Conversations with Creators: Shelby Reinitz

Better late than never! We’ve closed our production of A Doll’s House: Wild Rose, but we still wanted to catch up with our Nora, Shelby Reinitz.

Three words to describe yourself/ your artistic practice

Authentic, Honest, Ambitious

What about this play/character challenges you?

There is so much that happens so fast to Nora, and, as an actor, it is hard to not have emotional whiplash for a good chunk of the show! Humans are, of course, innately emotional beings, and we can all relate to times in life when it seems that everything is falling apart, or that life is snowballing. I know I can think of a few times when it felt as though my whole world was crumbing in a “rule of 3’s” sort of fashion, and I use that knowledge to try and put myself in a similar headspace as Nora. Being a progressive, independent person, myself, Nora is an incredibly different creature to me. Her ideals, her driving force for most of the play, her experiences. So, while one of the most challenging aspects of the role is understanding her thought process and her priorities, it’s also fascinating to drawn upon such different experiences to evoke the same primal fight or flight instinct that drives Nora to act the way that she does.

What about this play/character freaks you out a little

In a post #MeToo era, to see Nora endure what she does, and play/find her truth, and then to actually embrace that truth can be quite the process. She’s actually almost an interesting symbol for movement, in that she reaches a moment when she can no longer accept the confines of her reality and…well, I guess you have to see the show to find out what comes next…

One thing you wish the audience could know about this show that would make them excited to see it

How incredibly and uncomfortably wonderful and – dare I say it – funny the show is. Please come see it!