsy, really allergic to cats, and he’s quite an anxious side character,” Jasmine says.

“‘Fear’ from the movie Inside Out is who I imagine Green would be. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing and he let’s other people step in and do things for him.He doesn’t like touching things that are grubby - he’s a bit OCD in that sense.”

Hannah Johanson: Yvette

It was Hannah Johanson’s ability to do accents that landed her the role of Yvette - a newcomer to England with a French accent.

“She’s got something mysterious about her. I think sometimes she will do something and the audience will wonder what she’s done in her past life,” Hannah says.

“Like other people I’ve usually played teenage boys. I don't think I have ever played a woman before. I love doing impressions and doing different accents. I did it once in Year 10 drama where they wanted me to do a Scottish accent and it bloomed from there.”

Hannah is excited about ending her time in drama utilising the black box theatre.

“I am very grateful they have upgraded the drama room because it’s very professional and feels like people care about drama because they have put the money into making it better. But it’s sad it’s our last year and we won't be using it again. 

“I chose drama because I love it. I love it because you get to play different characters and see things from different perspectives and I just love becoming a new person,” Hannah says. 

Joanna Flanagan: Cop

Clue marks Joanna’s first production at Marian - in fact it’s her first year doing drama as a subject.

“I’ve wanted to do it for years but I have always had clashes and I always found theatre sports really fun so I thought it’s my last year, why not?,” she says.

“It’s my first year in a production. It’s a little scary and I found it’s not that easy to get into character but I worked my way through it.”

Joanna plays the cop dealing with the chaos.

“He’s just a regular Joe. I feel like my character has had a long day at work and he just wants to go home but he's confronted with all this chaos. I think he puts on his best cop face to get through.

“I’m pretty nervous but we have got such a good director so I should be in good hands. Everyone's energy is going to make this production. Everyone has such good energy it’s just going to be really fun and chaotic.”

Article added: Thursday 25 July 2024