Sally Trtan in Song of Singapore
Sally Trtan grew up in the arts, surrounded by singers, actors and musicians. The ubiquity of music paved her a certain path.
“My father was an actor and my mom is a cellist. All of my brothers and sisters have sang or been involved in some type of musical,” Trtan, exempting her oldest brother said. “This is what I’ve always known.”
That didn’t necessarily prepare her for crazy.
When Song of Singapore opens tonight at the Vandivort Center Theatre, Trtan will be center stage of the 1940s jazz club, playing a fun, if unfamiliar, role – club chanteuse, Rose.
“I’ve never played the really goofy character. I normally play the sidekick,” Trtan laughed, because Rose definitely qualifies as goofy. “She suffers from amnesia and doesn’t really know what’s going on.”
Though Rose changes after a band member (played by Ned Wilkinson) hypnotizes her, Trtan said she recalls “blond moments (she) would normally have” to prepare for the role – one which required study deeper than hair color.
Springfield Contemporary Theatre’s set, and, in a way, the cast, of Song of Singapore is designed to include the audience. To emulate a true club and put the audience directly in the atmosphere, two rows of tables are set directly against the stage.
“We go into the crowd and interact,” Trtan said. It creates a dialogue with the crowd. “I had to do a little more research to know what some of the lingo was and be able to improvise naturally.”
Trtan is also in rehearsal for Springfield Little Theatre’s Cats which opens in mid-September.
Song of Singapore, directed by Gretchen Teague opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Vandivort. First weekend tickets are just $16 for every seat in the house. You can meet the cast, too, in the lobby after the show for drinks and snacks. It runs through August 15.
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