Jill Gardner on Blanche DuBois: “You have to really sing it!”
“I think particularly, in these times, why this piece is so good is because everyone, on some level, is suffering—even if it’s in the most private way. Somebody is going through something all of the time. And Blanche, for me, is always trying to find a way to overcome that suffering, and to hide that suffering, and to make beautiful that suffering. When she comes undone in that process, what I want people to leave the theater thinking about is really wanting to show empathy to people and really recognizing that you don’t know what anybody is going through. Many people are going to be bullies and take advantage of the weakest among us, but I think if you have the opportunity to show empathy and care for people, you should. I think the Blanche’s character can help people see that it’s worth it.”
~ Opera singer Jill Gardner, starring as Blanche DuBois
in HOT’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire