Someone Else: Q&A With Bahia Watson

The new year is looking exceptionally bright for Toronto-based theatre artist Bahia Watson. Hot on the heels of a Dora Award-winning performance (Outstanding Ensemble) for her role as Telemachus in Nightwood Theatre’s 2012 production of The Penelopiad, the actress returns to the stage this winter in Pomme Is French for Apple, the outrageously funny show which she wrote and performs in with co-creator Liza Paul, as part of Albert Schultz’s Winter at the Young series starting in late February. 

This month, Watson tackles the role of a troubled young woman who befriends a married older man in Kristen Thomson’s Someone Else, a Crow’s Theatre and Canadian Stage co-production, opening this Thursday January 10 at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

Here, we chat with the talented performer about her experience working on this dark comedy.

Theatromania: How would you describe Kristen Thomson's Someone Else in a sentence or two?

BW: Cutting observations on a marriage that meld the tragic and the hilarious, the past and the present, and the ways we fight for love and forgiveness.

Theatromania: Tell us a bit about the character you play. Can you relate to her at all?

BW: I play April. She’s a fighter, determined to survive and grow. She’s opinionated and quirky and clever. And she’s sensitive. I relate to her a lot.

Theatromania: What are some of the challenges you've encountered during the rehearsal process?

BW: Working on a such a brand new play, every day we’re all discovering the heart and arc of the story and the characters. To fully understand it, we must take risks and approach it in a variety of ways. We have to be willing take it apart and put it back together. It can be challenging to be in such a state of flux, but it’s also exciting. And with Kristen and director Chris Abraham as our guides, we can trust we’re in good hands and take those leaps of faith.

Theatromania: Have you learned anything new from this experience?

BW: I always learn a lot from watching the other artists work, from the cast, to the director, assistant director, the designers and the whole team. As a woman who also writes and performs my own material, I have especially learned a lot from Kristen. She’s so fearless and brilliant and wildly hilarious. But honestly, I haven’t had the time to reflect on lessons learned just yet. We’re right in the middle of it. Come back to me in a few weeks? :)

Theatromania: What do you hope audiences take away from this performance?

BW: I would hope that people are entertained while also feeling parts of themselves reflected back to them. This show explores aspects of the human experience that are not often examined. I think that people will be moved by the feeling that areas of themselves not often shared are given space to breathe.

Catch Bahia Watson in Someone Else until February 2 at the Berkeley Street Theatre. Visit crowstheatre.com for more information and to buy tickets.