By Ron Fassler . . .
Having made her Broadway debut at the age of eight as a replacement in the title role of Matlida at the Shubert Theatre, actress Fina Strazza has returned to the neighborhood playing the Booth right next door as a part of the wickedly good ensemble of John Proctor is the Villain, Kimberly Belflower’s new play (and Broadway debut). As Beth Powell, a high schooler who will settle for nothing less than perfect grades and becoming class valedictorian, Strazza combines her character’s wounded dignity and higher sense of purpose into a fully original type. A standout, she brings to the play years of experience on stage and screen that are well advanced for someone who has yet to exit her teenage years (she is nineteen). I had the occasion to speak with her about her acting process in this interview for Theater Pizzazz, edited for length and clarity:
Ron Fassler: What circumstances led you to begin acting professionally at the age of six?
Fina Strazza: Well, I started acting when I was four because my mom owned a theatre company, so I started on the stage. My first role was Sandy the dog in Annie [laughing], and my first professional role was a film [A Little Game, 2014] where Ralph Macchio played my father. I did a lot of film and television for a while before I did Matilda, when I was eight.
RF: Would you say then that that was your acting school?
FS: Well, I think that the best way to learn acting is by doing. I’ve had a really, really fortunate childhood where my parents have been super, super supportive and my mother—who is a very talented artist—allowed me to live in a sort of in-house conservatory my whole life just learning from her and getting technical training from a very young age without really knowing I was getting it. I went to a STEM school my whole life, a public school in New York City from Kindergarten through twelfth grade, that focused on math and science, and I never really wanted to go to a performing arts school because I liked having the separation of being able to go to a regular school. Then when I was working, I was working. Being around people my age and just observing how they behave was the most valuable acting lesson I could have.
RF: And being around older people, actors you could learn from in a professional setting, correct?
FS: Yes. I remember doing a scene with Janeane Garofalo and how she improvised with me a little bit and I wasn’t used to that. I had learned my lines, and I was ready to be there, but I just remember being giddy that I could laugh with her when it wasn’t scripted. It felt like how my mom put me to sleep at night and learning that there’s a comfortability that you can gain in front of the camera and there are parts of your own self that you can sprinkle into characters that make them more whole and real.
RF: Speaking to that, what came up in rehearsal with John Proctor that made the experience supportive and memorable?
FS: Our rehearsal process was very welcoming. Danya [Taymor] is very spiritual and into zodiac signs and so we would light incense at the beginning of rehearsal, and then we would be paired off into partners and would either give each other a massage if we wanted it or just chat. And then we’d do a mirroring exercise with our partner and then we’d come together as a group. Often, we’d be given a prompt to discuss a childhood memory, which we would then turn into a mini play. The first hour of every day of rehearsal would be that kind of structure where we wouldn’t really talk about John Proctor as the Villain at all. We would just talk about our days and get in touch with our bodies, and it created a very warm environment where we all felt like we really cared about each other and we cared about each other’s younger selves, which I think is important for this show because all of our characters have grown up with each other in this very small town. We’ve all known each other our whole lives and, I think, we did our best with the time we’ve actually known one another to try and grow up with each other again.
RF: What are your thoughts about what audiences will get from seeing John Proctor?
FS: I hope that people, particularly young women, are emboldened into burning down the problems that arise in their own small communities. I think a lot about how this show takes place in the wake of the MeToo movement, which seemed so larger than life and seems like an issue seemingly impossible to tackle. But John Proctor is the Villain is a really great example of how one instance of change is so valuable and then if that kind of story is repeated over and over again it’s how real impact is made. I hope that young girls want to bring their brothers and the men in their lives to the show and that those people are willing to listen and see how intelligent and emotional and powerful young girls can be.
RF: The audience was electrified the night I saw it. It must be thrilling for you to experience that night after night.
FS: It really is. It feels like we’ve created something kind of golden right now. We hear the audience the entire show, whether we’re forcing them to be laughing out loud until their gasping for air because they’re crying so hard. The final scene of the show is just this catharsis both for us onstage but also for the audience to show us what the show has meant to them. It’s really remarkable to be a part of something that is drawing that out of people.
John Proctor is the Villain is playing now through July 6th at the Booth Theatre, 222 W 45th Street, NYC. For ticket information, please visit https://johnproctoristhevillain.com.
Headline photo: Maggie Kuntz, Morgan Scott, Fina Strazza, and Amalia Yoo, by Julieta Cervantes.