Rabbit Hole: Featured Actors, Heather Nicolson & Rob Onorato

Rob Onorato

Heather Nicolson

TheatreWorks' Member Joe Russo sat down this week with Heather Nicolson and Rob Onorato, two of the cast members of TheatreWorks' critically acclaimed show, Rabbit Hole. TheatreWorks is excited to share such great reviews with these two actors, who are making their TheatreWorks debut with this production.

"Heather, what would you say makes this role unique from other roles you have played?"

HI love the way Izzy is written. It's so honest and REAL -- there's no pretense to this character or her behavior. I think many times playwrights try to make a character into who they think they should be and really great things get sacrificed when that happens. Izzy is a mess, but the fact that she knows that, and is vulnerable and honest makes her lovable and hopeful, in spite of being a mess. She could have easily become a caricature: the loud, obnoxious sister with no boundaries, but because of the honesty in the writing, she isn't. And because of that, because of all the layers the playwright wrote for her, she is a total joy to play.

"Rob, what would you say about your character, Jason?"

R Jason has an unusual response to the trauma he's suffered. Lindsey-Abaire actually specifies that Jason is not written as a weeping kid. He keeps his emotions locked up and still hasn't figured out what he feels or how to let it out, which is why he so strongly wants to talk with the Corbetts. Many teenagers are emotional nutcases. Jason's the opposite, which I like.

"That being said about your characters, what makes this show unique from other shows?"

H I love the subtlety of the script. It's about getting on with life in the face of grief, which to me, makes it a show about bravery. Life doesn't stop when things go wrong. These characters, in all their pain and sadness, remind us that we will be alright. I love that underlying theme and I think it runs throughout the entire show, especially in the most painful moments.

RI would agree with Heather. The script is so real. These people could be anyone you know. they all talk just like anyone would, and that adds a fascinating dimension to the play. Their problems aren't earth-shattering on a grand scale, but they're enormous and overwhelming to them.

"What is most challenging about your roles?"

H I think the biggest challenge is finding the balance in the character. She's often abrupt and inappropriate, so I wanted to make sure that she was still likable to the audience in spite of that. I think that's a fine line -- she has to be who she is, but the audience needs to root for her.

RAt times, I find not succumbing to the emotions challenging. I really like Jason's inability to access his feelings. It's very unlike me, but it's always an enjoyable challenge.

"How long have you been involved in theatre? In acting?"

HI started acting when I was 8 years old in local kids' theatre, then moved on to community theatre and acted all through High School. Then I went on to get my degree in it and have been lucky to work professionally as an adult since. I have also directed and taught acting.

R I've loved all things theatrical since I was in kindergarten and I've been actively doing shows since I was in Eighth grade or so.

"You've both been involved in theatre for so long! Do you have any favorite roles?"

HHarper in Angels in America, Parts I & II and Persephone/Semele in Polaroid Stories are definitely among the top.

R The most fun I've ever had onstage was in the ensemble of Anything Goes. I also had a great time going ballistic every night as Garry in Noises Off.

"What do you think audience members will take away from this production?"

H I hope they take away a sense of hope. Grief can create such feelings of isolation and hopelessness, which I think is palpable in these characters. There are no rules for grief or how one deals with loss like this; it's a messy and awful process. But it's doable, and I think this play and its characters are a beautiful testimony to how worthwhile the struggle is.

R It's a moving play, but it's not sentimental or overly simple, which makes it intriguing. It makes you wonder about how you could hold up in these people's shoes and maybe how lucky you are that you're not them. For two hours, you're sitting in on the lives of five very different, very real people and you leave the theatre wondering: "What happens next?" You care about these people.

February 27, 28, March 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 2009 Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 PM / Sunday 2:00 PM $20.00 Reserved Seating TheatreWorks, 5 Brookside Avenue, New Milford, CT

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Casting Call: DOUBT

TheatreWorks will be holding auditions by appointment for a black actress for the role of Mrs. Muller (age range 30s to 40s).

Mrs. Muller is the mother of Donald Muller, the first black child to attend St. Nicholas. She is aware that he has been expelled from the altar boys for drinking wine, but she thinks of that as a minor infraction that is behind them. When she finds out that her son may be the victim of a sexual predator, Mrs. Muller does not react with outrage. She reveals that her son may already have homosexual tendencies and is willing to accept a relationship between the boy and the priest in exchange for his being accepted in a hostile environment and being given the opportunity to escape an abusive father. Drop by careful drop, she pours out her heart, revealing the aspirations and desperation of any parent who'll fight to insure her son has a better life than she has. 

For more information on DOUBT click here.

To make an appointment for the role of Mrs. Muller please email or call 860 350-6863. 

An open call for all roles will be held in early May. Click Here for details.

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