Company Interviews: Julia Nish-Lapidus as Bottom
We asked Julia Nish-Lapidus, who plays Bottom in our production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, a few questions about herself, her character, and fairies...
Julia Nish-Lapidus as Bottom. Photo by Kyle Purcell.
Have you been in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream before?
I have only done this play once before and it was with BASH'd way back before we had ever done a full production. We started by doing staged-readings and our second one was Midsummer. I got to play Hermia, Peter Quince, and a Fairy. It's a big change to be playing Bottom now...
What might people be interested to know about your take on your character?
I'm a big proponent of the actor bringing a lot of themselves to their character and I had a really hard time figuring out how to do that with Bottom. The character's incredible confidence and bravado don't sit naturally with me and I had a really hard time at the start of the process. Finally our amazing directors (Catherine and James) helped me realize that my Bottom doesn't need to be this preening man, that I can bring my work in Clown and my general enthusiasm and see where that sits in the character. Suddenly, everything started to click, and though I'm still terrified of the part, I'm having a lot of fun with it and every day more excitement is creeping in!
If your character were at the Monarch Tavern, what drink would they order?
Two beers.
What’s the best line in the play?
Oberon's "I am invisible," has always been one of my favourite lines in all of Shakespeare.
Who is your favourite pop-culture fairy?
I've always been partial to Flora, Fauna and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty. They're fun and smart and a great trio. I couldn't pick just one.
What are you most excited for people to see in this production?
This is a play that is often done in a very conceptual way, where the characters and story are taken into a new context, which is always fun. But I'm excited to share with the audience a text-based version of the play (in true BASH'd style), where we get to explore these characters and situations with the words and create an intimate relationship with the audience in our close-knit bar setting. Everyone is doing such a wonderful job of bringing this play to life and the final piece is always the audience. I can't wait to see how that influences the play and completes it!
I have only done this play once before and it was with BASH'd way back before we had ever done a full production. We started by doing staged-readings and our second one was Midsummer. I got to play Hermia, Peter Quince, and a Fairy. It's a big change to be playing Bottom now...
What might people be interested to know about your take on your character?
I'm a big proponent of the actor bringing a lot of themselves to their character and I had a really hard time figuring out how to do that with Bottom. The character's incredible confidence and bravado don't sit naturally with me and I had a really hard time at the start of the process. Finally our amazing directors (Catherine and James) helped me realize that my Bottom doesn't need to be this preening man, that I can bring my work in Clown and my general enthusiasm and see where that sits in the character. Suddenly, everything started to click, and though I'm still terrified of the part, I'm having a lot of fun with it and every day more excitement is creeping in!
If your character were at the Monarch Tavern, what drink would they order?
Two beers.
What’s the best line in the play?
Oberon's "I am invisible," has always been one of my favourite lines in all of Shakespeare.
Who is your favourite pop-culture fairy?
I've always been partial to Flora, Fauna and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty. They're fun and smart and a great trio. I couldn't pick just one.
What are you most excited for people to see in this production?
This is a play that is often done in a very conceptual way, where the characters and story are taken into a new context, which is always fun. But I'm excited to share with the audience a text-based version of the play (in true BASH'd style), where we get to explore these characters and situations with the words and create an intimate relationship with the audience in our close-knit bar setting. Everyone is doing such a wonderful job of bringing this play to life and the final piece is always the audience. I can't wait to see how that influences the play and completes it!