At first glance, Mary Roane may seem an unlikely person to play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s lethal, cold Nurse Ratched. She is approachable, personable, gentile and loving. However, the New Britain resident has no problem getting under the skin of this iconic character that we all love to hate.
A trained actress, Mary uses the acting techniques that she mastered at the University of Georgia (MFA, Theater). She avoids previous interpretations of the role, focuses on the text, and plays what she sees.
“Nurse Ratched is a woman living in a time period where women didn’t have many options for a career,” said Mary. “The play takes place in the 1960s, a time where women didn’t have much power. She needed a job that is reputable. She doesn’t see herself as evil. She completely believes in what she is doing”
Even though Ratched’s relationships with Randle McMurphy (Ryan Wantroba) and Chief Bromden (Gene Tellier) are intensely volatile, Mary’s off stage relationship with her co-stars is personally rewarding. “This cast is amazing. Ryan and Gene are so good. The energy that Ryan brings in makes everything so alive. It makes it easy for me to come in and not suck.”
Mary’s relationship with HITW runs deep. She had appeared in numerous productions including Sordid Lives, Romeo and Juliet and Detective Story, among others. “HITW audiences are wonderful. They will go with you wherever you want to take them.”
You can catch Mary as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, playing on October 31, November 1, 6, 7, 8, 14 & 15, 2014 at 8:00p.m.