Interview: 6 Questions & a Plug with SOUND OF MUSIC's Billie Wildrick

The Ordway Center for Performing Arts is presenting a rousing and heart-warming production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC this holiday season. Playing the pivotal role of Maria Ranier, Billie Wildrick makes her third stop on Saint Paul's Ordway stage after last year's popular A CHRISTMAS STORY where she played the Mother. Hailing from Seattle, Wildrick (see bio below) she has appeared on Broadway in SCANDALOUS and also directs. In 6 Questions and a Plug, Wildrick displays an infectious enthusiasm equal to Maria's and reveals how much of herself is in this production's iconic role.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is obviously a show that most people know well from many productions and watching the film on TV year after year. Is this Ordway production more traditional or are you and the cast bringing anything new or different to the stage?

Well, we're staying true to the very most originalest original SOUND OF MUSIC that Mary Martin performed on Broadway in 1959. That means some songs people have never heard sung by characters that don't sing at all in the film, as well as some different tunes and some tunes in unexpected places. It might feel very new to audiences who only know the movie.

By the same token, Maria's portrayer on the screen, Julie Andrews, defined the role for many. Do you feel any pressure to match that performance or are you planning to bring something new to the role?

The fun and special thing about theatre/a good script is that the roles sit around on the page like empty lanterns and it's your job to crawl inside the lantern and light it up with your own special flame. Julie Andrews is incredible and she will always be one of my favorite role models. But what was natural for Julie isn't necessarily natural for me. The English accent for one. :) But what I learned from her in oh-so-many incredible star turns on the screen is that you have to make the role fit a version of your most honest self. I identify with Maria on so many levels and I try to bring her all the passion, self-connection, music, curiosity, lack of filters, misbehavior, joy, fun and love I feel in my own soul. It's truly a gift to get to pour the contents of my soul into the incredible vessel that is Maria.

This is your third Ordway production, having last played the mother in A CHRISTMAS STORY last holiday season, also playing opposite Dieter Bierbrauer. Are you feeling particularly at home in Saint Paul now, and how do you and Dieter play this couple differently or the same?

I feel incredibly at home here. Strangely and magically, I felt at home here the first day of A CHRISTMAS STORY - my first show with the local actors. To tell you the truth, I am desperately in love with all of them. Talented, kind, open and welcoming with just the right dash of devilish. Dieter is a dream to play opposite. Really warm and generous with a gorgeous voice to boot. And something about a shared rhythm and unspoken communication has just worked with us from day one. But, while offstage, it's great to see my friends again and pick up where we left off. Onstage, it's an entirely new experience-Maria and the Captain are VERY different from the Parkers, and '30s Austria is no '40s Indiana. :) It's really fun to inhabit this whole new world.

What is your favorite number to sing in this production, and why?

Haha! That's an IMPOSSIBLE question. Gosh... The title song is exhilarating because it's so full of Maria's joy and breath and light and my own truth. The kids are magical scene partners so "Do-Re-Mi" and "Goatherd" (yodeling is super fun) are new and full of discovery every night.

How is it working with all the children in the show, and do you find yourself learning from the child actors as much as sharing your knowledge with them?

I. ADORE. these. KIDS! Each one is so special and so radiant. But all in completely different ways. They are all fiercely individual. They are all open and fun and loving and right at the front of their eyes.

Billie Wildrick in Sound of Music" height="280" src="https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload11/1201610/files/Sound of Music_vertical.jpg" align="right" width="200" />

What experience(s) led you to a career in theatre? And, did you ever imagine you'd one day play Maria von Trapp?

Discovering and telling stories by becoming other characters has always been a part of my play as far back as I can remember. According to my parents, it could be hard to get me out of character. :)

I auditioned for Maria a long while ago and ended up playing Liesl in that production. I remember reading the sides and having a hard time letting the character and her words come through me in a natural way. In hindsight, I think I was such a young, scared actor I was trying to DO instead of BE. I was trying to perform and impress and do a good job-to figure out what was wanted and do it instead of liberating the Maria that is in me and letting her teach me. Now, I think Maria is my favorite person I've ever shared my body heart and mind with.

What is next on stage or off for you? And, will we see you back at the Ordway in the next season?

Not sure, to tell you the truth. It's been such a busy year, but I don't have a single day booked in 2016. I hope to do some more directing next year and we'll see what comes along for me acting-wise... You can keep track of me here: www.billiewildrick.com

To answer your second question, I sure hope to come back to the Ordway. I just love it here. We'll see what fate has in store!

Bio for Billie Wildrick:
ORDWAY: A Christmas Story, Guys and Dolls; Broadway: Scandalous; 5th Avenue: Carousel, Pirates of Penzance, Sunday in the Park..., Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town, Into the Woods, Hair, Company; ACT: Vanities, First Date, Das Barbecü; Village Theatre: Cabaret, Lizzie Borden, Saint Heaven, Hello Dolly, Man of LaMancha; Original Cast Recordings:Scandalous, A Christmas Story. Billie enjoys a vibrant theatrical career in Seattle where her work has been celebrated with 3 Gregory nominations and 3 Footlight Awards. This year Billie won a Gregory Awad for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in Cabaret at Village Theatre. Billie is also a director (fresh from helming a critically acclaimed Jesus Christ Superstar at Seattle Musical Theatre), a writer and a founding member of golden age girl trio, The Riveting Rosies.

Photos: Billie Wildrick headshot and as Maria in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Provided by Ordway Center for Performing Arts.

More on THE SOUND OF MUSIC:
Directed by local stage veteran Gary Briggle, THE SOUND OF MUSIC plays the Ordway through Jan. 2, 2016, and features music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The production's creative team includes Raymond Berg (musical direction), Kenneth Foy (scenic design), Lynda L. Salsbury (costume design), Zach Williamson (sound design), Don Darnutzer (lighting design), Robert A. Dunn (hair and make-up design) and Rick Polenek (props design).

The Sound of Music is sponsored by Bremer Bank. For tickets and more information, visit www.ordway.org/sound-music.

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