One of Canada's leading ladies discusses the magic realism of Sarah Ruhl, Vern Theissen's monodrama, Season 17 at Stratford and British/Canadian TV production Burn Up.

In the final chapter of this three-part interview, Seana McKenna chats about playing Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway and living in The Clean House.

In Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House – in the first part it’s more comedic setting up the story and then in the second part….

"Well yes, the play goes into a sort of “magic realism” where the walls fade away and you have people crossing the tundra in Alaska and then you have apples falling into living rooms – the worlds start to collide. It reminds me a little bit of the film Like Water For Chocolate. But it is funny throughout. The laughs don’t stop, but I think people reveal themselves more, which is usually what happens in a play. The first act is your big set-up and the second act is your payoff. That’s why I like three-act plays – beginning, middle and end."

You also did Shakespeare's Will you on stage, just you in playwright Vern Theissen’s Stratford debut last season.

“It was lovely to tell that story and in the Studio space. I’ve never worked in there and Miles Potter my husband had never directed there either so it was great to be working in such a beautiful space with this new play about Anne Hathaway. I enjoyed that very much. It’s a little lonely at the cast bar afterwards. I would just go home thinking “What’s the point?” Do your show. Go home. Have a cup of tea” (Seana laughs)

Vern Thiessen found a whole different side of Anne Hathaway....

“Well, in Shakespeare's Will, Vern created a side because we know nothing about her. It’s all hypothetical. It’s like what the writer Nicholas Wright did with Vincent in Brixton, created a whole story about Vincent Van Gogh and his landlady in Britain but it was all hypothetical, it’s all art. There was one fellow at a talk back who was incensed that is wasn’t factual or that the facts were changed.

I said “Well, if you want a real factual education you should go to the library, not the theatre, because this is our stepping-off point. If you want to look at revisionist history, look at Shakespeare’s plays. If you want a history lesson, don’t read Shakespeare because he has taken plots and changed people. I mean, Richard the III was apparently quite a good king.” (laughing again)

Vern was able to make Anne Hathaway a flesh-and-blood character.

"Yes, Anne was a sensual woman with appetites, with a great sense of humour. Because we don’t know about these women who share their lives with these men or at least part of their lives in Anne’s case. I think people could relate to Anne because it was basically a play about their domestic life, about their life and also about coping with a marriage when the partner is not there for a long time, or a partner in this play who has a male lover in another city, or a lover in another city. There is an arrangement – as long as you value what we have, then we’re fine. Every marriage is arrangement of some kind."

It was very relevant for the audience. A woman whose husband is never home and she has to find ways to occupy herself.

"We had a great response to the piece. Many people saw it more than once."

You also worked on Burn up with Bradley Whitford and Neve Campbell a steamy political thriller.

"It's a BBC Drama and I don’t know when, but I think it’s airing on Global. We shot that last November. I had a small role but I was out in Calgary for most of November and it was great fun. I think it’s a good script. I enjoyed the read and often with television you don’t enjoy the read that much but I found this quite captivating. The director was lovely and lots of friends that I haven’t worked with for years were out there in Calgary so I could meet them on their days off."

And then it’s back to Stratford…. for All's Well That Ends Well and some great new works.

From here, I do have two days cross over and I am going to rehearse Trojan Women at the festival, at The Patterson. I am excited going back to the Patterson.

Then Fuente Ovejuna… with Jonathan Goad.

"Yes, it‘s a great cast and Trojan Women as well. Fuente is Johnny Goad, Scott Wentworth, Sara Topham and Jimmy Blendick. I actually keep meeting people who are in it."

Did I ever ask you about your favorite playwright?

Well you know who that is ... to read, Shakespeare, to play (Tennessee) Williams ….