Kaelea Rovinsky is a second-year apprentice with Unrehearsed, having already performed in The Tempest as Stepheno and Twelfth Night on Twelfth Night as Sir Toby Belch.

Q: How were you first introduced to Unrehearsed Shakespeare?
KAELEA: Funnily, Double Falsehood was the FIRST show I saw after moving to Chicago. I thought it was such a fascinating technique, and volunteered to prompt for Henry V.

Q: How does Unrehearsed differ from other acting experiences for you?
KAELEA: In my artistic endeavors as of late, I have been embracing the cult of Improvisation. I find that there are many parallels in performance technique ‘tween the two; listen, make active choices, define relationships between characters, and stay open to whatever insanity may go down.

The Unrehearsed way of performing Shakes is different from other productions I have done in the way that it leaves no room for lugubrious pontification with the text. Any *masturbatory* self indulgent musing can kill momentum for the show.

Q: What (if anything) is your biggest challenge so far with this technique?
KAELEA: Anticipating the “mood” or “direction” of a scene. I am somewhat familiar with the canon of Willy’s work; this pompous scholar-tude can be limiting. A player has the unique opportunity to learn something new from the text when they are “open”, as opposed to going through the paces.

Q: One of the defining attributes of Unrehearsed is its lack of a Fourth Wall. How do you feel about this? How does it affect your work and/or prep?
KAELEA: I despise that barrier. The audience is one of my favorite characters to play with. It plays a large part in how I look at the text. What are places I can bring the audience in?

Q: What excites you about As You Like It?
KAELEA: We Are Outside!!

Q: Favorite Shakespeare Character? And/or: Favorite role to date
KAELEA: I had the ultimate blast playing Sir Toby Belch in this past Twelfth Night on Twelfth Night.

Come on over and be Kaelea’s favorite character!