In the Spotlife: Christy Brandt of 'Arsenic and Old Lace'

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Christy Brandt. Creede Repertory Theatre. Photo by John Gary Brown.

Christy Brandt with the cast of Creede Repertory Theatre’s ‘Arsenic and Old Lace.’ Photo by John Gary Brown.
 

MEET CHRISTY BRANDT
Abby Brewster in Creede Repertory Theatre’s ‘Arsenic and Old Lace,’ her 135th show in 43 seasons in Creede, located 250 miles southwest of Denver in the San Juan Mountains. She also appears in the ensemble of ‘She Loves Me,’ playing through Aug. 10. Brandt won a 2011 Denver Post Ovation Award for her work in ‘The Road to Mecca.’

  • Hometown: Evanston Ill.
  • Home now: Creede and Lawrence, Kan.
  • CChristy Brandt quoteollege: BA from the University of Kansas in 1973
  • What have you done for us lately? I played in Carol in The Last Romance, which played at both Creede Rep and the Arvada Center in 2014  
  • Twitter-sized bio: I love Creede. My husband, my friends, my house, my garden and my career in Creede have given me more joy than anyone deserves. I grew up in the Chicago area and I love small-town life, and I am proud to have worked at this high-quality repertory theatre for my whole life.
  • The role that changed your life: Playing Princess Winnifred in Once Upon A Mattress. I realized there was something I could do well that brought me satisfaction and audiences some pleasure. I knew immediately that I wanted to be and actor.
  • Ideal scene partner: I would love to have worked with Glenda Jackson before she went into politics. I saw her do the Elizabeth R series, and they did some backstage segments that really impressed me. She was so incredibly good, and as soon as a scene was over she completely let down and was very earthy and even crass. Very funny.
  • In short, what is Arsenic and Old Lace all about? It’s about two sisters who believe they are doing good works by poisoning lonely, unhappy old men. They seemingly have no idea that what they are doing could be construed as bad or even illegal. The story is also about the nephews of these old ladies, one of whom is a nice, hard-working protective young man. And the is a psychopathic murderer.

    • Summertime in Colorado: A time for play … and plays

  • Tell us about the challenge of playing this role: I see Abby as a very sweet, good-hearted and generous soul with a slightly skewed sense of right and wrong. My challenge was to make her genuinely likeable and entirely batty – in a murderous sort of way.
  • What do you hope audiences get out of seeing your show? I hope they have lots of fun and lots of laughs throughout this zany play. 
  • What don’t we know about you? I was a professional picture-framer for about 25 years, but I injured my hands and can’t do it anymore.
  • What do you want to get off your chest? I take care of my 94 year old father in the winter, which is a full-time job. It is frustrating to be unable to take acting jobs in the winter, but very rewarding to be taking care of my dad. 

    • More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

    Christy Brandt. She Loves Me. Photo by John Gary BrownChristy Brandt with John S. Green in ‘The Last Romance,’ which opened at the Creede Repertory Theatre before moving to the Arvada Center in 2014. Photo by John Gary Brown.


    Arsenic and Old Lace: Ticket information

    • Written by by Joseph Kesselring
    • Directed by Justin Lucero
    • Through Aug. 9
    • 124 Main St., Creede  MAP IT
    • Tickets $11-$35
    • For tickets, call 719-658-2540 or go to creederep.org
    • Note: The 2017 summer repertory seasons also includes:
    Through Aug. 10: She Loves Me
    Through Aug. 11: Pants on Fire
    Through Aug. 26: The Syringa Tree
    Through Sept. 9: Boomtown
    Through Sept. 15: Talley’s Folley
    Aug. 18-Sept. 14: General Store


    Remaining performance schedule:
    • Thursday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.
    • Saturday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.
    • Tuesday, Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m.
    • Friday, Aug. 4, 1:30 p.m.
    • Saturday, Aug. 5, 1:30 p.m.
    • Sunday, Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m. 
    • Wednesday, Aug. 9, 1:30 p.m.
    • Wednesday, Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m.

    Cast list:
    Abby Brewster: Christy Brandt
    Martha Brewster: Anne F. Butler
    Rev. Dr. Harper and Witherspoon: Stuart Rider
    Teddy Brewster: Logan Ernstthal
    Officer Brophy: Claudio Venancio
    Officer Klein: Josh Zwick
    Elaine Harper: Emily Van Fleet
    Mortimer Brewster: Donovan Woods
    Mr. Gibbs and Lieutenant Rooney: Brian Kusic
    Jonathan Brewster: John DiAntonio
    Dr. Einstein: Rick D. Wasserman
    Officer O’Hara: Spencer D. Christensen
    Elaine (understudy): Bettina Lobo
    Cops (understudy): CJ Salvani
    Jonathan/Teddy (understudy): Pat Moran
    Mortimer (understudy): Josh Zwick

    Creative team:
    Scenic Design: Heidi Hoffer
    Costume Design: Kate Mott
    Lighting Design: Jacob Welch
    Sound Design: Jake K. Harbour
    Assistant Director: Zoe Ruth
    Stage Manager: Devon Muko
    Assistant Stage Manager: Lucas Bareis-Golumb
    Make-up Design: Rick D. Wasserman

    More ‘In the Spotlife’ profiles:

    Meet Lauren Bahlman of Wide-Eyed West’s theMumblings
    Meet Jack Barton of BDT Stage’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
    Meet the ensemble of Buntport Theater’s The Crud
    Meet Mark Collins of And Toto Too’s Lost Creatures
    Meet Carley Cornelius of Colorado Springs TheatreWorks’ Constellations
    Meet Emily Paton Davies of Miners Alley Playhouse’s God of Carnage
    Meet Kelsey Didion of Curious Theatre’s Constellations
    Meet Denise Freestone of OpenStage’s August: Osage County
    Meet Ethelyn Friend of ________________, An Opera
    Meet Sam Gregory of the Arvada Center’s Tartuffe
     Meet Emily K. Harrison of She Rode Horses Like the Stock Exchange
    Meet John Hauser of Curious Theatre’s Hand to God
    Meet Tim Howard of Backstage Breckenridge’s The Producers
    Meet Haley Hunsaker of Funky Little Theatre Company’s Extremities
    Meet Jim Hunt of Buntport’s The Zeus Problem
    Meet Jeff Jesmer of Spotlight Theatre’s The Crucible
    Meet Wayne Kennedy of BDT Stage’s Mid-Life 2
    Meet Lenne Klingaman of Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s Hamlet
    Meet Carla Kaiser Kotrc of Miners Alley Playhouse’s A Skull in Connemara
    Meet Heather Lacy of the Aurora Fox’s Priscilla Queen of the Desert
    Meet Seth Maisel of Town Hall Arts Center’s The Firestorm
    Meet Tim McCracken of Local Theatre’s The Firestorm
    Meet Tamara Meneghini of The Last Testament of Mary
    Meet Angela Mendez of Beauty and the Beast
    Meet Joelle Montoya of Su Teatro’s El Sol Que Tu Eres
    Meet Rebekah Ortiz of The Robber Bridegroom
    Meet Anne Oberbroeckling of Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s Ripcord
    Meet Jessica Robblee of Buntport Theatre for All Ages’ Siren Song: A Pirate Odyssey
    Meet Cory Sapienza of Miners Alley Playhouse’s Hir
    Meet Sean Scrutchins of the Arvada Center’s Bus Stop
    Meet Lauren Shealy of Lone Tree Arts Center’s Evita
    Meet Jane Shirley of The Avenue’s Santa’s Big Red Sack
    Meet Marc Stith of Benchmark Theatre’s The Nether
    Meet Peter Trinh of the Aurora Fox’s Chinglish
    Meet Petra Ulyrich of Germinal Stage-Denver’s Johnny Got His Gun
    Meet Megan Van De Hey of the Arvada Center’s Sister Act
    Meet Sharon Kay White of the Arvada Center’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas
    Meet Adriane Wilson of Miners Alley Playhouse’s Cabaret

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