0:00
It's insane. It's like such a rare experience to work with people who are at the top of their game and also just like happen to be a group of women
0:08
Like it's just the perfect group of people to do this show with. It's great
0:14
Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. All-Nighter is the new play by Natalie Margolin. Under the direction of Jackie Bradley, it'll open on March 9th off Broadway at the Newman Mills Theater
0:25
And we'll drive by the legendary Sardis to catch up with the company. I am so excited. This has been the most meaningful experience, and it's a dream come true for me to be able to do this play
0:35
It takes place, it's five college seniors pulling their last academic all-nighter five days before they graduate
0:44
And it's really investigating this group of friends, this unit, as they are about to enter the real world and leave this sort of privileged bubble of a small liberal art school
0:54
These actresses and Jackie, everyone has brought. such care and thought into the room and I feel very protective of these characters and all the girls are equally as protective And that is like all I could ask for And Jackie has led all of us with such clarity and strength
1:13
And everyone so believes in the stakes of the play. And the stakes of the play are really just what happens when you're a young woman
1:21
She writes female characters in such a hilarious but like honest and messy and true way
1:28
that I just, I feel so lucky to be in this company and saying Nats words
1:36
I'm the luckiest girl. I actually said yes before reading the script because I saw some of the people that were
1:41
attached and I was like, well, obviously I want to spend a day in a room with these people. Why not
1:46
And then I read the script and I melted to the floor
1:50
I was so invested in these girls, in these characters, in how it's written
1:54
Natalie Margolin is an absolute genius. and I want to you know she has written sort of like the epitome of what I think is a perfect play And so to be in it every night and to experience it and to hear it every night is like a dream come true Okay when you got the script what made you say yes I have to do this
2:12
Oh, my God. I mean, everything. I read it in one sitting and I was like, I need this, I need to read this again
2:20
And I think just the dialogue was so natural. And the views of all the girls are so empathetic
2:26
Like, they're flawed, but they're not flawed in a way that villainizes them or vilifies them
2:30
It's like truly they have their issue. but you see them all with empathy
2:34
and I really appreciated seeing young women that way. Oh, I'm, like, shaking with excitement
2:38
Every atom in my body is, like, freaking out. But isn't that great when you're doing live theater
2:43
It is. It's incredible. I've never done it before, so it's a lot as well. But in the best way possible, yes
2:48
So you've come into, like, the live theater now from TV and film? Correct
2:52
It's night and day. But having Catherine and Julia, they've really put me under their wing
2:56
and they've taught me about blocking, about voice, about all the technicality things
3:00
and it's been incredible so far. with this incredible cast. What has it been like rehearsing with them
3:05
and outperforming with them They the nicest people ever ever ever ever And they so generous and thoughtful And this is my first play And so I asked them 100 questions And they answer them all very generously
3:17
And we also cry together. We laugh together. It's been like a really beautiful experience
3:22
I feel like I'm back in school in a way. The play is really centered on the complexities of female friendship, both the fun and
3:30
hilarious parts of being a young woman and the parts that are complicated and heart-wrenching
3:35
and sometimes really difficult. And I think it's quietly radical for the play to center young women
3:41
and for the stakes of their friendships to be the stakes of the play. And working on a new play
3:47
and the importance of having a new play presented now what that means to as a director
3:52
Yeah, I think I love new plays. I think it's the most exciting form of the theater
3:57
And I love that this new play is bringing in a younger audience and with accessible ticket prices too
4:03
I think it's inviting people into the theater who don't necessarily usually go or feel like they know their place in it
4:09
And I think that's the most exciting piece of this and welcoming audiences in
