Actress Spotlight: Birgitta De Pree

 "The script is so textured and rich that digging into it, layer upon layer, you discover more..."  

-Birgitta De Pree

The FAC's Theatre Company is presenting the Colorado Premiere of Other Desert Cities, an electric and critically acclaimed new drama by Jon Robin Baits that is not to be missed. The cast features Colorado Springs actress Birgitta De Pree, a  local favorite making her FAC debut in the dramatic leading role as Silda. 

We had a chance to ask Birgitta, the Gazette's 2012 Best Actress of the Springs, a few questions about the play and her role:  


What have you liked most about the play?
Birgitta: I’ve loved working with the company, the cast and the director. The script is so textured and rich that digging into it, layer upon layer, you discover more about the play. It’s going to be a challenging piece for our community because it’s a bit political, but I think it really asks some poignant questions about who has the right to tell a story.


Other Desert Cities was nominated for several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. What do you think makes this play stand out from other plays?
B: It deals with very large political issues in a very intimate family setting. It’s a very specific story to this family, but the themes echo out to be very universal.


This play is part of an ongoing multidisciplinary projects at the Fine Arts Center of exhibitions, performances, and classes that focus on the theme of families. What are your thoughts about the family in Other Desert Cities?
B: We all have this idea about what family should be, and then there is the reality of what family actually is. At the core of it, though, we love each other and we want to connect with each other. The family really does care about each other and love each other. None of them is a mean or unkind person, but how they express themselves can sometimes be mean or unkind. They are, at the core though, loving people.


Who is your character? What is she going through in the play?

B: I love her. She is a blast to play. Her name is Silda, and she's the sister of the mother, the aunt of the main character. She's a recovering alcoholic, and a very feisty, passionate woman. She is also very political, and really rubs her sister the wrong way. She cares very deeply about the children in the family, and she never had any of her own. She’s had some struggles, and the son of the family says she’s totally crazy. She’s definitely a wildcard, but the family is there to take care of her.


Other Desert Cities
Mar. 14-31 | Buy Tickets! | Invite Friends!