“I’ve been directing 20 years and never seen that before – we just kind of went into problem-solving mode,” said director Petra Kalive of the Opening night in which Izabella Yena had 20 minutes to prepare to cover two roles
A long career in theatre is an education in luck but, even in two decades of directing, Petra Kalive has never seen something like this.
With one of the all-female cast sidelined in Melbourne’s fourth wave of the virus, talented 27-year-old Izabella Yena wasThough cover players do not participate in the weeks-long rehearsal phase, Yena sailed through her opening ensemble scenes, even pulling off a silly dance. About 40 minutes in, however, things took a turn. Heidi Arena, playing the Bard, limped off stage in character, saying “there’s something wrong with my shin”.
“We were trying to get the wig and moustache but, in the chaos of it all when I was walking on stage and they passed me the moustache, I was like, ‘I just don’t think it’s going to stick’.”Such is Yena’s skill that, even looking like herself and dressed in puffy velvet pants, she pulled off the challenging and unexpected role with just an occasional glimpse at “the book”.
“I’ve been directing 20 years and never seen that before – we just kind of went into problem-solving mode,” she said.
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