Stephanie Carlson is a professional actor and singer from Easthampton, Massachusetts – which for the non-Americans among us is not that East Hampton of ‘the Hamptons’ fame, but is instead ‘kind of near Boston’.
Over the course of her lengthy career, Stephanie has performed throughout the Eastern United States and has also toured nationally with Underground Railway Theatre. Touring on cruise ships has also given her the chance to perform internationally. Since founding Passport Theatre Company with Adrian Goldman in 2012, she’s visited Finland several times for major roles in the group’s joint productions with the Finn-Brit Players, such as Falsettos, Hay Fever and Melancholy Play. And she’s now delighted to be back in Helsinki for Educating Rita!
In fact, she has Adrian to thank for her first ever experience in theatre, when he directed her in a production of Pippin back when she was in high school.
“And I’ve been performing ever since!” says Stephanie.
Another big first resulted from playing April (a ditzy flight attendant) in Speakeasy Stage's production of Company, as it earned Stephanie her first Boston Globe review. Mr. Burns, a Post-Apocalyptic Play, in which she played Bart/Quincy, was also a stand-out production. This edgy black comedy follows a group of survivors remembering and retelling an episode of The Simpsons after an unspecified apocalyptic event.
“And I also loved playing the title role in Sylvia – a cursing, flirting dog who sings,” she says.
Stephanie has also enjoyed her two outings in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, in which she got to play Cecily in one production and Gwendolyn in another.
“Miss Prism is next in the queue if anyone is hiring,” she says.
Educating Rita has long been on Stephanie’s ‘bucket list’, primarily because of its strong female protagonist. Rita is a working-class hairdresser who takes an Open University course to study literature. When she sweeps into her tutor’s life, she absorbs his knowledge and challenges his assumptions.
“I identify with Rita's openness, her self-deprecating humour and her desire to grow and evolve,” says Stephanie.
Rita is from Liverpool, and one of her defining features is her strong Scouse accent. As accents go, Stephanie says it has definitely been ‘a tricky one’ to master and one of the most challenging aspects of playing Rita. Due to the pandemic, Adrian and Stephanie have also done most of their rehearsing over Zoom, which has posed its own set of challenges. Stephanie is therefore looking forward to the final week of intensive in-person rehearsals in Helsinki.
Photo: Danielle Tait
Text: Zach Chamberlaine
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