How Gwen de Veer Found Herself as a SIREN

As the last in my series of interviews on Deborah Zoe Laufer's SIRENS, a fantastical romantic comedy currently playing at Heartland Theatre Company, I talked to Gwen de Veer, who plays the title character, the Siren, in SIRENS. Gwen also plays a few other characters who appear in the life of Sam, a songwriter, and his wife Rose Adelle, who was once the inspiration for Sam's huge hit song. Now Sam looks elsewhere for inspiration. Like to a memory of a past love and a series of young, beautiful Sirens, all played by Gwen de Veer.


Hi, Gwen! Can you start us out by telling us a little about your academic background? You are a recent grad, right? How long have you been back in Bloomington-Normal?

I graduated last December and moved back home shortly after.

You studied voice as well as acting, right?

I got my B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and took voice lessons on the side (which has been handy for the Siren's song!)

Both your parents are performers and your mom, Connie de Veer, is also in SIRENS. Have you ever acted with either of them before?

I've never acted with either of my parents, and it's always been a dream of mine. I guess we've just never really found the right piece or venue.

Is it fun or daunting to play opposite her?

It's been really great acting with my mom, and even better sharing a dressing room with her! She's been my closest friend and supporter, and also a professional and artistic mentor. At first it was a little weird and I felt a little nervous and awkward, but having my mom in the rehearsal room has been one of the most comforting and inspiring experiences.

I understand you have acted with Todd Wineburner before. Where was that?

Todd and I were Annie and Daddy Warbucks at Miller Park in 1999. Phil Shaw directed.

This time out, instead of Daddy Warbucks, Todd is playing a middle-aged man stuck in a rut in both his career and his marriage, while you are the inspiration he looks to, the epitome of beauty and youth. What has been the biggest challenge in playing the role of a Siren?

That's a lot of pressure! There are also some potential pitfalls in playing characters that are, like it or not, objectified by Sam. All of these women in some way, use their youth and beauty to their advantage. I think it's hard for young women to be taken seriously because of this tendency, and as a young woman trying to be taken seriously, it's hard not to comment on it. As myself, I relate more to Rose than the Sirens in a lot of ways, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about myself in discovering the humanity and sense of fun and whimsy in all of these women.

I love it that you have made each one different and each one funny in her own way. Nice job with the versatility! Do you have a favorite role that you’ve played in the past?

I played Helen, the bossy coquette in THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN by Martin McDonagh. I love the savage sense of irony that the Irish have, and that girl was just a terror*. I think I exorcized a lot of my mean girl demons in that role.

I know you did a 10-minute play at Heartland several years ago (as the daughter of a mother just getting out of prison) and last winter, you played Catherine, the daughter of a math genius, in David Auburn’s PROOF. That role has been played by powerhouse actresses like Mary Louise Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow. How did you make the role your own?

The great thing about working with a script as rich as PROOF is that there is so much there for each of the four actors to discover, and all of the really exciting moments catch you completely by surprise, that even from night to night, the play is different. Watching and acting in that show for me is like looking at a fractal. David Auburn did such a brilliant job of combining such contrasting characters with antagonistic objectives and such a vivid world within the play, that every moment you're hanging on the edge of your seat, and you're never done making new discoveries. I felt that when I saw it for the first time, and when I read it. Cyndee Brown did such a brilliant job of bringing together an ensemble of talented, astute and supportive actors and all five of us just dove on it like kids on a pile of Halloween candy. And I have to credit Michael Pullin for designing one of the most vivid and actable spaces I have ever played in. I really think that set was a huge part of the synergy of the production.

What roles stand out to you on your resume?

Well, when I was 8 years old I did a radio spot for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival entitled "What I Did on my Summer Vacation," and I really think of that as my magnum opus.

You recently directed HMS PINAFORE for Prairie Fire Theatre and played a character in the Discovery Walk at Evergreen Cemetery just before coming into SIRENS. Do you prefer acting or directing?

PINAFORE was my first time directing, and all I thought was I LOVE having the control! Also, it was nice to be able to drink after rehearsal during tech week, instead of going to bed early with the humidifier. But I can't get enough of either.

What’s next on your agenda?

You can catch me five days a week as the most persuasive server at Biaggi's!

Thanks, Gwen!

*Helen keeps breaking eggs over her brother's head in that role in THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN. Totally different from Gwen's adorable Sirens!

Songwriter Sam (Todd Wineburner, second from L) is married
to Rose (Connie de Veer, L) but tempted by a beautiful young
Siren (Gwen de Veer, R) in SIRENS at Heartland Theatre.

SIRENS continues at Heartland Theatre Thursdays through Sundays, with performances scheduled from November 10-20. To read more about the play, click here, or if you are ready to make reservations, you can click here. See you at SIRENS!

One Night Only: New Route Offers Sam Shepard and His DUI in "Fat Jack's"

Yes, Sam Shepard, the playwright/actor/craggy icon of American manhood, really did get busted for speeding and driving under the influence in Normal, Illinois, in January, 2009. That's his mug shot over there on the left.

Shepard was apparently taking a trip from his home in Minnesota to somewhere in Kentucky, and he stopped in Normal to pass the time at a bar called Fat Jack's. Reports were that Shepard had made friends with a bartender there and liked to knock back a few and converse with his bartender pal whenever he drove through the area.

It seems like a situation rife with drama and yet no one had, to my knowledge, written a play about it until ISU English Department faculty members Joe Amato and Kass Fleisher decided to put something together for our local New Route Theatre. Sam Shepard seems like the logical person to have written it, honestly, what with the issues involved in a famous playwright on a road trip, a small-town bar far away from his home, drunkenness, and a Best Western motel. It's "True West" meets "Fool for Love" with a little "Buried Child" on the side. I'm guessing that Shepard sensibility of manly alcohol abuse, loneliness and poor decision-making informs Amato's and Fleisher's play. How could it not?

At any rate, this new work, called "Fat Jack's," just like the bar Shepard was drinking in that night, will be performed one night only, at the downtown-Bloomington Eaton Gallery under the auspices of New Route Theatre and its "One Shot Deal" series. Doors open at 6:30 for a 7 pm performance.

You are promised a "phenomenal cast" for this event, featuring Angela Haas as Cosmo. "Fat Jack's" is directed by Irene Taylor for New Route.

You Can Sing "Tonight" Tomorrow Night

Yes, that's right. "Tonight" tomorrow. By "Tonight," I mean the classic song from "West Side Story," whose film version celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. And by "tomorrow," I mean that "West Side Story" will be back on the big screen on Wednesday, November 9, at 7 pm at the Starplex Normal 14 Stadium.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM), in conjunction with NCM Fathom, is presenting special screenings of "West Side Story," which won 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, back in 1961, to celebrate that anniversary. TCM's info says, "This extraordinary event includes an exciting new Turner Classic Movies original production followed by MGM’s 50th Anniversary restoration of West Side Story."

Although the movie was a big hit, it's always seemed strange that Natalie Wood was cast as Maria and Richard Beymer was cast as Tony, since neither can sing. They were dubbed by Jimmy Bryant and Marni Nixon for the big songs. Still, the acting is good, and the three dance roles -- Biff, Bernardo and Anita -- are done very well. As Bernardo and Anita, George Chakiris and Rita Moreno both won Academy Awards. Russ Tamblyn, who played Biff, wasn't nominated for anything, but I still love him in that role. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, who shared directing honors, also took home an Oscar.

This "Romeo and Juliet" in Hell's Kitchen still looks and sounds fresh and exciting today, mostly because of Jerome Robbins' iconic choreography, Leonard Bernstein's soaring music and Stephen Sondheim's wonderful lyrics.

Although people make fun of teen gang members singing and dancing, it really, really works for me in "West Side Story." The stage version, where Sondheim's lyrics are partially translated into Spanish to give it verisimilitude, has been touring around, giving lots of people a chance to see it live and in person. But I saw it first at the movies. As much as I love live theater, I still think that all the flashy dancing, stirring music and deathless passion seem that much more real on the big screen when it comes to "West Side Story."

Yes, this movie is still "Cool." Oh, and Office Krupke? Krup you!

For details on the Bloomington-Normal screening, click here.

Ron Emmons Takes on SIRENS and Its Mysteries

As you all probably know by now, I have been working on Heartland Theatre Company's current production, a warm, sweet romantic comedy by Deborah Zoe Laufer called SIRENS. That's why I'm able to give you more of a behind-the-scenes look at this show, including interviews with the cast and now director Ron Emmons (pictured at right.)

Emmons is an actor, director, and member of the Board of Directors for Heartland Theatre Company, as well as the president of the Illinois Theatre Consortium and an adjunct professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he teaches writing and dramatic literature.

Ron, I know you’re originally from the East Coast and I think New Jersey, since you played a Jersey character before on stage and you seemed to identify with the accent. How long have you been in Bloomington-Normal?

I was born in a seaside community in New Jersey and started my teaching career there, but moved to the Boston area six years later. Then, after 40 years of teaching I retired and, having just married Dr. Linda French, came here 10 years ago when she became the astronomy professor at IWU.

How did you find Heartland Theatre? What was your first show at Heartland?

I discovered Heartland Theatre a few months after we arrived. I was looking for good theatre and saw a review (was it yours?*) of THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE. My wife had headed to do research in Chile for a month, so I came over on my own. I was impressed by the intimacy of the theatre and by the quality of the acting from Lori Adams, James Marlott and Carol Scott. I filled out one of Mike Dobbin’s famous green cards, told Mike about my experience directing before the move, and asked him if he needed any help. Fortunately for me, someone had just dropped out as a director of one of the 10-minute Funeral Plays. Mile explained that he had already asked someone else, but that person had not gotten back to him, so I wrote Mike immediately and beat the other person’s email.

What is your academic back ground? Can you tell us a little about your theater experiences back east?

I went to Monmouth University in New Jersey and got very involved in acting in the theatre program; however, I got my degree in English Secondary Education because no schools were hiring teachers of theatre. As an English teacher, I began directing plays immediately and continued to do so after moving to Massachusetts. I also became active in educational theatre organizations and served as president of the New England Drama Council.

You act as well as direct, with performances in the 10-Minute Play Festival and in the Discovery Walk at Evergreen Cemetery. Which do you prefer?

I gave up acting after graduation because the time needed to teach and direct negated any possibility of rehearsals and learning lines. Then more than 40 years after my last acting job, Mike Dobbins called me and said he needed somebody to fill in for a sick actor in the 2005 10-minute play festival. I said yes despite the fact that I had my own show to direct and it was only 5 days till we opened. After that Judy Brown cast me in the Discovery Walk (I’ve now written 5 scripts for the walk and played 4 characters in the walk) and Nancy Brokaw and Lori Adams cast me as Grandpa in Lincoln Comes to Town. I’ve done a number of 10-minute plays as actor and director as well, though I never direct my own performance. I’ve missed out on the last two 10-minute festivals because I have been in York, England, where my wife was doing research, but this year, we’re heading over after the festival so that I can get involved again. After reading all of the plays entered as a member of the selection committee, I feel I miss out not being here when they are produced.

Do you have a favorite role you've played?

My favorite role at this moment probably was my first major one in college, Jimmy in THE RAINMAKER, but if you ask me that question next week, I’ll probably give you a different answer.

How about a favorite play you've directed?

I can’t really select a favorite play; they have all been my children, and I can’t pick a favorite. I will tell you that among them has to be this one, SIRENS. It is a wonderful blend of comedy and seriousness, of reality and fantasy. Among my other favorites was a play I wrote (an updated version of TWELFTH NIGHT) with my oldest daughter, Jenna, playing Maria with a new Jersey accent. I also loved directing a number of plays with Nancy Walls, who went on to "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show" and went on to marry Steve Carell. I can tell you my favorite musical to direct, one that I would do again in a minute if anybody asked. That was GODSPELL. I directed about 10 productions, and every one was different and fun. I even did one production with my daughter in the cast and my wife on electric bass.

What would you like to tell potential audience members about SIRENS?

I would tell potential audiences to come prepared to see some excellent acting. Comedy isn't easy if you want to create real characters. This cast makes the comedy work while still presenting real people to the audience. An added difficulty in this show (and one of its strong points, as well) is the fantasy nature of the script.

I would also tell people coming to pay attention to the music from the minute they enter the theatre until they leave. It is, indeed, a unique creation of Matt Callahan for the original production of SIRENS. That’s all I’ll tell anyone about it until after the show.

SIRENS is a whimsical romantic comedy with some serious issues underlying the comedy. Is that tough to direct?

This is a difficult show that has been made easy by a marvelous cast and crew. My thanks to you for bringing the script to the attention of the play-selection committee at Heartland; to the production team of Michael Pullin, Brianne Berogan, and Tommy Nolan for creating the fantasy world on stage; to Rachel Krein for helping steer the play through rehearsals.

When I asked Ron what he thought SIRENS was really about, he directed me to the program notes where he answered that very question. So here is what Ron Emmons has to say on the issue of what SIRENS is about....

“So, Ron, what’s this play SIRENS about?” I have dreaded that question and, because I want everyone to come and see it, I have had to give different answers to different questioners.

Were I to say to someone that it is a play about a man’s mid-life crisis, the reaction might well be, “Oh, another of those. Been there; done that.” Much the same kind of reaction might come if I were to say that it’s about a woman’s thoughts about how different her life would have been if she had married a different man, or about a person dealing with writer’s block, or about the difficulty of keeping passion alive in a marriage of 25 years.

A different but no more positive reaction might come if I told one of my students that SIRENS has roots in the story of Odysseus and Penelope, or that it places a contemporary face on the Sirens of Greek mythology. “Oh, yeah, we had to read about that in high school. It was boring.”

Yet, Deborah Zoe Laufer’s SIRENS is all of those. It is a fantasy, and like all good fantasy plays, it is rooted in reality, a reality that strangely includes all of the responses I’ve mentioned. My relationship with this script was love at first read. I always enjoy effective marriages of opposites: classical mythology and electronic solitaire, a New York songwriter and a Greek Siren, a knitting-addicted wife and a Facebook-addicted husband, the Mediterranean and Manhattan. I hope you will also enjoy this marriage of fantasy and reality, laughter and pain, temptation and commitment.


SIRENS continues at Heartland Theatre Thursdays through Sundays, with performances scheduled from November 10-20. To read more about the play, click here, or if you are ready to make reservations, you can click here. See you at SIRENS!

(*Nope. I didn't review THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE at Heartland. That was Patricia Stiller back in 2003.)

Another Year, Another "Ear"

Georges Feydeau's "A Flea in Her Ear" is very popular with college theater departments. Very. ISU's current production marks my third time seeing this show at a college in the last five years. ISU last performed it in 2001, according to their production history page. I saw that one, too, in the old Allen Theatre, before it was subsumed into what is now Westhoff. All of that means, for me, that "A Flea in Her Ear" is getting a little fusty.

Don't get me wrong -- the second act of this fizzy French farce is knock-down, drag-out hilarious, complete with all the door-slamming and people-trying-to-have-sex-but-not you expect in a farce, plus some crazy linguistic humor that gives actors free rein to go way over the top, and the physical comedy of a prosperous man and his low-down alcoholic double being mistaken for each other.

Still... I yearn for something different. For "A Little Hotel on the Side," instead. Or Molière (as long as it's not "Tartuffe," another one that gets done way too often.) Or more Ayckbourn. ISU did "Taking Steps" in 2004 and U of I had a little Ayckbourn thing going in the mid-90s, producing "How the Other Half Loves," "Taking Steps," "Season's Greetings" and "Henceforward," as I recall. That still leaves 70 plays. Plus there's Cocteau's "Indiscretions" (AKA "Les Parents Terribles") which is French and bourgeois but has a darker, nastier edge. Or even "Noises Off," the British back-stage farce. Why not?

But I'm way off the subject of the oft-produced "A Flea in Her Ear." Which, you will recall, is a funny play. Especially in the second act. In contrast, the first and third acts are more talky, requiring a certain blithe insouciance, the patina of Parisian boulevard society around 1900, and a whole lot of speed. All of that is difficult for college-age actors to accomplish at the same time.

The current ISU production of "A Flea in Her Ear," directed by Don LaCasse, nicely manages the speed and the physical humor in the second act, but could definitely use a lighter, fizzier tone in the first and third. There's a lot of exposition there, and it gets a bit bogged down. Plus the madcap doppelganger confusion seems to take too long to get sorted out in the end, no matter how game or energetic Mitchell Conti, who plays both the role of prosperous Monsieur Chandebise and hotel porter Poche, continues to be. He gets kicked around, has to do quick-change shtick in and out of a terrible green uniform, runs up and down stairs, is generally abused and debased, and keeps on popping up, fresh as a daisy. I'm betting Conti is exhausted and bruised by the end of the night. (As a side-note, he's also the reason I thought of "Noises Off" and its staircase humor. If Conti hasn't already played Garry Lejeune, I'd bet it's in his future.)

Along with Conti/Chandebise/Poche and his antic tricks, the goofy "foreigner" comedy from hot-blooded Don Carlos Homenides de Histangua, a jealous Spaniard played here by Tommy Malouf, and "Herr Schwartz," a hot-to-trot Prussian* staying at the sleazy hotel where all the Act II action takes place, played for ISU by Jason Raymer, garners the most laughs. Well, that and the revolving bed, also in Act II, that never fails to provoke laughter.

In addition to Conti, Malouf and Raymer, Brian Garvens stands out, doing excellent work establishing the proper note of slick impropriety. He's clearly the best at the boulevard style.

Eric J. Moslow's yellow-and-brown drawing room set definitely creates a middle-class mood and offers plenty of doors, while his hotel, with its lovely staircase and clustered bedrooms, goes with a different, trashier feel. Sandy Childers' costume design puts stylish Paul Poiret looks in vivid colors on the fashionable ladies, dialing down to a bit more Toulouse-Lautrec feel for the demimonde.

One note: I didn't see the name of the translator anywhere in the program. I have a vague feeling that LaCasse is using the recent David Ives version of the play, and if anyone reading this can confirm or correct that, feel free to jump in.

*This role was originally written as an unflattering stereotype of the English named Rugby, but English translations of the play have commonly made him Prussian, as in this one, although I seem to recall he was Japanese in the Rex Harrison movie. The "Herr Schwartz" moniker showed up first in a 1967 British TV version, as far as I can tell.

Mitchell Conti plays lowly Poche (L) and middle-class Chandebise (R)
with Becky Miller as Madame Chandebise, in ISU's "A Flea in Her Ear."

A FLEA IN HER EAR
By Georges Feydeau

Center for the Performing Arts
Illinois State University

Director: Don LaCasse
Scenic Designer: Eric J. Moslow
Costume Designer: Sandy Childers
Lighting Designer: Grace Maberg

Hair and Makeup Designer: Mark Spain
Voice and Dialect Directors: Lori Adams and Connie de Veer
Movement Director: Paul Dennhardt
Stage Manager: Casey L. Peek

Cast: Christopher Bush, Nina Ganet, Johnny Oleksinski, Tony Pellegrino, Clayton Joyner, Becky Miller, Mitchell Conti, Brian Garvens, Tommy Malouf, Trace Gamache, Luke Simone, Paula Nowak, Dustin Rothbart, Jason Raymer, Julia Besch, Torrence Gardner, Lauren Partch and Nicholas Wages.

Remaining performances: November 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30 pm and November 6 at 2 pm.

Running time: 2:50, including two 10-minute intermissions.

For tickets, you may call the CPA box office at 309-438-2535 or visit www.ticketmaster.com to order online.

The Surprising Andrew Rogalny, Jr. on SIRENS, Italian and Long Island

In my continuing series of interviews with the players in Heartland Theatre's SIRENS, I now present Andrew Rogalny, Jr., a sophomore at ISU, who plays a character called Richard Miller in SIRENS. He is a blast from Rose's past and something of a surprise. Andrew himself is also something of a surprise, since he showed up at rehearsal, jumped right in and took the role by the horns. He is turning in a vivid, polished performance that seems anything but sophomoric.

Andrew, you are currently a sophomore at Illinois State University, right? (Are you, indeed, 20, just like the line in the play about your character?)

Not 20 yet. It’s true that I am a sophomore, but my birthday isn’t for another few months.

(Note: This makes him 19 and me aghast. He is really a very mature actor for 19.)

What is your exact major? Are you looking ahead towards a career as an actor or in some other area of theater? Or something completely different?

Right now, I’m a double major in Political Science and Theatre with an emphasis on acting. We’ll see what happens. I worry often enough, although I try not to. But ideally, yes, I would like to be a professional actor one day.

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

Well, for the longest time, I wanted to study law enforcement but I’ve loved the theatre for as far back as I can remember. There was a point when I realized that I wasn’t threatening enough to be a police officer and actually, desperately longed to be a better actor.

(Note: I can't imagine Andrew as a cop. I can sort of imagine him as a lawyer -- he reminds me a bit of a younger version of actor Victor Garber, who has played a lawyer often enough. But my most vivid memory of young Victor Garber is with a 'fro in "Godspell" and Andrew doesn't seem like the Hippie Jesus type, either. He's more Clark Kent. I guess that means, if he's not an actor, he should be a reporter. Or a superhero. Okay, I will let you draw your own conclusions and take you back to your regularly scheduled interview.)

What brought you to ISU?

I was at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival during my sophomore year of high school, and we all came here to ISU. I got such a great energy here, I knew I’d have to come back. So I did.

I saw you as Antonio, the merchant in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, a few weeks ago, at ISU’s Westhoff Theater. What are the most memorable roles on your acting resume thus far?

Wow, yeah, it’s hard for me to believe how recent that was. That show, along with THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, were my favorites probably because of what I’ve learned and taken from them. I did a lot of performances before college, but here I’ve been experimenting, and I’m very content with what I’ve been doing.

Is there a role or a play you’d really love to do someday?

In thinking of future roles that I’d love to tackle one day, I honestly have too many. I’d like to do something with a little more grit. That’s an opportunity that I haven’t been given much yet, and I’d like to open myself up to something like that.

I recall you have also done dramaturgy. Did you enjoy that off-stage/back-stage role?

I have done dramaturgy work, but only for MERCHANT. It was fun. I usually put in the same effort to research any show I’m working on. I’m not sure I’d do it again; I’d rather tell the story from on-stage.

Richard Miller, the would-be Lothario in SIRENS, is your first role with Heartland Theatre. How are you finding this kind of theater as opposed to the university theater experience or other shows you’ve done elsewhere?

Yes, it is my first role here. I’m having a terrific time and the atmosphere is truly wonderful, and I’ve gotten the great opportunity to work with a great group of people that I’ve grown to respect and enjoy. Something else that I like about Heartland is the space -- I like smaller venues like this, it makes it very effortless to be honest with the text.

Richard Miller strikes me as a difficult role because he seems to be one thing, but may actually be another. He’s kind of hard to figure out in some ways, and I’m pretty sure he’s different from what else you’ve done. What do you think? Has the part been a challenge for you?

I’m not sure if I would call the whole role a challenge. There have been small complications in playing Richard, but it doesn’t take all too much time with the script to realize why he’s here. I enjoy the role that he plays. He’s been written to serve the needs of Rose’s character, so I do my best to accommodate what I think her character needs in a guy like him. It’s a fun part though, really, and for anyone who sees the show, there will be no question why I’m having such a blast.

You’re doing very well with the Italian lines and phrases in the script. Do you have a vocal or singing background or some other reason that you’ve run into a little Italian before?

I’m not vocally trained, actually. My whole understanding of this beautiful language is mostly based on music that I’ve heard or my excessive watching of HBO. You could say that I just speak Paulie Walnuts-ian.

Connie de Veer, the actor you share the most time with on stage in SIRENS, is also your teacher. How has that worked out? Is it daunting at all?

It’s been great, actually. No matter what the circumstances are, it’s always great to work with someone so talented. However, I do try to get past the fact that she’s a professor, for a number of reasons, many of which would be obvious to audience members. It’s been hilarious.

This question is only going to make sense to people who have seen the play, but… Have you ever been to Long Island?

Ha! Unfortunately, I haven’t. But if anyone would like to join me…

Anything else you would like to say about yourself or the SIRENS experience? Are you asking any of your fellow students to come and see you?

I’ve told everyone I know to come, hopefully most of them will. I just adore this little play, I think it will really hit home for a lot of different kinds of people. I personally find it all so incredibly familiar and fun. It will be something that people won’t want to miss.

Andrew is a quite excellent in the role of Richard Miller in SIRENS and a great addition to the Heartland Theatre family. I'm hoping he will come back and do more roles at Heartland in the future. But in the meantime, everybody should come out and enjoy his performance in SIRENS. He's awesome!


SIRENS continues at Heartland Theatre tonight through Sunday, with performances scheduled through November 20th. To read more about the play, click here, or if you are ready to make reservations, you can click here. See you at SIRENS!

Talking With Connie de Veer About Her "Sirens" Songs

As part of my ongoing "Sirens" series, I talked to Connie de Veer, who plays Rose in the play for Heartland Theatre. Rose is celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary with her songwriter husband, Sam, even though Sam is increasingly distant as he yearns for his youth and a song that seems just out of reach. When they were young, Sam wrote a song for her (called "Rose Adelle") that became a huge hit. When you meet Connie de Veer, you definitely understand how someone could've written a hit song about her! Connie, who is an Associate Professor of Voice and Acting in the School of Theatre at ISU, is also an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. She acts, she sings, she directs, she choreographs, she coaches... And she is delightful and charming while she does it.

Connie, I seem to recall that you are originally from central Illinois and graduated from Normal U-High. Is that right?

I'm actually from Georgia originally, then my family moved to Tucson, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, Norman, OK, and then to Bloomington-Normal when I was 9. I did graduate from U-High though. Then I went to college and grad school in Texas, lived in New York City after I graduated.

How long have you been back in this area and what brought you back to Bloomington-Normal?

I came back here to accept a position at ISU, after my parents had passed away. I didn't really feel that I belonged here when I was a kid, but now I really love being here. It's a great place to raise a family.

I remember your performance in “The Trip to Bountiful” at Heartland, which I liked very much at the time. Can you tell us what is different about working at Heartland from your other theatrical experiences?

Well, the first thing I think of are the wonderful people at Heartland and in the Blo-No community. HTC is an artistic home of sorts, to many of us. Many of the other spaces I've acted in have been bigger spaces. The intimacy of Heartland provides a lot of connection with the audience. You can really feel them listening and living your character's journey with you....since they're only a few feet away!

I have also seen your work as a director, most recently on a very fine production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Do you prefer life as a director, as an actress, or as a vocal coach, which you also often do?

Thanks very much! We had a lot of fun on “How To Succeed.” That's a tough question. I think I love whatever hat I'm wearing at the time. I love working in the theatre because regardless of your job, it's really about people – the people we collaborate with and the stories of people that we tell. And I love people, so it's all good! But I guess I feel that acting is my real identity – it’s the perspective I take into directing and coaching.

“How to Succeed” is a musical, obviously. And I understand you will be directing the opera “La Boheme” for ISU next semester. “Sirens” has some musical elements in the plot (and you even get to sing a little). What is your favorite musical role? And your favorite dramatic role?

My favorite musical role would be Madame Matroppo in “Very Good Eddie,” a seldom done but delightful early 20th century musical. And Amanda from “The Glass Menagerie” is by far my favorite dramatic role. I played her when I was 4 months pregnant with Gwen!

What do you think are the biggest themes in “Sirens”? What about Rose Adelle, the character you’re playing, resonates for you?

Certainly the themes of mid-life and marital crises are central. Also, the road not taken... Both Rose and Sam are at a stage in life when they're wondering about that other person they could have spent their lives with. Did they make the wrong choice? How would they be different? Is it too late? I can certainly relate to the theme of coming to terms with one's place in Time. We all must accept at some point, what will never be again – no more youth, no more babies, no more short skirts, no more full head of hair!!

Although you are not playing mother and daughter, it’s still cool that in “Sirens,” you are playing opposite your real-life daughter, Gwen. Is this the first time the two of you have acted together?

It is the first time we've acted together and we're both thrilled and having a blast! We're big buddies, and it's really fun to share this experience. We've actually worked together in similar capacities – I choreographed a couple of musicals Gwen was in in high school, for example, so we're very comfortable working together.

Anything else you would like to tell potential audience members about “Sirens” or why they should come see it?

It's just such an enjoyable, lovely play! It's very well written, with nothing extraneous. It's both funny and poignant, dealing with quite profound life experiences in a highly inventive, playful way. And the whole company and production/design team are exceptional. It's just been a terrific process.

Connie de Veer (at left) tries to pull her husband (Todd Wineburner) away from the
lure of a Siren (Gwen de Veer) in "Sirens" at Heartland Theatre Company.

Thanks, Connie de Veer!

"Sirens" opens tomorrow night, November 3, with a special "Pay What You Can" preview, followed by performances November 4-6, 10-13 and 17-20. For more information, click here or go straight here for reservations.