The talented and unforgettable Bruce Davies seamlessly portrayed 15 various characters in his astounding performance of The 39 Steps at Lighthouse Festival in 2013. He returns this summer to tackle what he refers to as his most challenging role to date in LFT’s first show of the season Corpse!, opening May 27th.<\/p>\n
Understand the motivations of a murderer. There are few careers where this statement would be a job requirement, but for actor Bruce Davies it’s a crucial element to perfecting his work. Knowledge of ones motives is essential in creating a genuine persona that an audience will not only believe, but also develop an emotional bond with.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an actor, I get the opportunity to explore and understand the motivation and actions of others. It gives me a chance to get a perspective of people’s lives that I otherwise wouldn’t. I try and understand what it might be like to be a farmer, politician, lawyer… or in this case, a murderer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corpse! follows the tale of a troubled twin and sociopath Evelyn Farrot, who plots to murder his identical brother, Rupert. Both roles are played by Davies. The hijinks that ensue in this zany masterpiece create a bed of mystery that won’t truly be unveiled until the very end. This murderous, carefully executed, hilarious whodunnit will have audiences in shambles trying to solve the absurd family dynamics that unfold before them.<\/p>\n
Davies specifically auditioned for this role, as he was \u201cblown away by the premise, structure and writing\u201d of the script and character development. \u201cIt’s been a pleasure to learn, because it’s so well written.\u201d Davies has been studying the role for the past couple of months to understand how his character should behave and why, before meeting the rest of the cast.<\/p>\n
For Davies, playing multiple characters within the same play is not an unusual task and he admits that this type of casting is what he looks forward to most as an actor. \u201cMy biggest challenge is to create enough similarities between the two characters, while ensuring the audience recognizes their differences; both physically and vocally.\u201d Davies shares. \u201cBut also- Evelyn has schizophrenic tendencies. He talks to himself in different voices, believing to be 3 people at any given time. I love the challenge!\u201d<\/p>\n
For the audience to truly follow along, the role has to be believable, and that is what Davies always aims to achieve. He feels that understanding the ‘why’ behind the character’s actions is incumbent in captivating an audience. \u201cLive theatre allows you to transport an audience into the real time and place of a story,\u201d explains Davies. \u201cThe audience is right there with you, experiencing everything with your character in real time- it’s like a 3 dimensional, heightened reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davies is thrilled to be back in Port Dover and describes Lighthouse as the best place he has ever worked. \u201cLighthouse is one of the most supportive and respectful environments for an actor to be a part of,\u201d admits Davies. \u201cDerek Ritschel (Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director and Director of Corpse!) is an incredible actor and, in turn, is an actor’s director- which is a valuable asset in this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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