BWW Interviews: Elizabeth Bunch Talks Alley Theatre's AS YOU LIKE IT

AS YOU LIKE IT is pastoral romantic comedy featuring two heroines and, as always, starcrossed lovers, cross dressing and mistaken identities.

Elizabeth Bunch is Rosalind, the beautiful, quick witted daughter of an exiled duke. Rosland becomes exiled herself after angering her power hungry, insecure uncle. Emily Trask is Celia, Rosalind's loyal cousin and closest friend.

Together, Celia and Rosalind travel through the forest getting themselves in and out of hijinks. Move over Laverne and Shirley. You've been preempted by several centuries.

In this BroadwayWorld interview, I talk to Elizabeth Bunch, AS YOU LIKE IT's Rosalind.

BWW: You've done several Shakespeare plays at the Alley and elsewhere. What roles have you played?

Elizabeth Bunch: Hermia in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Viola in TWELFTH NIGHT, Isabella in MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Juliet in ROMEO AND JULIET. At the Alley I have played Hero in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and Desdemona in OTHELLO.

BWW: What's your favorite Shakespearean role/play and/or what's your dream Shakespearean role?

Elizabeth Bunch: Juliet was my favorite until now but Rosalind is gaining!

BWW: Are you concerned with making AS YOU LIKE IT relevant to the present?

Elizabeth Bunch: It is relevant! One of, if not the smartest Shakespearean woman falling so deep in love that she will do anything. That plotline never gets old.

BWW: What are some of the challenges of playing Rosalind?

Elizabeth Bunch: Keeping up with her mind! She is amazing. I have to think and speak as swiftly as her brain works and then build my stamina so it is easy to do so. Rosalind is not struggling to keep up, so I can't either.

BWW: Was it easier or more difficult to have the chance to speak some prose in a Shakespearean play?

Elizabeth Bunch: The fun comes from figuring out why and when Shakespeare uses verse and when prose. Everything he does is a clue.

BWW: You've been with the Alley Theatre for quite some time. (It's your 50th production since 2002.) What are the rewards of being a member of the company?

Elizabeth Bunch: A huge question. I have become a "company actress." Meaning: I am now an actress that thrives as a company member. Rosalind now, sultry vampiress this fall, last year down - trodden Bostonian Margie in GOOD PEOPLE, or the five line drunk in YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. I want to be challenged constantly and in the company environment.

BWW: What is it like being married to and performing with a member of the Alley company (Chris Hutchison)?

Elizabeth Bunch: Honestly? A dream come true. Most of the time I feel like we are the most fortunate actors in the world. We met doing a production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM but he was Bottom and I was Hermia. That was a pattern for us for a long time. We kept doing plays together but playing characters that never interact. PROOF here at the Alley was the first time we got to play opposite each other. AS YOU LIKE IT is the first time we have played opposite each other in a Shakespeare. I just love it.

BWW: Tell me about your recent teaching experience at UH. Do you have any advice for aspiring actors?

Elizabeth Bunch: Chris and I team teach the acting majors at the University of Houston. It has been so useful to get to focus on basics of acting. You are brought to a deeper understanding of a concept when you are forced to make it clear for someone else.

As far as advice for young actors, I think experiencing as much as possible is the best preparation for an actor. See as many plays as you can, study as many subjects, read everything you can. This career does not just come to you, you have to be ready to put in real work!

The Alley Theatre's production of AS YOU LIKE IT runs at the University of Houston, January 30 - February 22. For more information visit www.alleytheatre.org.