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Joe and Mark are joined by actor Judy Cormier to discuss the craft of acting and the actors who have inspired Judy in her own work.
In her case, it’s the thespian craft of three heavyweights—Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, and Maggie Smith. Judy shares with us specific lessons she unearthed in Dench’s memoir Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, including the fundamental difference between rote line memorization and the necessity of truly understanding the text you’re performing.
We discuss everything from the tragedies of Euripides to the structured chaos of “Pantos,” those unique traditional musical comedies often performed around Christmas. Judy walks us through the challenge of training polite Canadian audiences to abandon their reserve and scream at the villain, something we discover Mark excels at.
It’s a fun conversation with someone truly passionate about her craft that left Joe torn between wanting to audition for our local community theatre or writing a panto for them to perform. Or maybe… both?
Mark is already at work on scripts for the theatre, and he knows he won’t be returning to the stage anytime soon.
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Judy Cormier is an actor who lives in London, Ontario, where she performs in local theatre regularly.
She can be found onstage at the Palace Theatre, where she acts with the London Community Players in shows such as Scooped. She recently co-directed The Wicked Witches of Oz for the Kettle Creek Players.
She’s also known for film work in the region, notably a film production about the Black Donnellys (2017). She played the character of Johannah Donnelly, a portrayal which won her several best acting awards.
Check out the new season of the Palace Theatre here.
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