BWW Blog: 'Yes, and' the Crap Out of Life - An Interview

I had the opportunity to speak with one of my favorite professors and people, Bridget Haight, about her journey in theatre. Haight teaches numerous theatre classes at my university including Acting I and Theatre Genres and Analysis and has been seen in many professional productions in Indianapolis, including "Mary Jane" by Amy Herzog and "Gloria" by Branden Jacob-Jenkins. She has also worked in commercials, voiceover, and audiobooks.

Haight caught the acting bug at the early age of ten when she participated in a collegiate production in need of a child for a role. She attended California State University Long Beach for a Bachelor's in Acting, then received her MFA in Acting at Depaul University.

Being a part of the Indy theatre community for a while, she gave some insight into the theaters and their balance.

"There are the big theaters like IRT (Indiana Repertory Theatre), Phoenix Theatre, and Beef and Boards which are equity theaters. Between the three of them, they do a good job of covering a lot of theatrical work. You've got musical works at Beef and Boards, and then you have your gold standards like the annual "A Christmas Carol" production at IRT. Then there's the Phoenix, which does more of the edgy, outside-of-the-box type stuff."

Haight continued,

"Now we have this cluster of really strong new theatre companies that are doing some really beautiful work, like American Lives Theatre and Storefront Theatre. They have the freedom to do things that are a little bit more adventurous that aren't getting produced by the big theaters."

I was lucky enough to see Haight in action this past January as the titular character in American Lives Theatre's production of "Gloria." As her rehearsal process was beginning, we studied the show in Theatre Genres and Analysis. Not only was the show moving and poignant, but Haight portrayed everything she teaches her students beautifully. It was an incredible opportunity to discuss the process and show as she was learning and making discoveries, then see the finished product. It was surreal to be a spectator on her journey with the show, and probably an experience not many students get the chance to have.

I also spoke with her on voiceover work, something I'm not super educated on. She explained,

"It's all about timing, like figuring out where inflection is going to go and how to make that difference. I love being on earmuffs and putting all my acting into my voice, it's fun to play with."

Haight got into voiceover when an elective course was offered while she was at Depaul.

"We got to train with this professional studio and it was just magic. I loved every second of it. I cut my demo with that same group and then got an agent up in Chicago. I got an agent through commercials, but they happen to also do voiceover stuff. I've had good luck in Indiana doing voiceovers because I don't think there are quite as many people that do it."

Along with the fascinating stories of everything she's done and how she got to where she is, Haight provided some insightful advice for aspiring actors.

"'Yes, and' the crap out of everything. Just agree to everything you can, because eventually you're going to have to get pickier and when that happens, you want those connections and those relationships that you've built in the very beginning to help boost you further into your career. So never burn bridges if you can avoid it. And always be the person that everybody wants to have around. Always be kind, always be a good worker. Be excited to be doing your craft because you never know when it's going to get taken away.

She continued,

"Network and market yourself and get to know people and build friendships. It is literally everything."

Before concluding, she added one more piece of advice.

"Never think that you've had too much training. I think to always maintain your sharpness, always be taking classes. If you're not in something, then you should be learning something."