Five Questions with Gina Marie Russell

Actress Gina Marie Russell, who recently won praise as part of the ensemble cast of Marya Sea Kaminski's Condo Millennium, appears in Greenstage's Shakespeare in the Park production of As You Like It, at multiple locations around the region including this weekend's Seattle Outdoor Theatre Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

1. Where did you grow up,and how did you end up where you are now? I grew up here in Seattle, but honestly never thought I would still be living here at this point in my life. I had big plans to go away for college...but those fell through. And then I was going to move away right after graduation...but that didn't happen either. Once I graduated from college I very quickly started getting cast in fringe theatres around Seattle and so far, it just hasn't seemed like the right time to move. I do plan on heading to New York in about a year, but even that is subject to change dependent on the theatre world.

2. Which performance, song, play, movie, painting, or other work of art had the biggest influence on you and why? Seriously, the hardest question ever. I honestly have no idea. I remember seeing Les Miserables at the 5th Avenue Theatre when I was a kid and falling in love with it, but I don't really think that was super formative....  If I had to choose, I would probably say it was the very first play I ever did that had the most influence on me. But don't ask me what that was (something at Studio East in Kirkland during spring break when I was in fourth grade--so that's 1994, people who are trying to do the math). I finished that week-long process telling everyone that asked "I'm going to be an actress when I grow up" and legitimately meaning it. That sounds so stupid though....

My true passion lies in ensemble-based physical theatre and the first time I ever saw something utilizing this process was at the UW, Steve and Robin's Suite for Strangers, and it was absolutely beautiful. I knew I wanted to get into that, connect with others onstage that intensely and allow the audience to feel how organic that can be. That amount of connection throughout the entire process is incredible to me.

I can feel that way with some musical theatre too. For me, it all stems from audience connection.  I saw the last night of the original tour of Wicked here at the Paramount, and although it is not my favorite show in the world, the cast was SO in tune with the audience that I just started bawling during the curtain call. The audience leapt to its feet and you could feel the appreciation from both the cast and audience and it hit me, "This is what I want to do with my life. This right here. Connecting to people." And I lost it. Fine throughout the whole show, but crying my eyes out during the final bows. I think the people sitting next to me thought I was insane....

3. What skill, talent, or attribute do you most wish you had and why? I wish I was a better dancer. As an actor interested in doing musical theatre, it is really hard to get cast without a ton of dance training, and I just don't have it. I tried it as a kid, but quit to play sports. It's one of those things that really bothers me when I look back--if only I'd known--but there's nothing I can do about that now, so I take ballet when I can and do a lot of yoga. It's hard though, with a day job and rehearsals in (almost) all my free time, but I can definitely see an improvement. Wish I could magic myself to be a Sutton Foster-like dancer, but I think not having those skills made me work harder on my acting and singing, so I dunno what's better....

4. What do you do to make a living? Describe a normal day. I work in advertising for my day job, in infomercials more specifically, and have been for about three years (with two separate companies). I totally fell into this field without any previous training or plans to work in marketing or sales.  

A normal day starts for me around 7 a.m. and ends (depending on rehearsal) around 10 or 11 p.m. I work from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and will occasionally head to an audition on my lunch hour.  Then I usually go straight to rehearsal if it starts at 6 p.m., or if I have until 7 p.m., I'll head home to grab some food beforehand.  I go home whenever I am released from rehearsal and pretty much collapse into bed. When I am not called for rehearsal, I try to go to yoga or ballet a few times a week. I basically keep myself as busy as possible all the time. I manage things better when I have little to no free time.

5. Have you ever had to make a choice between work and art? What did you choose, why, and what was the outcome? Yes, constantly. I try to make it work to do both, but when you have daytime rehearsals and an office job that can only be so flexible...it's hard. Really hard, but art has won every time and I think it will again in the future. It's just me right now, no family, no kids, so I can afford to be selfish and I love that. Things always seem to work out. When I had to stop temping for three months to understudy for a show, I was able to start back up right after the show closed. I know I am lucky now to have a full time job in this economy, but I can't see myself sacrificing my art for stability. Ever.

"Five Questions" was originally developed by Andy Horwitz of Culturebot.org, a NYC-based website covering contemporary performance and culture.