Thank you for telling people about yourself and the current production at HHS this weekend. What is your name and what exactly do you do for Blue Stockings?
Hi, my name is Lizzie Wilkerson and I am currently a freshman. In Blue Stockings I play Professor Radleigh, the cranky librarian, a waiter, as well as an extra male student. Playing so multiple small characters is really fun because I have to work to establish a character in only one scene with very few lines.
With the other productions this year, I knew a little about them, Three Musketeers, Shrek, those are known. What is Blue Stockings about and why should people come see it?
Blue Stockings is the story of four young girls who, in 1896, attend Girton College. They compete with the male students while facing the challenges inside and outside of the classroom. People should come see Blue Stockings because its message is still incredibly relevant today.
All art comments on something aligns itself with current issues. How does this work comment on current social or political issues and how has it influenced you this Spring?
The show’s story revolves around women’s’ rights to an education, something that not everyone has access to, even today. The show has reminded me of one of the greatest privileges I have, a right to an education. Blue Stockings has reminded me that everyone needs to fight for those who are without basic human rights. Those with privilege must fight for those without. I am so happy that we have all teamed up to raise money for the Malala Fund to support girls fighting for an education.
I’ve heard there is a lot of science in this script, is that challenging? What else is challenging about bringing this script to life?
The science in the script is challenging at times. Memorizing lines can be difficult when you have no idea what you are talking about. Another challenging aspect of doing this show is bringing the characters to life. Professor Radleigh beliefs are so different from my own so it can be challenging to portray him in a manner that is so different from my own but still believable. British accents are also really, really challenging.
Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue?
My favorite part of the show isn’t actually a line of dialogue. I think the best moment of the show is at the very beginning of Act 2. I won’t give anything away but I assure you, you can’t miss it.
What do you hope the audience will be thinking about in the car as they drive home after this show?
This show is still incredibly relevant today. Women in England do have more educational rights than before but they still lack equality in countless of other areas. Women across the world still lack the same rights as male students or educational rights altogether. I think that as people watch the show, they will be reminded of how far we have come in the fight for equality and reminded of the fight that still continues today.
This play is about going to college, what are your plans after graduating Homestead? Where do you think your path will lead you?
After graduating Homestead, I plan to go to college right away or take a gap year. I will most likely decide to go to UW-Madison (what a shocker for a Homestead student), but I also want to do a semester abroad in Italy. I don’t know what I want to do after college, but I want to continue to act, whether it be community theatre or something in a bigger setting.
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