BWW Interviews: Q & A with ONCE's Claire Wellin

Claire Wellin has been gracing Chicago's stages since moving to the city after graduating from college, making a name for herself through performances at Goodman, Steppenwolf, and Lookingglass Theatres, to name a few. Having grown up playing instruments, Wellin's classical training has come in handy in her theatre career, often acting as a musician, as well as actor, onstage. Her musicianship is also on display as a member of the musical collaboration project, Youth in a Roman Field (along with fellow Chicago actress, Tiffany Topol).

Now, after playing the role on Broadway, Wellin can be seen back in town as Reza in the National Tour of "Once" when it rolls into Chicago, beginning October 9th and running through October 27th.

We caught up with Wellin to chat about her time in "Once," sharing the stage with bandmate and friend, Tiffany Topol, and more:

How did you decide to come to Chicago after graduating from college?

I had always loved Chicago and wanted to live there- I have family in the city and would visit them often as a kid. I was always enchanted by the way it felt to simply be there. I also wanted to be an actor and knew that it was a major center for theatre, so there really wasn't any serious ruminating on where to move.

What have you found is the biggest difference between the Chicago theatre community versus the New York theatre community or anywhere else?

I have really only spent time in New York while doing "Once" on Broadway and then rehearsing the tour, so I don't feel that I can speak to New York's theatre community like I can to Chicago's, which is truly amazing. The community here is so supportive, creative, and tenacious in its work. I am so grateful to have started my career here. It is so welcoming to newcomers and encourages risk-taking in a way that support creative development. And you see that quality of and love for the work here at every level and there's an equality in that makes our artistic world here incredibly strong.

Have you found that your experience playing instruments has affected the trajectory of your career?

I can't imagine my career without instruments. Music is where I started - it's what I grew up with, it's in my bones. And interestingly enough, it was my exhaustion with classical music and being in a practice room by myself for so many hours as a kid that led me to theatre. I adored how collaborative and interactive it was, and I didn't play the violin for four or five years while I went to college to learn about theatre. It was so refreshing, and Once I immersed myself in that world the pendulum swung back the other way - or maybe landed somewhere in the middle. I just was not happy without music in my life on a daily basis. Making the change to focus on writing and guitar and then coming back to the violin opened up this new, incredibly fulfilling leg of work for me.

You have been in multiple musicals where you are playing violin as well as playing a character. Do you find this challenging and do you feel playing the instrument influences how you portray the character?

Absolutely. Playing in shows has made me a good violinist again, because you're playing someone else's work and, in many cases, in a way that you wouldn't normally because you're playing to serve the character and the story. It's like going back to taking lessons but with a very specific goal - of doing it for the group and for the story. Practicing is now more enjoyable for me because it has a specific purpose - as in "this shift must not have a slide because of the chord it's landing on!" or whatever. A lot of times, as a soloist or performer of my own music, I play whatever or however I want because I can. So this kind of thing is definitely a challenge.

What is it like to have your bandmate and previous castmate, Tiffany Topol, on the road with you in "Once"? Are you two writing and making more musical while on the road?

Oh, it's a dream. Truly a dream. I adore Tiffany - she is one of the most inspiring people and writers I have ever met and I would prefer to never have a life that doesn't involve her. We've got a host of thoughts and ideas for the road, from song cycles to new albums to a video series. We'll see how each of them surfaces as we get going. We're looking to do quite a bit of playing as well as writing while on the road this year. We played a Youth in a Roman Field show in New York and have four shows lined up for Chicago between that project, which I lead, and her project, Glad Fanny. We are incredibly excited for the year to say the least.

You have been a part of multiple musicals where the actors also play instruments. How do you feel a show is affected or enhanced by this technique?

I am so grateful that there are so many shows employing actor/musicians now. Such creative things are possible when you introduce that technique. I remember seeing John Doyle's "Sweeney Todd" in New York and just being ruined from an emotional standpoint, and the same thing happened when I saw "Once". Music is an incredible language and an incredible tool with which to help tell stories. It reaches people in a way that nothing else can, and something about the actor being the player is even more powerful. It's an extension of character, but can also be in support of other characters because it's sort of a third party in a way. It can be a part of the narrative just as easily as it can be a specific character's expression.

You played the role of Reza on Broadway: how does your experience with playing the role on Broadway and playing the role on tour differ?

Reza feels very different to me in this production - or perhaps more fully realized. The core of her feels familiar, but my process for this year has been so different from my Broadway run and that has really affected how she fits on and within me now. We had six weeks to rehearse this version of the show, and it was a very inclusive and communal process, whereas on Broadway it happened in half the time and was quite solitary and one-on-one when it came to direction. Being able to not only work with all of the creatives in the room at "Once", but with everyone in the cast as well, has been really influential. I am also digging into this woman from a more physical standpoint than I did before, in terms of how she moves through space. And this stellar haircut has given me the opportunity to wear a little of her every day, which has made me more curious about her if only because I can have her with me whenever I want.

Do you find the role of Reza to be more or less challenging than past roles you've played?

Reza is very challenging for me, and in a very different way than I have ever before experienced. I have had so many opportunities to play really fascinating and inspiring young ladies, but never have they been older than about 20. Reza feels quite a bit older than that to me, and is definitely the most sexual creature I've ever played. Learning to inhabit a woman as opposed to a girl on the stage has been tricky to navigate.

You have been a part of some extremely emotional pieces ("Once" and "Eastland," to name a couple): how do you manage performing such heavy pieces 8 times a week?

Dressing room shenanigans. One of the incredible things about being a lady in the theatre is that the first place you go when you get to work every day is the women's dressing room. I have done a lot of dramatic theatre, and in each of those shows I laughed and cried so hard with all these amazing women for at least a half hour prior to having to, for example, strip naked in silence or gasp for air in a dark hole or verbally abuse an innocent man in a courtroom. There's something about that balance, about visiting the other extreme, that has made it possible for me to show up to those characters and stories in a really volatile way. It's as if being able to enjoy myself has allowed me to imagine something of the opposite. I also am a big supporter of using whatever I have to give that day, of not marrying myself to the same breed of dramatic-feeling-or-sounding outcome. Our characters are just people and they change a little from day to day as we do.

The tour is early into its run, but how has the reception been thus far?

Oh, so warm. The Providence audiences have been so supportive and excited and willing to go along with us on this ride. It's an honor to have rehearsed and opened this show in such a gorgeous theatre and with such an interested group of people.

What's the best thing about being on tour with "Once"?

Getting to share a story like this with so many people. From night one, we've had audiences of almost 3,000. This story, though emotionally complicated, is, at the heart, about a very simple thing: how music teaches us to love each other. I had a life changing experience with it as an audience member and I know so many others have. To be able to bring it to the people, as it were, feels like an important and singular job that I am honored to have.

Do you hope to return to Chicago at some point?

Absolutely. I think such inspiring and progressive and creative work is happening here, and I want to come back as often as I can to be a part of and contribute to it. It's still my artistic home, and now that Youth in a Roman Field and Glad Fanny are such a part of my life, Chicago just has to be as well.

You're a songwriter: have you ever thought of writing a musical?

I'd love to write for both film and theatre, though I don't have an interest in writing a traditional musical. It's something Tiffany and our friend and bandmate, Scott Stangland, have talked about a lot. We're interested in doing something in the future that is more along the lines of a devised folk piece and in collaboration with other theatre artists in our community. Or perhaps something that would start out as a song cycle or a concert with single concept or storyline. I am a huge fan of Anais Mitchell's Hadestown - writing something like that is a dream of mine. And I'm very excited to see "The Old Man and The Old Moon" at Writers' while I'm in town - the work that Pigpen is doing fascinates me as well.

With so many different talents, where would you like to see your career go?

I always feel like there's so much work to be done and things to be experienced in the world of art. I want to do more film and TV, and I sense that theatre will always be a part of my artistic life. And I love singing standards with a jazz combo late at night in small places and would love to travel around doing that. But the greatest thing that I've been involved in over the last few years has been writing music and meeting such creative and collaborative people to aid in fully realizing it. I've never set out to write songs, and the fact that I keep being given them is very curious. It's a responsibility, especially now that I have the tools in similarly-minded creators and musicians surrounding me. I can feel the way I write and what I write changing, and with that comes the possibility of who knows what. So I am committed to following that path and look forward to whatever it looks like.

Claire Wellin can be seen in the National Tour of "Once," playing at the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph), October 9th - October 27th, 2013. Tickets can be purchased at www.BroadwayInChicago.com or by calling (800) 775-2000. Tickets range from $27 - $95, as well as a select number of premium tickets available for many of the performances.