As Genuine and Stable by Uhyoung Choi nears the end of its season, we catch up with the cast who play our immigration officers, Laura and Charlotte. Alyssa Medel talks to Natasha Daniel, Gabriela Chauca, and Acushla-Tara Kupe about all things pre-show; their dream show day routine, how they enter the space, and how they unwind after all of it.
Natasha Daniel plays Laura.
We’re talking dream day — what would your day look like before coming in to the theatre?
Natasha: “I’d have a good sleep in, do some exercise, whether it be a full workout or a just a good walk or something like that. Just to you know, shake out anything my body is holding. Then I’d have a good meal before coming in. On a dream day, there’d be no traffic and there’s free parking.”
Gabriela: Junghwi, next to us, immediately chimes in “Wake up. Swim.” Gabriela turns, “how did you know?” She continues, “Straight into the ocean, feet on the grass, back to Papatūānuku, then an hour walk. Just sweat it out. Go home, have a smoothie, do some reading. Then do a very quick blocking at home, just going through the show. I like doing that at home to keep it in my body. Have a nice lunch, then in the afternoon I like to try and start prep, not full on, but I put on a playlist that I’ve made for Charlotte. I think about what she’s thinking that day, what she’s been up to. Music is a big one for me, I like to listen to music at least a couple of hours before I head to the theatre.”
Gabriela Chauca plays Charlotte.
Acushla: “My real day today, I had a doctor’s appointment, then helped someone with their self tape. I’m a coach and do self tapes of people. And it was this lovely gentleman who’d never done a self-tape before, and we had an absolute blast. Dream day: I’d go to the gym, because it’s really good for my noggin. Then breakfast, and call my family, I talk to them almost every single day. Hopefully get a coffee date in with someone, and do any additional prep that I need to.”
Acushla Tara-Kupe plays Charlotte.
What do you do once you get to the venue?
Natasha: “I like to start my prep in the theatre with a really good squidgy warm-up on the stage. So that I can roll around and make a lot of noise and just do whatever my body feels like it needs on that day. And then after doing that, I come back to the dressing room, do my makeup, and then, the last thing is getting into costume. And for my character, packing my bag.”
Natasha during a warm-up on stage.
Gabriela: “I land and touch my little tokens that I like to have with me for shows, like my grandma. I brush my teeth, and do a bit of breathing. Depending on what I need, I’ll either start my makeup and then start to warm up or the other way around. After I’ve done a warm up on stage, I like to go and walk through each row and each aisle. Just be a body in the space for a minute.
Acushla: “I try to get in an hour or two early so I can get ready in a calm fashion. Get as ready as I can be in case something happens, like a drill, it’s not gonna throw me off. I put my makeup on, brush my teeth. Then getting on stage and stretch out my body to make sure I’m warm, and I don’t injure myself because that’s happened before. I don’t tend to eat before a show because it makes me feel a little sluggish on stage. Once I’m all ready, that lets me be my social butterfly self and just greet everyone as they arrive in the theatre.”
Gabriela’s pre-show ritual of walking through the seating block.
What did you do to prepare for this specific character?
Natasha: “A lot of the work in this character is really listening to the other actors on stage and responding to them in real time. I did do a bit of research around the immigration process so I could understand what it was I was actually saying, because we do use a lot of jargon. In addition to the standard things like trying to find the character arc and the journey from where they began in the show to how that changes.”
Gabriela: I’ve discovered that she brings out a bit of a quirky side that’s already in me, so I upped my rom-com watching, I already love rom-coms anyway. She just a good reminder to fall into that lovely dovey world. That’s been really fun. I started thinking a lot about my Mum and Dad’s love story, because he’s from Peru. They met in London and then he moved here.”
Acushla: “Trying to slough off the heaviness I’ve brought in with my from the day, from life, just so I can bring her lightness and then access the harder stuff when the scene calls for it. She just wants everybody to be happy and in love! She’s very optimistic, and I think that’s why I identify with her so much.”
Acushla doing her own makeup for the show.
What do you do after the show to unwind?
Natasha: “I really like walking to the car park to just get that fresh air. I've got a little bit of a drive home, so if it's warm, I like to drive home with my windows down, and just chill out. Or listen to my podcast or something like that, just to get out of the zone. I feel quite hungry after a show as well, so sometimes having a treat if I feel like it, or something that’s just going to fill me up, like something protein-y. I just kind of shake it out, and then get home, wash my face, lie on my shakti mat, and read a book.”
Gabriela: “I like to take my makeup off as soon as I can, and have a shower, whether that’s here (in the dressing room) or at home. Just to wash it all off. And I just say a little thank you to my peeps who’ve carried me through it, my abuela, the big ones up there that I like to think about a lot.”
Acushla: “The last time I was in this theatre was for a show called Prime Facie and that was very heavy. So at the end of the show, myself and our stage manager would dance so stupidly and outrageously for a minute. This show for Charlotte isn’t too heavy, she’s more there to help tell Laura’s story.”
Gabriela greeting a fellow cast member.
For the role of Charlotte, what was it like being double-casted?
Gabriela: “Cush (Acushla) was so lovely and welcoming and making me really feel part of it from the get go. So it was really easy to slot right in, and the people have been amazing. We’ve sort of been able to help each other and joke about doing little steals, someone might do something and go “that’s really cool. I’ll try that.” There’s ideas that might not pop up on your own.”
Acushla: “We both had full ownership over who Charlotte was, we got to create our own Charlottes. And it’s two very different shows and huge praise to Tash Daniels, she is flexing and flowing with the different options and vibes and responses that Gabi and I throw at her.”
Photography credit: Alyssa Medel
Genuine and Stable by Uhyoung Choi and directed by Marianne Infante closes today, with a matinee in the afternoon and a final evening show. Presented by Proudly Asian Theatre and supported by Auckland Live.
Book your tickets now: tinyurl.com/Genuine-and-Stable.