Meet the Artists Behind Meet Me: Actors
Meet Me performs at the Mcgill Campus: TNC Theatre from September 29th - October 8th (No show October 2nd), 7:00pm-8:30pm LEARN MORE
Darragh Mondoux
Gemma
Mondoux (she/her) is a prolific member of Montrèal’s arts and culture scene, exploring the city’s filmmaking, comedy, and burlesque scenes. Her artistic practice is all about the people and the place she calls home.
How would you say your character and the script have changed since going through the workshops?
Darragh: It's such a cliche to say they're more like three dimensional, but it absolutely is just what happens when you give words on paper that were written with a lot of love to living breathing people who also try to find love. But I've certainly influenced the characters since the workshops with just ideas of like, okay, maybe she shows the audience how she wants to approach the situation with two sets of outfits for the night, like we have like an external costume element. And that's something that works for me as an actor, I'm kind of an outside in actor, so...
This play is structured very differently than a quote, unquote, traditional play- there are only 6 scenes, but some of those scenes have up to 7 different variants… How do you keep track of all the subtle distinctions between scenes?
Darragh: We're finding the bones of what makes them consistent, like the more in connection to the characters we are, the more we can learn the lines and do that thing. There's a phenomenon that they teach you early in theater school where you can take a sentence like, “I never said she stole my money.” And if you say, “I never said she stole my money”, verses “I never said she stole my money.” There's a lot of moments like that where the line is the same across the variants, but your intention with it is very different- it helps create distinction between scenes.
What do you think is the most important thing for the audience to take away from production?
Darragh: The most important thing the audience to take away from this is that we live in a city full of perspectives and stories that come up, that happen, that emerge, that can be told and explored when those perspectives intersect. Sometimes those perspectives, team up and get creative and mess things up. And none of us are above making the wrong choice. But that's just advancing the plot honey! So, we hope that we are creating a safe space to be challenged, to be so called in, to be made so uncomfortable, to get a little turned on and a little sad and a little suspicious and a little cynical.
Come out and engage with it! If you get on social media and you tell your friends and family to come and see it. And if you get involved in like advocating for arts organizations that support this work. There's so much of this in Montreal waiting to happen.
Zeshaun Saleem
Qasem
Raised in a small town in Northern B.C., Pakistani-Canadian actor, Zeshaun Saleem (he/him), was awarded Best Actor at the 2021 Europe Film Festival U.K. and is a firm believer that storytelling makes the world go round, striving to bring his authentic life experience into his work.
How would you say Meet Me has changed through the workshops that you've gone through?
Zeshaun: For one thing, the character who I'm playing, Qasim, his original name was Marco. And I think they sort of had an idea of someone who was also a minority, but more of Latino descent, which I couldn't so much relate to. Also, there was, I think, a relationship- a past between Roslyn and the character of Marco. So, Marco became more of something that I guess, I could identify with. And they were kind enough to have me help build the character of Qasim. So, I made him more like me. My origins are Pakistani, and although I'm a second generation Pakistani because I was born here, I made the characterization that he was born elsewhere and then came here for his studies and whatnot. And there's no past between him and Roslyn.
How would you say technology and the role of the audience play into the narrative of Meet Me?
Zeshaun: Well, I think because we're looking at a lot of current notions and big themes, one central theme of this play is that people have their own personal narratives, and a lot of those narratives that we get are delivered through information that we've been exposed to through technology and the internet.
Since we're on a university campus, hopefully this show will attract a lot of younger students, and this technological component…It's funny, I think when the internet first came, we didn't, actually anticipate the effect it would have on society. But that phone is just constant. It's consistent. It's their source of information. It's their narrative. It's their livelihood. I hope we can bring awareness to different people's experiences and narratives through their use.
What's the most important thing that you hope the audience takes away from this production?
Zeshaun: Awareness? Yeah, I think with that whole thing of people having their certain narratives, I'm big on identities, and I think we are always consistently seeking for some sort of meaning and identity. Which we often do by othering, something that doesn't necessarily relate to us…
I hope this play could possibly eradicate any sort of misconceptions, misunderstandings and bring about greater awareness about the other side- the other narrative. We want society to have more compassion, and it seems like we're going the opposite direction. I think the best way to resolve that issue is through awareness.
Leigh Ann Taylor
Roslyn
Leigh Ann Taylor (she/her) is a fluently bilingual actress who was born & raised in Montreal. She is passionate about all genres of acting, including: theatre, tv, film & voicework.
Would you mind introducing yourself and your character in Meet Me?
Leigh Ann: I'm playing Dr. Roslyn Jacobs, and she's a senior tenured professor in the media arts department at an unnamed University. She's a staunch feminist. Rumour has it, she may be a little bit more of the old school variety of feminism. But, you know, she certainly does her best to keep up with the times and the new generation of feminists. She’s super passionate about her work. She loves teaching and research. She loves being a person of influence; among her peers, but also for up and coming researchers and artists.
How has your character and the story changed from the beginning audition to now?
Leigh Ann: After the weeklong workshop with the dramaturg, Sarah Elkashef, my character changed a lot in the sense that she (Roslyn), became much more clearly defined. I would say, she gained sharper edges. She developed more ego, more boldness, and became more badass, and more fun to play. Initially she was written to be more sensitive, with a softer, more maternal vibe, although she was always defined as a feminist.
So, the direction of the show depends very much on the decisions made in the moment by the audience members…How are you preparing for this unexpected aspect?
Leigh Ann: It's challenging. And a little daunting, particularly due to the size of the script (500 pages!) because of all the variations of scenes to study, and to be ready for each audience to steer the show in a potentially different direction each night. But I’m up for the challenge! I just keep telling myself, and anybody in my life, that right now, this show is pretty much my entire life. Its all about keeping my Roslyn character close to me, and bonding with her. Plus, a lot of memorization, and review, review, review, so that I can keep layering the text and all the new discoveries within the words. Study hard and kill those lines every day, all day till the end! Lol.