Number three of our Meet the Cast and Crew series features actress and workshop leader Marissa Gunter - the newest member of the Nursing Lives cast.
How did you get started as an actor, and who were your main influences?
I attended Academy Dance, a local dance school, from the age of 6 to 18, with a Dance Principal who taught that a good performer went beyond sound technique. This fuelled an interest in the power of and relationship you have with your body as a performer. After graduating, with a degree in Drama, I went on to work with Value Theatre, Spanner Theatre, The Dank Parish, Actiontrack Performance Co. and Vamos Theatre in the capacity of performer and workshop facilitator.
What is your most exciting performance experience to date?
Devising and performing at Boom Town festival 2013 as part of the hippy district, with the Dank Parish theatre collective. The performance was fuelled directly through interactions with festival punters. This interactive style of performance is exhilarating, having the opportunity to face your 'audience' one to one enticing them into a new world with you.
In your opinion, what does mask theatre offer audiences that they cannot get from other forms of theatre?
With no language, full mask theatre is universal, transcending language and empowering audience members to use their imagination.
What tips would you give an actor who is just starting to explore mask/visual theatre?
Start small. Mask work is a delicate art form requiring precision, subtlety and authenticity. Only then can an actor feel fully equipped to play. My tip is to be nosy, start watching people and how they act in different environments, react to friends/strangers. Start developing your own self-awareness; notice how your breath changes when you're nervous, how your pace changes when you're worried, how your stomach feels when you're in love.
What do you enjoy most about the rehearsal process?
Mastering the ability to get it wrong. You see, failing is an art form in its own right.
What is the most useful piece of advice you have been given in your own career and by whom?
Deliberately get it wrong. Do not grade yourself. Chill out.
My brother
Marissa Gunter
If you have a question for Marissa you can ask it via the comments box below...