Wilkins Breathes Life Into Caricature In A WOMAN ON STAGE

Ilana Lydia describes her play, A Woman on Stage, as "polyvocal - meaning it focuses on more than one character, despite its singular woman named in the title. Stella is one of three women followed from the beginning - most caricatured - state, through their development as full human beings," Lydia said.

"Stella seems to be on a different course than the other two characters," Lydia continued. "She has knowledge of the outside world, and instead wants to escape into a world of fantasy. Unlike Becky, she does not call fantasy life home and is constantly confronted with the real again and again. And unlike Rachel, the central character, she already has knowledge of life outside her written parameters."

Juliet has been bringing Stella to life by focusing on the differences between the many characters she plays, while finding Stella's voice in all of them. It's a challenging role because she plays upward of a dozen different characters, all while being Stella, the actress, on top of it.

Juliet Rachel Wilkins seems well suited to the job. She has been onstage or backstage in some capacity since the age of six. According to Wilkins she recently "channeled her inner Englishwoman to appear as Dead Mum (best character name ever) in Billy Elliot, got some tutoring by a mysterious Phantom as Christine in Phantom of the Opera, wrestled with unspoken love as Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar and braved the barricades to play Cosette in Les Miserables - all in the same month - before appearing as Mrs. Bedwin in Oliver! and taking on a variety of characters in Chandler-Gilbert Community College's production of Working."

Wilkins has also performed with the Flagstaff Light Opera Company, Skilderverse Productions and Brelby Theater Company.

Last seen at B3 as Cat Girl in Droppin' Johns, Wilkins was Sound Designer for my love|my lumberjack and transformed actors into living stained glass and pop art as Make-Up and Hair Designer for Last Castrato/True Believer. She said she will always jump at the opportunity to work alongside Ilana Lydia, the creator of some of her very favorite women on stage. Wilkins studies voice with Jennifer Nagy, works in Mayo Clinic's Cancer Registry, and said she "tries to perfect breaking glass with the B above Soprano C."

A Woman on Stage finds Rachel, a grad student in an archaic field of study, feeling that her annoying roommates are making less and less sense, when a message comes to her through a Man on TV that she isn't real, but a fictional character. Rachel resists grasping the truth, relying on soliloquies and round-robin scene changing to explore her theatrical state.

A Woman on Stage plays at the SIC Sense Theatre March 16-24, with shows Friday and Saturday nights at 8 and a special "pay what you can" student matinee at 2pm March 18th. All other seats are $15 at the door - enter promotional code WOSADVANCE before March 9th for $10 online admission.

The SIC Sense Theatre is located at 1902-9 E. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85006. For more information, visit their website.

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