Playing Diane

This is the second to last of my little reflections on the actors in my play.

Sometimes people say the role of Diane in my play is like a deus ex machina - a deity who descends to resolve the play's key issues - like Athena in the Oresteian Trilogy. But Diane's not really that. She's not really a judge. She's more of a catalyst. Her presence, as an authoritative figure, and as a witness, makes a lot of things happen. And then she leaves - she has business to attend to - and the play goes on. Rachel Martindale, who plays Diane, simply exudes authority in the role, and never seems to slip out of character when on stage. In person she is the picture of theater professionalism - ready to perform - and ready to pitch in with non-performance tasks too. She's often the very picture of purposefulness, and that certainly blended perfectly into the role of Diane, a character who strives to stick to business. But she also added the personal warmth to create the impression that Diane, underneath the hustle and bustle, really does care about the people who work for her. There's a legend about Athena - that she sprang forth fully grown from the head of Zeus - and Rachel gives off that air at times - she had her part memorized almost immediately, and she had a detailed portrayal ready almost immediately. It's practically spooky how little preparation she seemed to require for anything!

Fully adept
she lightly leapt
into the role
perfect and whole.