Getting to know Chrysothemis cast member Kaeley Jade Wiebe

Chrysothemis, the new Studio Theatre play by Meg Braem, will have its world premiere when it live streams on Saturday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. MST. Originally scheduled to premiere in March of this year, it was cancelled due to the pandemic, but resumed production in November. It will now be available as both a live stream broadcast and as a digital on demand performance for a limited time.

BFA Acting grad Kaeyley Jade Wiebe ('20 BFA) plays Chrysothemis, the lost daughter of the House of Atreus.

What is it like for you to come back to Chrysothemis after such a long hiatus?

It’s like a breath of fresh air. I was so emotionally invested in this show back in March, and I’m coming back with eight months of new experiences to bring to it. My classmates and I have grown as actors but also within our characters, in a way that really brings our work to the next level this time around.

What are the differences between rehearsing for Chrysothemis pre-COVID, and now?

My class is really close, so the toughest part is not being able to high five or hug each other after we do a good scene. We’ve had to find ways to make intimate space work six feet apart from each other. If there’s a scene where we might’ve been touching, we’re not touching anymore. We’ve replaced that with certain gestures or staging to allude to physical touching, and in some ways it actually works better. I think the audience will enjoy seeing the creative solutions we’ve come up with.

This play was commissioned specifically for your class. What was it like working on this production, knowing Meg Braem created each of these characters with your class in mind?

It felt so personal, to step into these roles and know that this play was written for us. Meg said she got the idea for the play from watching us perform our Greek monologues in our acting class. We started workshopping this at the end of our second year, and we’d keep coming back to it and see it evolve throughout the process. It’s also been really nice to work collaboratively with Meg, to discover answers about our characters and the plot.

What are some of the cool things about the production?

It’s a play about healing, and about family. We all really need things like that during these trying times, which everyone can relate to. It’s nice to watch this family dynamic change, evolve and heal over time. Also, I’m a huge foodie, and this play is also about food, and Chrysothemis gets to cook in the show.

What do you do when you’re not working on Chrysothemis?

I write and perform music. I actually just released my first EP under the name Kaeley Jade. It’s called Years Ago and I wrote the songs over the last few years.

Chrysothemis by Meg Braem is the winner of the 2020 Alberta Playwriting Competition. For more information about viewing options, visit the Chrysothemis event page.