Liz Lauren is a veteran of the 2nd Act Players stage, having acted in two of our previous productions. She’ll be playing multiple characters in four of the eight short plays that make up our 60 is the New 40 Play Festival this month.
Come see Liz along with five other cast members, online Nov. 13, 14, 20, 21 at 7 p.m. For details, check out our 60 is the New 40 Festival page. For tickets, click here.
Below, read Liz’s thoughts on acting, the challenges she faced in the festival and her hopes for the future of theater.
- How and why did you get into acting?
When I was a teen in San Diego I saw A Chorus Line, which inspired me to take acting classes and eventually move to L.A. to pursue acting as a career.
- If you could play any character in any play or movie, who would you pick and why?
I love Ilsa in Casablanca. Her role has a deep and rich emotional life with a colorful story. The audience can understand and empathize with her as she struggles with her choices.
- In this festival, how are you tackling the challenge of playing multiple characters in multiple plays?
I set aside time to focus on each play individually and sketch out a back story for each character I am playing. When rehearsing, I try to stay open so that opportunities of discovery and moments can happen organically.
- What are your hopes and expectations for theater in a post-Covid world?
I hope most theaters will be able to survive the long shut-downs that have happened during Covid and will have the financial and community support to come back strong and thrive in the post-Covid era. I’m sure there will be an abundance of plays written about this time, so many stories to tell.