Cast interview: Kris Devine

The Pirates of Penzance previews in just four days! Do you have your tickets so that you can see the fearsome band of pirates discover the Major General's daughters?  Today, you get to meet one of the Major's daughters before the pirates do - we talk with Kris Devine about her Pirates experience.

What's your role in the show?
I play one of the Major General’s many wards. My character is bossy and a bit snobbish. Though just shy of 20 years of age, she sometimes behaves like a naughty child, but when “She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed” (the head governess) is about, she does just that--obey!


Is this your first time in Pirates? If no, how many Pirates productions have you been in?
Yes!


When and how did you first get involved with VLOC?
Last fall, I happened upon an audition notice for The Pirates of Penzance. I looked at some video clips of past VLOC productions and was intrigued. During my short time with the company, I have been treated with much kindness and courtesy. Perhaps that is VLOC’s secret to achieving so much with very limited resources.

What's your favorite part about being in a show (this particular one, or any show)?
Every show is an opportunity to dream out loud. Opera is a delicious mix of a world bounded by a stage and a score, yet unbounded by imagination. I relish participating in the heightening of the senses that occurs when all the theatrical elements come into focus. As a performer I strive not only to fulfill my obligation to deliver my role according to plan, but to add just enough color and texture of my own.

What's your least favorite or the hardest part of the rehearsal process for you?
Managing my time! Rehearsals and study take a lot of time. I want to perform my best and that doesn’t happen just by wishing for it. Ideally, I like to be thoroughly prepared before I step into rehearsal. If I am not at that point from the start, I get anxious. Good preparation frees me to be spontaneous and experimental and to adjust to what is happening around me.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I am a military spouse busy with family and church. I enjoy hiking, ballet, Crossfit, and Praise Hula.

What's your Gilbert & Sullivan show and why? (If you don't have one, pick a favorite musical or opera)
My latest project is always my favorite, so hurrah for the Pirate King and all the rest!

Anything else you want to share?
Everyone has a unique role to play in life. Find yours. You’ll know it when you experience it.

What is your Pirate name?
My pirate name is Henrietta Sinclair. Her parents were lost at sea. Due to the incompetency of the Court of Chancery, she was placed with a distant relation instead of her beloved uncle, the Rev. Blythe Piett. Two days after the court finally appointed Piett as legal guardian, he died of quinsy. Henrietta has been under the General’s care for twelve years.

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