MEET THE ACTRESS – EMILY TRUDEAU

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Photo Caption: Emily with Tony Palmieri as Elizabeth & John Proctor (photo credit: Arienne Davey)

The Crucible’s Emily Trudeau sees beneath her character’s ice queen exterior.  As Elizabeth Proctor, she runs a complicated gamut of emotions.  “She is a wife, mother, and a person with exceptionally poor self-esteem,” said Emily. “She is deeply in love with her husband.  She is also not a weakling.  This was a time in history when women couldn’t be in-your-face. She can also be quite passive aggressive. I am a Type A person trying to convey all of this in a 1600s way.”

Even though the play was written in the 1950s and takes place in the late 1600s, Emily finds the themes universal and completely relevant in the modern day.  “First, there is the peer pressure angle.  Why would all of these girls go along with this horrible thing (i.e., accusing half the town of witch craft)? It is the Mean Girls phenomenon where you have one mean sociopath and the other girls follow her.  Then there is the paranoia angle.  This piece was written as a direct response to the McCarthyism of the 1950s.  People would accuse their neighbors and rat out others to save their own necks. These things still happen today.”

Rehearsals have been wonderful for Emily.  She credits all involved for consistently bringing their A-game.  “It’s wonderful when you have a cast that make themselves vulnerable and gets their emotions up to the surface,” she said. “Tony Palmieri (who plays John Proctor) is a really solid scene partner.  He brings a great energy to the set.  We are both a little on the method side.  Our approaches are very complimentary.”

Emily discovered theater in high school.  She credits it for getting her out of her “shy and nerdy” shell. She auditioned for a play in her freshman year and landed the lead.  “The first play opened the door for me,” she said. “My first director was very encouraging. I started doing Community Theatre from there.  It is a hobby that I am very passionate about.”  Her HITW credits include: Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches and The Tempest.

Tackling the female lead in an Arthur Miller classic is a herculean task.  Many hours of rehearsal are required.  Emily credits one person for helping her with this experience. “My mother is a huge enabler in my theater bug.  She has really been putting in some grandma overtime, helping me with my daughter.  I wouldn’t be able to do this without her help.”

Come see Emily when The Crucible opens on Friday, May 15th.  Performances run Fridays and Saturdays from May 15- June 6, 2015 with one Sunday matinee on May 24th at HITW on 116 Main Street in New Britain, CT. Tickets are $20.00 (general admission) and $15.00 (students and seniors).  They can be purchased at the door and online at www.hitw.org. The May 22nd show will be our Pay-What-You-Can performance. The Crucible is being presented in honor of Arthur Miller’s 100th Birthday.