HELLO AMERICA—When Cassidy Claire Risien walked into her audition at the Underground Theatre in Hollywood recently, she was not expecting to be cast practically sight unseen with barely even one foot inside the stage door. Yes it seems like a scene right from one of those old
Hollywood movies BUT it happened.
Before she had even been given the chance to read for the part, it was clear to the casting director, Craig Victor, that Cassidy was “perfect.†Standing at a statuesque 6 feet tall with poised grace and a commanding presence, the actress was the clear choice to play Yolande D’Aragon, “
France’s Badest Bitch†during the time of Joan of Arc.
The play is called, Voices: A Re-telling of Joan of Arc, and the one catch to being cast on the spot as the powerful and pensive strong female lead to play opposite Joan of Arc?
Cassidy had less than 24 hours to learn the part! The rest of the cast and crew had been rehearsing for two weeks, but at the last minute, one of the actresses dropped out due to an unexpected emergency.
Up until this point Cassidy had been chomping at the bit to sink her teeth into a role like this and when she walked into the Underground Theatre, she found herself walking right into the role that she was born to play.
Interestingly enough, this was neither the role nor the play that Cassidy had been called to audition for. Originally, she had been called in to the Theatre to read for a part in a One Act Play project. Actors were warned that it would be a very challenging production with an intense rehearsal schedule and very quick turn around to opening night.
Cassidy always up for a challenge, particularly involving her craft and the theatre, she submitted for the project with a note to casting simply stating, “Challenge accepted.†Little did she know what challenge she would be handed.
With fearlessness and fervor Cassidy dove right into the script studying it with energy and enthusiasm at a level of professionalism to make any director or casting agent proud.
On the night of the first performance, without a single rehearsal and only a skeleton description of the blocking to go on, Cassidy took the stage with ease and a captivating energy that electrified the audience and reignited the cast. She commanded the stage with her presence, and had us spellbound with her delivery.
Overall, her performance and professionalism have convinced me that this tall, powerful and proud young woman might just be
Los Angeles’ new “Badest Bitch.†I’m certain that my late friend Bette Davis would solidly agree!
Director Steven Helgoth ably brought to life this slant of the “Joan Of Arc†which binges on the idea that Joan was lesbian struggling with the reality of who and what was driving her as well as to who she really was.
The talented cast include: Eileen Rogers, John Rosania, Stephen Loftin, Serge V. Conus, Craig Victor, Michelle Danyn, Marguerite Nocera, Emily Wooten, Bert Matias, Paul Carpenter and Robert Weiner.
