Meet the Cast of Richard II: Bridget McCarthy

Mary Bridget McCarthy (Queen/Officer) has been working with Pigeon Creek since 2012. She has appeared in the 2015 season as Lady Candour/ Moses in School for Scandal. Previous roles with PCSC include Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Rose, and Iras in Antony and Cleopatra. Favorite educational roles at include Hamlet (Hamlet) and Martha Dobie (The Children's Hour). She was nominated for the KCACTF Region III Irene Ryan for her roles in The Children's Hour, Urinetown, and Stage Door. Regionally, Bridget has worked with the American Shakespeare Center, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, Riverside Shakespeare Festival, Theatre in the Round. She is a recent and proud graduate from Hope College with BA in Theatre, and has received additional additional training at Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA).

1) Where are you from originally? How did you end up in MI or why did you stay?

Big picture: I was born and raised on the east side of the Mitten,

went to high school in Grand Haven, college in Holland, and now am

living in Grand Rapids. However, theatre has taken me around a little

bit. In the past two years, I have wasted some time in Minneapolis,

Virginia, and Iowa with various theatre adventures. I am back in

Michigan for a bit while I figure out where my next adventure will

take me.

2) Where did you study acting?

I am a recent Hope College grad and have my degree in theatre and

studied acting with some wonderful mentors and teachers. Experience,

however, has ben a pretty consistent teacher in my life as well. I

have been lucky enough to spend time at some top notch companies, and

have worked with some artists who are at the top of their game.

Learning by observation is highly underrated in my humble opinion, and

some of the most craft-impacting lessons I have learned have been

absorbed simply by sitting back and watching some incredible people

work. Other than that, after doing working in theatre for a few years,

I have picked up a few tips and tricks here and there. Every director,

every designer, every stage manager, every ensemble member that I have

ever had the pleasure of collaborating with has instilled some

powerful lessons about art and life. Each production, I learn

something new.

What has this production been teaching me, you ask? Working with the

stunning ensemble of "Richard" is constantly humbling masterclass in

generous listening. The crew has been teaching me, slowly but surely,

how to stay present and active in all of my scene work and I am

incredibly grateful for it. Never before have I worked with a group of

artists who are so intent on listening to one another. There is

something so beautiful in the simple act of listening on stage.

I also just saw Jurassic Park for the first time thanks to a few of my

cast mates. I feel like that is an education in and of itself and

deserves a shout-out.

3) What other theatres have you worked with? Describe a favorite

role/production.

Though it is not a "production" per se, since moving back to GR I have

been working with an exceptionally talented and passionate group of

theatre artists at Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon Heights.

Shakespeare Behind Bars is a non-profit organization that goes into

prisons and other detention centers and works with the incarcerated

individuals there through the canon of Shakespeare. By working with

this particular body of work, we learn empathy, emotional vocabulary,

and big picture thinking. The men that I work with are brave and

strong and incredible human beings who are turning their lives around.

I am honored to be in their presence. It is my favorite theatrical

endeavor that I have ever undertaken, and it makes be better at being

a person every day.

Side note: the look on any of my elderly relative's faces when I tell

work-related anecdotes beginning with "So, the other day in prison..."

is priceless.

4) What do you do in your spare time?

Now would be a fabulous time for the classic, "What spare time?" line,

but I will spare you that. But proceed with the understanding that my

free time is could be classified as "limited" or "nonexistent"

I just decided that I wanted to become a runner, so I have been

running quite a bit since summer in addition to being an active

yoga-wannabe. There are also a good amount of coloring books in my

room, because adulthood is highly overrated.

5) Share three fun facts about yourself.

1. All jokes are funny to me.

2. I've never met a breakfast buffet I didn't like.

3. One time, the guy installing my cable told me I was funny.