Christine Impara is an actor and director based in New York City. Scroll down for her experience.

Butterflies are Free

2019 • Jill Tanner

Butterflies are Free by Leonard Gershe is a classic dramatic comedy. The 1969 Broadway hit tells the story of Don Baker, a blind man who has just moved into an apartment in New York City. Jill Tanner, his free-spirited flower-child neighbor introduces herself to him and the two fall in love. Along the way they have to face the obstacles like Don’s overbearing mother, his blindness and Jill's fear of commitment. Jill’s spunk and charisma made her a joy to work on, she is full of energy and life which made the role very physical and playful. Finding the things that made her afraid or imperfect was part of the joy of discovering her. This production took place as part of the Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival, a professional summer theatre company dedicated to making theatre accessible to the northeast Ohio community. See the production photos.

Angels in America part II: Perestroika

2018 • Harper Pitt

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning masterpiece was produced at Oberlin College in its entirety on the 25th anniversary of its first opening. The play, which focuses on the interwoven stories of a cast of characters in New York City during the Aids Epidemic in the 1980s, exists in two parts. For this production the roles were double cast, each character is played by one actor in Part I: Millennium Approaches and another in Part II:Perestroika. The actor’s worked as a team, their doubles were present throughout the piece and during transitions. Harper Pitt is married to Joe Pitt who is a closeted gay lawyer, she is also addicted to Valium. The Pitts are Mormon, which adds another element to the already complicated dynamic. Harper is one of the few characters who is able to access a realm beyond the concrete world, she interacts with Prior in dream-like sequences. Her journey of self discovery and escape are integral to the story. The role of Harper offered unique challenges, and required a lot of work. The desire to do justice to her story was a driving force in this process.  It was empowering as a performer to help her find her empowerment throughout the course of the play. See the production photos.

Three Sisters

2018 • Irina

Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece about the plight of the Prozorov family, is a cornerstone of Russian theatrical culture. In this production the American students at the Moscow Art theatre performed this work and re imagined it through a series of scenes and etudes. Etudes are fundemental tenant of Russian theatrical training. Irina is the youngest of the three sister’s, she is eager to work, and aspires to reach the unattainable: Moscow. See the production photos.