The Collegian

Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Arts

Media Credit: Marieke van der Vaart

Media Credit: William Clayton

Senior Heidi Schroeder will lead Cast A in performances of "Hedda Gabler" Friday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. A theatre minor, she has acted in Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard" and last year's symbolist plays.



Hillsdale Collegian: What about Hedda appeals to you and your acting style?

Heidi Schroeder: Hedda … I don't know if confusing is the right word, but she's so intriguing and so complex and such a broken character. She's in bondage, and a lot of that is the society she's in. For me, it's like she's not a character - she's a person. You're forced to go beyond the surface for it to be believable. There's no taking it lightly. You have to do your homework, and it has to be well done. It's demanding, but there's a lot of opportunity.

Hedda is one of the most coveted roles in theater. It's an honor. I want to do it justice. It's just sweet.



HC: How do you relate Hedda to the other characters?

HS: Hedda knows how to behave. She knows what's acceptable and what's not. She does what she's supposed to do and expected to do by society.

At the same time, she despises it all. So she can't relate to any of the other characters. Certain aspects, she relates to. With Lovborg, she's so intrigued by his individuality and uniqueness, and she likes Thea's bravery. She doesn't have those, and she wants them, so she's drawn to them. So she's in conflict the whole time. I have to show that conflict going on deep inside. It's really hard: you have to appear one way, but not be that way. Using the face is a great tactic, or you can have your body language conflict with the lines.



HC: Describe the cast, and how they've influenced your portrayal of Hedda.

HS: The cast is extremely mature and skilled. There are aspects of each character I love. With Tesman, he's just the kindest, caring-to-a-fault husband. So that causes me to use that trait, or be endeared to it, depending on what I want as a character. Thea is very sympathetic. Everyone is concerned with her, but it bothers me. I'll feel like no one is concerned with me. And because [senior] Betsy [Stone] plays her with such sympathy, it makes me look less sympathetic.



HC: What do you want the audience to take away from the performance?

HS: I just want them to recognize the complexity. The last thing I would want would be for them to walk out and say, "Oh, that was a good story." There's such a small interval of time that goes on but there's so much conflict.

As for Hedda, I want them to understand her, but be baffled. I want them to understand her bondage and hurt. I want it to make sense to them, but still, no one will know what's going on but Hedda.

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