Local Teen Shines Through Dark Performance in Chicago Theater Production

Watching reign over the stage during the Eclipse Theatre Company's production of Naomi Wallace's play One Flea Spare, it's hard to believe that you are watching a 15-year-old, (who is portraying a 12-year-old) because her mere presence as Morse, the lovable, laughable and tortured heroine, is enough to intimidate grown men - and believe us, she does. 

Stenholt has only just begun performing professionally, but she's already displaying strong talent, as Patch observed when we recently caught a performance of what is referred to as a dark comedy about...the Bubonic Plague(?!).

Directed by Anish Jethmalani and also starring JP Pierson, Susan Monts-Bologna, Brian Parry and Zach Bloomfield, One Flea Spare has been well received by the Chicago theater community. While there are some laughs to be had, in essence this is a moving play about class distinction, intimate relationships and the basic nature of human beings when they've been stripped of all they once had and are left with nothing but their own vulnerability.

While some characters become shells of their former selves when they can no longer hide behind their finery, it is Morse who carries them all, in her own fashion, and forces them to see themselves for who they really are. She stirs up a storm and remains a mystery, only showing her true self in the end. 

Patch caught up with Stenholt after a recent performance and sat down to chat about the show. 

Patch: You really mastered what a lay person would consider a "commoner" type of English accent in your performance. How did you learn it? Is it difficult to keep up in the performance?

Elizabeth Stenholt: To me, acting in a dramatic play, it needs a British accent. I said a line backstage today in (American) English and I thought "This sounds absolutely disgusting" (laughs). I always loved British accents and me and my friends would practice, so I really just had to learn more of a cockney (accent), which was pretty easy.

Patch: What is your favorite scene to perform?

ES: That's my favorite question. The scene where she (Morse) burns the dolls while talking to Mr. Snelgrave. It shows a side of Morse that no one sees. She gets really angry and defensive about her family tree. She completely loses it and throughout the show her moods change, but not that drastically.

Patch: Do you have a favorite line? One that you say or that another character says?

ES: There are a lot that I like. I like "At night the rats came out in two's and three's to drink the sweat from our faces." That one's pretty vile. I love all the lines in that scene. And when Mr. Snelgrave asks "Where were you schooled slut?" (We won't tell you the punchline, but it's pretty funny.)

Patch: Is it difficult to perform in such an intimate setting? The audience is really in your face. Or do you prefer the smaller theater setting to larger venues?

ES: I like this because the audience is there with you and it feels more powerful. In a larger audience some times they have to strain to hear you if you aren't mic'd.

Patch: You have a great scream. Did you get to practice that at home and drive your mother crazy?

ES: I wish (laughs). (Turns out she's a natural folks.)

Patch: Which scene in the show moves or affects you the most? Of your own scenes or other character's?

ES: What moves me is...besides when (here she describes an, ahem, intimate scene between two characters which we won't give away) is between Morse and Mr. Snelgrave at the end of the show when she finally feels he is vulnerable and she is comfortable telling him the truth about herself.

Patch: There are a few scenes that you are involved in that have very adult themes and situations. While you are a professional, you're still a teenage girl. Do any of those scenes creep you out at all? Even a little? Did they make you uncomfortable during rehearsals?

ES: I don't think so. I was pretty mellow about it and when we went through and did table work it made a lot more sense to me, it clicked. I didn't think it was that bad. During that time period Morse was old enough to be married--and she was starving (laughs).

One Flea Spare will run through May 22 at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Come out and show a local talent your support and have a good time doing it. Click here for details.