Cast interview: Wendy Stengel

Rehearsals for The Pirates of Penzance are now in full swing!  Today, we introduce you to another cast member who is busy learning music, lines, and choreography: Wendy Stengel.  

What's your role in the show?
Ruth

Is this your first time in Pirates? If no, how many Pirates productions have you been in?
This is my second Pirates -- I was in GG&SS's (Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society) Pirates in 2008.

When and how did you first get involved with VLOC?
I first found out about VLOC when I was in GG&SS's Ruddigore. It was only a matter of time before I was lured into a production. In my first VLOC show--Our Boys (2013)--I played not one but two maids, so it's familiar territory being a maid-of-all-work in this show.

What's your favorite part about being in a show (this particular one, or any show)?
The people -- always the people. My best friends are those I've met through shows. You develop life-long bonds in just a few short weeks. There's nothing like being in a show.

What's your least favorite or the hardest part of the rehearsal process for you?
The logistics of getting to rehearsal! It's easier now as I telework, so I don't have to dash from Rockville to DC (there's a dog that needs walking) and back to Rockville, but still. Walk, bus, Metro, bus, walk...it's a haul for a city dweller.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I'm an information architect and user experience consultant--if you can find what you need on a website in 3 clicks instead of 20, someone like me did the work to make it so. I'm also finishing my Master of Science in information design and communication, AND teaching a user experience class for an MFA program in San Francisco. I lead a youth group at St. Alban's in DC, which I find very fulfilling. In my free moments, you'll find me crocheting, playing quirky instruments, or developing statistical coding schema for gendered social interaction in science fiction and fantasy television shows. No, really.

What's your Gilbert & Sullivan show and why? (If you don't have one, pick a favorite musical or opera)
I think everyone always goes for her first, no? For me, that's Patience. I played Lady Jane and had a wonderful time. I remember talking with one of the ladies of the chorus about how devastatingly sad the end of Act 1 was; she looked at me strangely and said "but it's so BOUNCY!" So many of the act changes aren't happy for the matronly altos.

Wendy, thanks for taking the time to share your experience with Pirates, your love of the theater, and a little bit about your life off stage.  Stay tuned for more inside information on the production, including... a VLOC Pirates scandal!  

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