Zoe O’Haillin-Berne and Sean Berne seem a natural fit for their roles.
The couple, who live in Lawrence, star as George and Charlotte Hay in Mud Creek Players’ production of Ken Ludwig’s “Moon Over Buffalo” April 19 to May 4 at the Mud Creek Barn Theater. The play centers on the married couple, who are traveling actors.
“I love that this show gives me the opportunity to share the stage with my real-life husband,” Zoe said. “This has been quite a bonding experience. The show also gives us the chance to explore the similarities and differences between us and our characters as a married couple. I think that having a real point of reference has allowed us to find a deeper, more authentic reality behind George and Charlotte’s relationship and love for one another.”
The biggest challenge for Zoe is the physicality of the role.
“This is the most physical role I’ve ever had in a nonmusical,” Zoe said. “I go home from rehearsal each night feeling like I just performed an entire dance recital. But it’s a great challenge that has allowed me to grow as a performer. I now know legitimate sword technique. As a character actress, Charlotte is also very different from the other roles I’ve played. She is a character role in many ways but she’s also the closest to an ingenue I’ve ever gotten, so that’s required acting growth as well.”
Sean, who hasn’t acted on stage in about 13 years, said he has been eager to perform in a comedy again for many years.
“So, this has been a great opportunity to get back up on the stage, and it feels great to be making my Indianapolis debut, especially with such a great group of actors and production team,” he said. “I’ll admit that I was a little anxious going into the audition, but apparently people think I’m funny and apparently my comedic timing served me well at the audition, so it worked out and it’s been a pretty enjoyable experience. The biggest challenge I’ve found in the role has been metering the energy George demands. He’s a wild guy to play.”
Fishers resident Kelly Keller is the director.
“This is my first time directing ‘Moon Over Buffalo,’ although I’ve seen it performed several times,” Keller said. “I read it several years ago and thought it would be a good choice for the Mud Creek stage. It has a wide age range of characters and great characters for actors to play.”
For more, visit mudcreekplayers.org.
