Local actor Heather Rule talks dramatic roles, directing and Jack Daniels
Heather Rule’s performance as Anessa in Pinch ‘N’ Ouch’s latest show, Let’s Make It, was stand out. It was one of those moments where you suspend all belief and just allow the scene in front of you unfold: no judgement, no distractions to pull you out. She was previously seen on local stages, and shows including An Ideal Husband, FLUX 2011, and Tartuffe. Rule was also part of the cast of No Soliciting, an Atlanta crafted film that premiere recently at the Plaza Theatre.
Below she talks about her current role, her hopes for the future, and her recent experience with directing.
Q: Your role in Let’s Make It required you to be in an intense emotional state for the majority of the duration of the play. You pulled it off with vulnerability and what seemed like a state of complete unawareness of the gawking audience a few feet away from you, what actor tools did you use to fully embrace the dialogue and the character?
A: Music is my lifeblood. I’ll tune into certain artists or genres when preparing for a role, and continue listening to them outside of rehearsal and performance. I started journaling as Anessa during the process. When I found myself struggling with something in the script, I wrote about it from her point of view. That brought things closer to home. I read through that journal as part of my warmup. And then there’s Sandy Meisner. His technique involves listening and responding truthfully to partner, under imaginary circumstances. By focusing your energy on that, you get to leave it all out there on stage. That’s what I strive to do. It’s this idea of fully living out every moment, so much so that the audience fades away.
Q: As a graduate from Auburn’s performing arts program you must have experienced a deluge of playwrights past and their works, how was it to work with contemporary material and, if it was, how was it different?
A: My time at Auburn focused more on classic and modern works, so we explored Shakespeare, Chekhov, Brecht, Oscar Wilde, you probably get the idea. I do remember a scene study class that touched on some fresher playwrights, like Tracy Letts and Sarah Ruhl. I always feel most liberated doing contemporary pieces, but I’m thankful for the traditional training. I walked out of that program with a solid foundation, one that I could build upon as an artist.
Q: Your character, Anessa, in Let’s Make It has a sordid family background that comes out later in the show. What choices did you make to maintain not only how this would effect her personality, but also how to deal with it emotionally on stage since she, as a character, seems as if she has not fully dealt with it?
A: Anessa has this painstakingly honest line about how every human being is broken and damaged. The idea of that, that we are all troubled and struggling to some extent, led to many potent discoveries about her past, and I began to justify why she wouldn’t have processed it yet. How could she? There’s so much there to deal with, it’s overwhelming. Her conflicts come from a place of deep pain, and wherever there is pain there is an even stronger presence of love.
Q: You seem relatively fresh to the Atlanta theater scene and have already worked on both original works and classics, such as The Seagull, for many different companies and theaters in the area. What do you hope to do next? Are there any productions or stages that you strive to be a part of?
A: Whether it’s on stage, in front of a camera, taking a class somewhere, listening to a dialect tape in the car, you name it – I just want to continually work. We are never done learning, it’s never enough. That may be the hardest realization to have as an artist, but one of the most important. Of course there are companies I’ve been keeping my eye on, seasons that I would love to be cast in. I’m afraid I can’t admit them, for fear of a jinx.
Q: You are directing scenes as part of Pinch ‘N’ Ouch’s Meisner Acting student showcase, has being behind the scenes always been an interest? And how does it differ in reward from performing after the final product is conceived?
A: Working behind the scenes gives you this “bigger picture” perspective, which I truly appreciate. Directing has proved just as rewarding. A swelling sense of pride and respect comes with the final product. It emanates from watching my actors work their asses off and really bring it to performance. Because I know that side of it too. The quality of work put in is what makes it all worthwhile.
Q: And of course, no actor should ever avoid the Lipton treatment:
What is your favorite word? “Meow”
What is your least favorite word? “Fro-yo”
What turns you on? Cat Power Pandora Station
What turns you off? Excessive Talkers
What sound or noise do you love? Thunder
What sound or noise do you hate? Screeching children
What is your favorite curse word? Motherfucker
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Undercover Cop
What profession would you not like to do? Any profession that involves screeching children
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Whiskey or Bourbon?” (If God drank Jack Daniels…I’d believe in anything.)
