Understudying the women of CHARM is what I call ‘actor chocolate’.  I get to delve into the beauty of Kathleen Cahill’s script through the eyes of several characters.  And, like chocolate, the process is delicious.

While understudying CHARM I get to peek inside the lives of women in the 19^th Century, or our version of it.  CHARM’s women range from their expected roles of silent, contained, and demure to outrageous, and scandalously expressive.  While looking for the connections to these women, I remember the words of our director Meg Gibson, “They long for our physical freedom, we long for their ecstasy of mind.”    She was referring to the link between our characters and our modern selves, and I’ve found the same to be true between the women of CHARM.

Margaret’s expansive mind and determined spirit both isolate her and make her a figure of fascination.  Despite her magnetism Margaret struggles to find a place in a social order that had no place for her.  Even among other women.  They declare her too loud and overpowering, yet they desire Margaret’s freedom of expression.  They form close friendships with Margaret but do not embrace the new life and opportunities she envisions for women.  They are taken with Margaret’s oddity, she was totally unique in her time, but they struggle to find a way to embrace her.  Meanwhile Margaret yearns for acceptance, love, and a feeling of place in the world.  Despite the century or so in between, my needs don’t seem so different after all.

This magical and funny version of the life of Margaret Fuller is being created by a strong and imaginative ensemble.  Freedom, creativity, and goofiness reign in the rehearsal room.  It’s been a treat to watch.  The intellectual limits Margaret and her peers strove to break helped create a culture where places like our rehearsal room are free to exist.  If she could see us now!