Interview: Rachel Drance on Leading WAITRESS in Vancouver

Vancouver-raised actor Rachel Drance has come full circle. After years of working in film and television, she has returned to the city where her performance journey began, this time taking center stage as Jenna Hunterson in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of WAITRESS. It’s a role that has challenged her, changed her, and ultimately reminded her why she fell in love with storytelling in the first place.

“My journey through, away from, and back to theatre has been a long and winding one,” Drance reflects. “During my high school years, I never imagined performing would be my career. I had plans to pursue academics in university, but my parents convinced me that I’d always regret not giving it a go. I’m so grateful they did.”

Since her early days on Vancouver stages, what’s evolved most for Drance is her sense of purpose. “When I was younger, acting was often a way for me to express myself or experience things I hadn’t lived through. I used to hold on to everything so tightly. Now, my love for  stories  is rooted more in empathy and a desire to explore universal truths.”

That deeper connection has served her well in WAITRESS, a show that demands both vulnerability and endurance. “I was genuinely worried I’d have stage fright returning to theatre after all these years,” she admits. “Film is a very different animal and I wasn’t sure I still had the courage to step back on stage.”

The return has been both technical and emotional. Preparing for Jenna meant unlearning screen habits and embracing the physical and vocal demands of live performance. “The artists I share the stage with are truly athletes. The stamina and focus required for this kind of run is no joke,” she says. “It had been years since I’d sung in front of more than twenty people. I knew I had some serious work to do.” That work included nine months of weekly vocal training with coach Billy Gollner, arranged through musical director Caitlin Hayes.

But the real shift happened in the rehearsal room. “From day one, I was inspired by the communal nature of theatre,” Drance says. Director Ashlie Corcoran’s framing of the story as a series of doors we walk through in life, paired with set designer Cory Sincennes’ vision of each location appearing like fragments of memory, changed everything. “That concept lit a fire in my mind. Suddenly, the whole show felt like Jenna reliving this chapter of her life in her own memory. It opened up space for the emotional highs and lows, and even the surreal, whimsical tone of the script.”

In contrast to the fast pace of television and film, where actors often prepare alone and jump straight into shooting, theatre allowed Drance to slow down and dig deeper. “You’re constantly discovering more and more. It can be messy and uncomfortable, which I wasn’t used to. But it unlocked depth and nuance I never could have reached on my own. I’m so grateful for that process.”

That emotional depth has extended beyond rehearsal. As Drance immersed herself in Jenna’s journey, she found it reflecting her own. “I already related to so much of Jenna’s pain and healing,” she says. “This show explores reconnecting with lost parts of yourself, recognizing self-worth, and the importance of platonic intimacy, all of which hold personal meaning for me.” But what surprised her was how the role challenged her to start believing the kind things others had said about her. “It’s only when Jenna hears those words from people she loves that she begins to believe them. That hit me hard. I had grown used to shrugging off kindness and listening to the more critical voices in my head. Playing Jenna has helped me ask, ‘What if every good thing anyone has ever said about you is true?’ That question is something I think we should all ask ourselves.”

To stay emotionally grounded in such a demanding role, Drance leans on three things: therapy, honesty, and grace. “Therapy has been essential, especially for this kind of emotional heavy lifting. Having a professional to help me separate myself from the character has been a gift.”

Equally vital is the practice of checking in with herself: honesty. “It is crucial for me to ask how I’m really doing. I had to be real with myself about the days I was struggling, instead of trying to avoid it or push through emotionally. There have been days when I’ve needed to scream it out, meditate it out, cry it out, shake it out, dance it out, work it out, or yoga it out. Knowing how to release in whatever way is needed has allowed me to show up to the next rehearsal or performance ready to tell the story again.”

Then there is grace, which is both the hardest and most important part. “Not every show will feel fully connected. Some days, I might only be at seventy percent, and that’s okay. That’s when I remind myself to trust the craft and let the muscle memory carry me. I tell my students, that’s where the craft takes over and the art steps back.

No moment demands that trust more than WAITRESS’ emotional centerpiece, She Used to Be Mine. For Drance, it is the soul of the show and a nightly leap of faith. “This song is truly iconic. It resonates so deeply with so many people. I used to say that life leaves handprints on us, and that every person who touches us can take a piece of us with them. So we have to constantly reclaim and rebuild. That is what this song is about: healing from the traumas that leave us feeling like a shadow of who we once were.”

It’s also the song that brought her back to theatre. “I sang it for years in my kitchen alone, or with friends and family who were lovingly forced to be my audience. But now, when I reach that moment in the show, I almost always think, ‘Wow, I really don’t want to do this right now.’ And that’s exactly how I think it should be.”

To Jenna, the song begins as an apology. “She’s apologizing to her baby for not being the version of herself that existed before life broke her down. She fears her child will inherit the same hopelessness and abuse she experienced.” Drance lets the song unfold with no roadmap. “My first thought is, ‘I’m so sorry I can’t keep you safe.’ From there, the entire song has to be a discovery. Jenna doesn’t know that she’s about to pour her heart out in a desperate attempt to escape. And within the context of the song, she doesn’t succeed.”

Drance points to a heartbreaking truth: it takes, on average, seven attempts for a woman in an abusive relationship to finally leave. “This song feels like attempt number six. She almost does it. But the baby kicks, both literally and metaphorically, and she loses her resolve. By the end, she has the strength, but she doesn’t realize it yet. That final note is full of grief and regret, but beneath it is a spine that’s starting to straighten.”

What makes the moment possible each night is her scene partner. “Jacob Woike, who plays Earl, is one of the most generous actors I’ve worked with. Their honesty and power in the scene before the song always puts me exactly where I need to be as Jenna. Everyone talks about how hard it is to play Jenna, and they’re right. But Earl is a brutal role too, and Jacob brings incredible care and sophistication to it. I’m eternally grateful.” Drance sums it up simply: “I trust my incredible scene partner, and I trust the song to take me where I need to go. Neither has let me down yet.”

When asked what Jenna might say to her younger self at the end of the show, Drance reflects for a moment. “I think she’d say two things. First: ‘I promise it gets better than you can imagine. Trust yourself.’ And second: ‘I’m so sorry it took us this long to give ourselves the gift of freedom. We deserved it all along.’”

As for what Drance would say to her own younger self starting out in the industry? “Stick to your values. Trust your instincts. Don’t be so afraid. I might even quote Joe from the song, Take It From an Old Man, ‘Bet it all on yourself, at least one time.’ I’ve been lucky to have the support of incredible people and communities who’ve helped me keep betting on myself, even when the road was long and dark. It really has been one hell of a ride.”

And if her life were a pie? “I’d call it My Usual Chaos Pie,” she laughs. “Passionfruit curd between layers of dark and white chocolate ganache, with fresh strawberries, yuzu-scented whipped cream, and crushed honeycomb candy on top. Would it work? Who knows?”

What she does know is this: she’s exactly where she’s meant to be, telling stories, trusting the craft, and reclaiming her own vibrant self, one performance at a time.

WAITRESS presented by the Arts Club Theatre Company will play at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver, BC until August 3, 2025. For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, visit the link below.