Actress Jill Winternitz talks to Kirsty Dawson about warm and canny audiences in the "pretty city by the sea."
FOR a theatre star from California, Sunderland seems a very long way from home. Yet actress Jill Winternitz is relishing in her very first trip to the north east of England.
Jill has landed the lead role of Baby Houseman in the first UK tour of Dirty Dancing, so she is spending the next three weeks taking to the stage at the Sunderland Empire. Here's her first impression of the city:
I love how it is so close to the ocean, the water is beautiful and it is a very pretty city. I am looking forward to exploring it more and going to the National Glass Centre. I am also heading to Newcastle for the first time to see a Newcastle United match as my partner supports them.
Jill has now completed the first of 23 shows at the Empire. With performances in Leeds, Birmingham and Norwich already under her belt, Sunderland is her fourth stop on the big UK tour. She likes the venue too:
The theatre is beautiful. It is very old-fashioned and grand and I am enjoying performing there. The audience are keen and very warm. They know all the famous lines and it is a lot of fun.
The 25-year-old American trained at the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Starring alongside Paul-Michael Jones, from Rochdale, as Johnny and Nicky Griffiths as Penny, she says that she is literally having the time of her life.
The tour is going brilliantly. It has been on for over a year now but I only started when we reached Leeds. It has been wonderful, packed every night, which I am grateful about and everyone gets on really well.
She admits it can be quite nerve-racking too, following in the footsteps of Jennifer Grey who starred in the 1987 film.
I have fallen in love with the character. It is a great part for an actress and I am loving every moment of it. Of course there is a bit of pressure on us to perform, as the audience expect us to be Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. I do try to take the spirit of Jennifer and I am inspired by her, but I have to make it my own as I am not her.
So how did she land the role? It certainly wasn't down to her knowledge of the film. In fact Jill admits she had never even seen it before she got invited to audition.
When I told my friends about the audition they were full of excitement and I got caught up with all that. So I sat down and watched the film with my boyfriend and absolutely loved it. In a way it's kind of cool that I had never seen the film as it has become a new favourite movie for me.
Jill also has had no formal dance training, so she has had to work hard to get up to scratch for such a demanding dance role.
I have done a lot of tap dance but I've had no formal dance training. I was lucky as they were looking for somebody who could dance but not perfectly, because Baby obviously can't dance at the beginning. It has been hard work but I love it now.
Dirty Dancing is the story of a teenager who, during her summer break with her parents, falls in love with a dance instructor. Known for quotes such as "I carried a watermelon" and "Nobody puts baby in the corner!" the film has been a smash hit for the last 24 years.
For Jill, though, with her background in classical theatre, Dirty Dancing is unlike anything she has done before. Although her real aim is to get into American television she has loved being part of such a big show.
In the past I have done a lot of classical theatre such as Hamlet and The Canterbury Tales so Dirty Dancing is very different for me. I am going to keep myself open for future roles and would definitely consider doing another big musical as I am having such an amazing time.
I love getting different things out of different jobs. I love acting and living the lives of people you have never met. It is really rewarding especially performing to a live audience and sharing something with the audience, it's magical.
To see Jill perform at the Sunderland Empire, you've got until this coming Saturday 6 October. To book tickets go online here or call 0844 871 3022.
Kristy Dawson is a student on the National Council for the Training of Journalists' course at Darlington College.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/oct/01/sunderland-theatre-dirty-dancing-jill-winternitz
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