Adrianne Cury

Rachael: You have been acting professionally in Chicago for 25 years, what have been some of your most challenging roles?
Adrianne: Alma in Summer & Smoke is an all time fave, especially as I'm 5'8', and didn't really look 'fragile' at birth! To play against physical type and find -in that case- the fragility,the vulnerability, without depending on appearance, but not at the sacrifice of some strength, some fighting-for spirit, was such a joy, so enriching; not to mention that Tracy Letts played John. And Angela in Brian Friel's Wonderful Tennessee - wow, what a challenging play, directed by the wonderful Jim Sullivan, now the Artistic Director of The Pearl in NYC.

What are 2 things/skills that you hope students leave your class with?
Only 2?! Okay, how about fearlessness and its opposite: access to their most vulnerable selves.

As a teacher and director what advice would you give to emerging performing artist?
Decide right now that you are a life-long student of acting, and that you will always remain curious about the human condition in order that you incorporate everyone into your gallery of you. You ARE enough, but assume you don't fully know the whole of you until death do you part! In addition, study, read plays, books, the newspaper, and see a lot of theatre. I say theatre not to dismiss film at all but because film can mesmerize you with tricks, sound effects, music to engender a specific emotion, gadgetry, and so on.Acting on the stage is more naked, the good and bad is more exposed, in a way, and not controlled by where the camera is or what's been edited. And, the old adage is valid: stage is more an actor's medium, whereas film belongs to the director.

What was your path to becoming a professional actress, have you been acting since you were a child?
Yes, since childhood. My older sister and I would do plays -real scripts- in our house daily. In 5th grade Mr Pitts told my mother that he should've cast me in the lead(more on this later). Then the deal was cemented when I moved to Southwest Virginia, the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in the middle of my seventh grade year. Talk about stranger in a strange land. They all sounded so funny, but looked at me like I was the freaky one!! Nonetheless,I quickly figured out how to survive this transition, and wear the mask I needed to fit in; I picked up the accent, played the game for all it was worth. Hey, I was almost 13; all the stakes are high at that age. On one level I played someone else, but on another I explored, found, and claimed other parts of me. And, of course, I fit right into the Drama Club & Thespian Society, and, finally, my mother told me about Mr Pitts' secret. In addition, this little town in the mountains is the home of the Barter Theatre, the oldest repertory theatre in the U.S. so I was observing professional actors on a regular basis throughout those years. The die was cast. Bet that's a way longer answer than you expected!

As the Casting Director and member of Shaw Chicago I know that you are passionate about Shaw, what about his work is so exciting for actors?
The fun with Shaw is that you get to engage your brain, because Shaw uses almost every character as his mouthpiece, his soapbox, for some opinion concerning political or social ills. So once you've made sense of every side of the argument and are arguing your side with every fiber of your being, you then have to bring your heart (and your loins!)into the game, as well, and become emotionally engaged with the person who is arguing against you. You gotta find relationship there; you gotta find the love, the need to change them or it's all academic. An unending challenge, like Sisyphus and his mountain; it's never boring if you invest. No doubt, climbing the Shaw mountain makes you smarter, pure and simple. Ask Bob Scogin; he'll tell you how smart he is!

You had the opportunity to go to Turkey on a fellowship last spring, what did the trip and the opportunity to perform Shaw in Turkey teach you as an actor?
Rachael, I performed in a play by Ibsen, actually - in Konya, Turkey, the home of Rumi, the Sufi poet!It was a once in a lifetime(so far)opportunity, and it was incredible. I guess one of the loveliest things about it, aside from the accolades and standing O, was that we were in constant contact with Turkish students from Selcuk University, who took us everywhere, and tended our every need. They were dear, and available, and curious, and smart, and Muslim, every one. To have conversations with them, to bridge that supposed divide does an incalculable good for all involved. And now I have Facebook friends in Turkey. Who'd'a thunk? As an actor, it was quite a challenge to 'keep it real', as it were, but still project in this huge auditorium. I mean HUGE. Halfway up the stairs and you were panting. No small gestures would reach the back. Vocally it was challenging, sure, but it was a lesson in the need to physicalize actions. And to hear that house gasp at a fully physicalized gesture was to know you were on target. Sometimes I'm talking just a head turn...instead of an eye roll. It really felt like we were playing in an opera house, and there's a different kind of craft, as well as high, to that.

As a teacher and director what advice would you give to emerging performing artist?
Decide right now that you are a life-long student of acting, and that you will always remain curious about the human condition in order that you incorporate everyone into your gallery of you. You ARE enough, but assume you don't fully know the whole of you until death do you part! In addition, study, read plays, books, the newspaper, and see a lot of theatre. I say theatre not to dismiss film at all but because film can mesmerize you with tricks, sound effects, music to engender a specific emotion, gadgetry, and so on.Acting on the stage is more naked, the good and bad is more exposed, in a way, and not controlled by where the camera is or what's been edited. And, the old adage is valid: stage is more an actor's medium, whereas film belongs to the director.

Are you the same person as Adrianne Cury, America's Next Top Model?
Absolutely, but please don't tell anyone.

What is your favorite dinner menu?
Tapas and wine, or sushi and cold sake, and no hurry. Why, are you asking me out?

If you had to live the next 10 years of your life as a fictional haracter from a play, who would you choose?
No one I've ever played, that's for sure! How about what's-her-name from The Philadelphia Story? Or could I be Atticus Finch or Scout but I never grow up? I know, I know - that's a book.

What are you reading right now?
Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. Don't want it to end.

What is under your bed?
Now that you ask, I'm afraid to go to bed. Thanks a lot.

Is there a specific play that you are itching to direct?
I recently saw Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation and would love to play with that. I've primarily directed classics, and adaptations, so would really like to get my hands on a brand new script. Playwrights, prick up your ears!! And I want to direct this darkly humorous musical adaptation composed by my husband...but the title will remain nameless for a bit. Sshhhh.

What is the biggest mistake that you have made in your early career?
Saying no a bit too much, for fear of making a poor choice. Seek advice, sure, and have a compass, but leap more often without fear. Even a not-perfect situation provides learning opportunities(Yep, it's official: I now sound just like my Dad!), and potential contacts. And hey, it's all about relationship, relationship, relationship.