Interview: 10 ON TUESDAY with Neala Barron

6) Living or dead, who would you drop everything to see perform? Patti Lupone (freaking out about War Paint over here!!) Also: Tina Turner, David Bowie, Beck, and Beyonce. Let's be real here.
7) Who's your biggest inspiration? I get this question a lot and I honestly don't have an answer. I think the short response is that I am inspired by an inordinate amount of people, places, things, ideas, and small animals. Namely my peers and friends - their drive, the consistently stupidly brilliant work that they are putting up around the city, and the stories that they are fighting for to get told. I'm inspired by kindness, jokes landing at a party the right way, good food, interesting characters, mystery, unintentional sexiness, and saying yes. Dumb answer? Sure.

8) Describe the Chicago community in three words: Snap, crackle, pop.
9) Fill in the blank: "If I could change one thing about theatre in Chicago, it would be ..... " inclusion and active participation in casting and making more opportunities for performers of different races and body types. Creating the opportunities for them. Replacing "thinking outside of the box" with "making things that I think are outside the box, inside the box." Having that not be a risk.
10) Fill in the blank: "The thing I'd never change about theatre in Chicago is ....... " the sense of community/family. I think it is rare to experience the level of support and collaboration I feel within the community on the daily - whether it is debate and conversation over important topics, to consoling each other and grieving together over losses, to sharing snacks at EPAs, to seeing your industry friends giving you standing ovations at your performances they come and see, Chicago theatre and our community is fiercely loyal, and I don't think I will ever get tired of that.