Hailing from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, UBC English honours student Anna Pontin dabbled in musical theatre in high school — however, she never anticipated that she would continue acting after moving to a bigger city.
After getting involved with UBC’s Musical Theatre Troupe, Pontin felt that the club’s “super inclusive” atmosphere gave her the confidence she needed to audition for the lead role of Emma in Theatre Under the Stars’ production of The Prom, a hit Broadway musical that was recently adapted for film by Netflix.
Theatre Under the Stars is a non-profit society that brings famous musicals to Stanley Park’s historic Malkin Bowl each summer. This year, they are staging Roald Dahl’s Matilda, as well as The Prom, which follows four down-on-their-luck Broadway stars seeking a humanitarian cause to revamp their careers. They find such a cause in high school senior Emma, whose prom gets unceremoniously cancelled when she chooses to attend the event with her girlfriend.
Emma reminds Pontin of a younger version of herself, as she went through similar experiences at her own high school. She describes Emma as someone who “ really knows who she is, and [is] super brave.”
Having grown up playing witches and divas that bordered on caricatures, Pontin welcomed the chance to play a character that felt like a real person.
“Every time we run the show… I feel like I find new ways to connect to the material,” said Pontin.
She added that getting in touch with the feelings that Emma is going through, even echoing Pontin’s own emotions at a certain point in time, has been “super challenging, but rewarding as well.”
Knowing that the Broadway musical was already hugely successful, Pontin wanted to bring a fresh perspective to this particular production of The Prom. Following a brief watching and listening session early in the creative process, Pontin made a conscious decision to no longer consume any part of the musical, along with co-star Katrina Murphy.
“I definitely feel like the pressure to do well, as you always do when you're putting something on stage, but also it's exciting to have to be able to fill a role that has been performed so well before,” Pontin said.
Working with a cast of more experienced artists, Pontin has found countless people to cheer on her growth as an actor — she describes her castmates as “models for performance and professionalism.” She credits director Tracey Power with having a knack for “working with big groups, and fostering a team environment and safe space for everybody.”
On her future in the Vancouver theatre scene, Pontin said she hopes to continue auditioning for roles that “[speak] to something about me … which I feel like Emma totally does.”
The Prom and Matilda run from July 26–August 26 at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl. Tickets are available through the Theatre Under the Stars website.
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