Local Actresses Lina Peller, Cindy Bloes Discuss BGT Play "David's RedHaired Death"

Chronicle.lu recently got the opportunity to talk with the cast, actresses Lina Peller and Cindy Bloes, and director Tony Kingston of the upcoming BGT English-language play “David's RedHaired Death", which will be held on 10, 11 and 12 September 2020 at the Kinoler in Kahler.

The play, written by US writer Sherry Kramer and first performed in 1992, is the BGT English Theatre Company’s second annual showcase play for trainee actors.

In their Zoom interview with Chronicle.lu, Luxembourgish actresses Lina Peller and Cindy Bloes began by sharing how they first got into theatre. Both had worked with director Tony Kingston before in school theatre, before going on to study acting and diction at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg.

Cindy previously played the part of "Young Meg" in BGT's 2014 production of "Little Women". She has since completed a Bachelor in German and Theatre Studies and is currently finishing her Master's Degree in German Literature at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany. In the past three years, she has been a part of two to three annual shows. 

For her part, Lina has explored different aspects of theatre, from acting to costume design. She designed the first BGT summer project "Wolves Are Coming for You" in 2019. “David's RedHaired Death" marks Lina's return to the stage in a long time. Some of her most notable projects have showcased her talents on the stages of the Théatre National du Luxembourg and Philharmonie Luxembourg. Like Cindy, Lina is currently a student at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where she is studying Drama and Sociology.

Having worked on last year's BGT project, Lina noted that "David's RedHaired Death" is a very different play, not least because the focus this time round is on two rather than several characters. As explained by Lina, this year's play is "all about finding the physicalities and getting the audience to understand character changes. [...] This play is about getting the emotion right and getting deeper into the characters and their personalities". She also highlighted that the play "allows you as an actor to really work on character and bring them to life".

Both actresses agreed that they could see a lot of themselves in the characters and vice versa. Cindy added that the play is complex, in part due to the need to portray lots of changing emotions. Another challenge is the constant switch between the past and present and making this understandable to the audience. Since the first act is more lighthearted compared to the darker second act, the actresses have to try to balance the light and the dark, as well. 

Another challenge, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, has been finding a suitable venue. The play will now be performed at the Kinoler cinema in Kahler, after plans to hold the performance in the International School of Luxembourg's (ISL) studio (where last year's play took place) fell through. The main issue with performing in the cinema is the lack of fully equipped lighting. Nevertheless, director Tony Kingston stressed that the most important thing was being able to perform live theatre in the current context. 

Concerning more general challenges facing actresses today, Lina recalled that there are traditionally more women competing for fewer roles than their male counterparts. She added that the industry, especially the film, industry remains a bit sexist but that this was slowly changing thanks to people discussing the issue.

As for what the future holds for these two promising actresses, Cindy is currently completing her master's thesis but would love to eventually work in theatres as a dramaturg or in another area, such as voice acting. She will probably stay in Munich for the foreseeable future in order to take advantage of the many opportunities the city has to offer. Likewise, Lina, whilst unsure what will happen in the next years, is keen on experiencing other aspects of the theatre industry, perhaps even management. However, her biggest passion remains acting.

"David's RedHaired Death" will be performed at the Kinoler in Kahler on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 September at 19:30 and Saturday 12 September 2020 at 14:30 and 19:30. At the time of the interview, more tickets were available for the Saturday performance than for those taking place on Thursday and Friday. Seating is limited due to coronavirus-related restrictions. Tickets cost €15 (€10 for students) and can be reserved exclusively via email: the.bgt.lux@gmail.com. Payments will be made at the door.