In Conversation With: Tracy Michelle Arnold

Welcome to the Green Room Meditations Podcast, presented by the Indiana Repertory Theatre and hosted by Devon Ginn.

Today, we are in conversation with: Tracy Michelle Arnold. Tracy stars in the Indiana Repertory Theatre's one-woman show titled Shakespeare's Will. Tracy holds an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University and has been a proud member of Actors Equity Association since 1990. Tracy has served as a company member of American Players in beautiful Spring Green, Wisconsin, where favorite roles include Cleopatra in Antony & Cleopatra, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Regan in King Lear and Charlotta in The Cherry Orchard. This season marks Tracy's 23rd year with APT, which fills her to the brim with gratitude and joy. At American Players Theatre, she has met the best of friends, the most talented of companions, the dearest of husbands, and the most extraordinary group of characters to inhabit. From Cleo to Kate, Jacques to Iachimo, Blanche DuBois to Linda Loman, each has broadened her capacity to understand and admire the human condition in all its wondrous complexity. She has been blessed to work in many fine theatres, Asolo Rep, Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, Forward Theater, Northlight, Writers, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre among them. She makes her home here in Spring Green with her family.

 

About Shakespeare's Will: In Shakespeare's Will, the story of William Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway takes center stage. Anne has been cloaked in silence and invisibility, and now she tells her side of the story, full of love and loss, secrets and sacrifices. Inspired by what little we know about her, this witty and imaginative play creates a surprisingly modern portrait of a proudly imperfect wife and mother. Arnold conveys all of it, playing numerous characters - including Anne's husband, father, children and sister-in-law - while changing emotions in the blink of an eye. From carefree flirt to haunted widow. From tender mother of three to sex-starved lover of many. From terror-stricken plague refugee to joyous chronicler of nature's beauty. With a nod toward Anne's own slim inheritance, Arnold is given only a bed, table and chair - as well as a long scarf that embodies everything from a newborn to an ocean - to tell her story. It's more than enough for Arnold, who rises above a few moments where the script sags - and who is no more willing than Anne to be bound by a man's words, whether poetic or testamentary.

Shakespeare's Will is on stage at the Indiana Repertory Theatre until April 16th. Click here for tickets: https://bit.ly/3nCWctf 

About the Indiana Repertory Theatre:

Founded in 1971, the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is the largest professional not-for-profit theatre in the state and one of the leading regional theatres in the country. The mission of the Indiana Repertory Theatre is to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that will engage, surprise, challenge, and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, helping us build a vital and vibrant community.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA): The IRT strives to celebrate and serve the diverse people and cultures that make up our whole community. The IRT is committed to providing access for all; to creating and maintaining an antiracist theatre that is inclusive, safe, and respectful.