This spring I was playing Claire in the production of Genet’s The Maids at The Seeing Place Theatre! Directing and co-staring as Solange was The Seeing Place co-founder Erin Cronican, alongside lovely Christine Redhead as Madame.

The play has always been both appealing and terrifying to me because of its depths that I didn’t quite know how to delve into. The history implies surrealistic approach, to the core of rituals and symbolism. At the same time, it seems to be well fitting into psychological realism as well. Through discovery sessions, research and discussions with the team, it made more sense to me than ever and the play was very exciting for us all. I feel grateful that I was given the opportunity to take the journey of Claire and establish a deeper, organic understanding of her humanity and drives with each performance.

* The production was nominated for 3 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, including Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role (Gaia Visnar) and Outstanding Ensemble. Read more… *

From the audience comments on Showcore:

“Gaia Visnar is good and mischievous as one of the maids.”

“Gaia did a valiant job as Claire, bringing a lusty, robust character to life.”

“Gaia, who played Claire, was confident, physical, and vibrant.”

“Visnar is great at conveying the period feel, and her accent suits the play.”

“The performances were perfectly pitched to the humour and gravity of the play.”

“It’s a pretty confusing play, but it is adeptly handled by all three actresses.”

Photography by Russ Rowland.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *