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Maria Louis

What shows or projects have you done with ETT?

Streetcar Named Desire

Finish the sentence: Touring is important because…

Touring is accessible and important theatre for all corners of the country.

Where is home for you?

In my cosy flat with my other half.

Where is your home away from home?

Curled up with my mums dogs in Poland.

How did you bring home with you on tour?

Video calling loved ones.

Which city was your favourite to visit on tour with ETT?

Ipswich – I grew up there and it was something special to see all those familiar faces in the audience.

What gem did you discover on tour with ETT (could be a landmark/park/cafe/pub etc)?

Punting in Cambridge

What are your touring essentials?

Yoga Mat, podcasts/music for travelling, reusable coffee mug.

What’s your go-to recipe whilst on tour?

All the carbs and God bless the meal deal.

Touring is accessible and important theatre for all corners of the country

Tour! Learn and discover what life is like in other communities to your own, meet new faces, chat with locals and be the voice that perhaps they would have never heard.

Which artist(s) do you most admire and why?

Artists who have had flourishing careers on stage and screen alike and who have been able to shake off the type casting. I love artists who also produce their own work, Michaela Cole, Phoebe Waller Bridge, Julia Davis and Sharon Hogan are all great examples of this.

What music inspires you?

Entirely depends on my mood, music is a big part of my warm up and character development. It’s powerful how it can change you and make you really FEEL.

What piece of writing or quote inspires you?

Most recently, Ikigai By Hector Garcia.

What, for you, makes a good piece of art?

Something that moves you and has power to change what your stubborn mind.

What have been your career highlights so far?

Being in a BAFTA winning comedy as a recurring character. (People Just Do Nothing BBC ).

If you were cast away on a desert island, which 5 plays would you take with you and why?

Gosh this is hard…Caucasian Chalk Circle, Hedder Gabler, Richard III, The Long Road, Yerma I guess because they are some of my favourites.

Please can you tell us what you would say to emerging artists to encourage them to take their work on the road or join an ETT tour?

Tour! Learn and discover what life is like in other communities to your own, meet new faces, chat with locals and be the voice that perhaps they would have never heard.

Window or aisle seat?

Window

Favourite way to travel?

Train

If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?

Rewinding time.

Our industry is currently experiencing an incredibly challenging time. Do you have any recommendations for others of how to stay hopeful and creative during this time? Please feel free to add links to any projects, groups or initiatives that you’re part of or that you’d like to highlight.

There is so much free theatre to get your hands on (although a donation is worth considering). Casting Directors are doing lots of free seminars and video conferences it’s defiantly worth following them on social media. I would also highly recommend Manuel Puro’s 21day Self Tape Challenge along with Act on This. If you are lucky enough to have the time now, then read all those things you didn’t have time for. I just finished ‘Where the Crawdids Sing’ and ‘Beekeeper Of Aleppo’, recommend both! If you’ve got some savings why not invest in a USB mic, I’ve been recording radio plays and commercials from my wardrobe and I never thought I could actually make money from it! Good luck, It’s hard right now and it’s ok to feel overwhelmed at times, try and stay positive, I find yoga and listing daily gratitudes no matter how small a nice habit to get into.

Further reading:

@Maria_Louis_ (Twitter)

https://www.spotlight.com/7012-3424-4685