Q&A: La Ronde

Grace Lynn Kung

Canadian actress Grace Lynn Kung makes her Soulpepper debut this month in the company's daring new production of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde (adapted by Jason Sherman), a turn-of-the-century play about 10 interconnected sexual liaisons that was famously banned for its explicit sexual content.

Here, we chat with Kung about getting up close and personal with her fellow cast members, baring it all on stage, and stomping the boards in 4 1/2 inch heels. 

Theatromania: Describe La Ronde in a sentence or two.
 
GLK: If you poured "sex" and "connection" into the same glass and you could heat, spill, freeze, separate, layer, ignite—create any dynamic between the two—the results would be this new adaptation of La Ronde.
 
Theatromania: Do you think the play lives up to its scandalous reputation?
 
GLK: I heard that Albert Schultz blushed at our first read through. Do I think we will be banned? I think what's obvious with this 2013 adaptation is our desensitization. We are over stimulated, every sense being preyed on by advertising; our foods resemble drugs more than produce and everything is literally at our fingertips with technology. It has gotten a lot harder to affect one another. Back in Schnitzler's Vienna when they were kicking it at the fin de siècle, he spoke aloud what was happening behind closed doors. Perhaps what shakes us is being confronted with a truth we know in our hearts, which ultimately forces our brain to concede. If so, I hope there is scandal in the aisles. Or at least some drool.
 
Caveat: my scandal compass might be slightly skewed after rehearsing this show for a month. My first day went something like this: *walks up to Mike Ross, shakes his hand* "It's so nice to meet you Mike, I'm Grace. We're having a threesome." 
 
Theatromania: Are you familiar with Arthur Schnitzler’s work? How does Jason Sherman's adaptation differ from the original text?

GLK: The original Schnitzler work was a round of ten scenes with one character leading into the next. Jason has switched up the structure. Some characters resurface beyond their original scenes and two scenes see the convergence of three characters. I'm proud to say I'm involved in both threesomes. Those threesomes allow us to do some serious 2013 updates to the sexual dynamics.
 
Theatromania: Tell us about your character, Zoe. What motivates her?
 
GLK: The need to find peace outside herself. Zoe has both a primal connection with her body and a visceral grasp of what she wants. When we find her in the first scene she is fully running with that primal connection. And she runs right into two fellas.  In her second scene, this great cover page she's created for herself starts to pucker underneath. Though her vision of love is far removed from the fairy tale—tempered for a gal in a 2013 world—she's left emotional divots unattended. Lesson for the kiddies: Unresolved issues may lead to continued heartbreak. (Sad trombone.) Wow, I should not write children's books.

Theatromania: What has been the most challenging part of the rehearsal process?
 
GLK: Every person has their own naked; physical nudity may or may not be involved. Each scene cracks someone's shell making it impossible for them to keep their insides in. We are in various states of emotional undress and so the research has been intimate. You open doors and there are rows of emotional triggers just blinking at you.

I'm a physical person but I've spent a lot of time in film trying to navigate stillness. In La Ronde, my character is given the incredible opportunity to communicate through her body. But I tell ya, it is terrifying to be onstage dancing alone—not in a dance piece, not as a comedy—just you.

Beyond that, wearing 4 1/2 inch heels on a stage with a two-foot rise in both directions is not for kids. Add walking, talking and a threesome and the chance of disaster rises exponentially. If we were Olympic diving I'd give it a 3.6 degree of difficulty. So, I've been endurance training at home: washing dishes, making smoothies and watering plants in five inch heels.

Theatromania: La Ronde marks your Soulpepper debut. What have you enjoyed most about this experience so far?
 
GLK: Soulpepper is a wonderful home for artists. Sometimes I just roll around the stage like a happy puppy. It's a gorgeous, maze-like space to work in. Always the mischievous child, I peek around corners and see where new doors lead (they're going to take my pass card away after they read this).

What makes this experience are the people. Our cast runs the gamut of spark plugs starting their careers to established acting powerhouses. This diverse mix is great because we want this piece to reach everyone and have it be representative of the time we inhabit. Because of the subject matter and nudity it was important for us to have a great deal of trust in one another.  I've felt so blessed for this cast. When everyone is together we become like The Breakfast Club and I swear they're going to lock us up in detention for having such a great time.

Watch Grace Lynn Kung in La Ronde, on stage now until May 4 at the Young Centre. You can also see her in Ins Choi's acclaimed Kim's Convenience (May 23).