JustArts: What brought you to the theater graduate program here at Brandeis?McCaela Donovan: I was looking for graduate acting programs primarily in and around the Boston area because my husband and I live in Boston and did not want to have to relocate. I got a weird feeling when I stepped on campus that I had been here before and felt like I knew I would be spending a lot of time here. It just felt meant to be. I was also very interested in the Suzuki training, something that makes this particular program very special.

JA: How many years do you have left at Brandeis? What do you plan to do when you graduate?

MD: I am a second year grad actor, and plan to graduate in the spring of 2011. When I graduate I plan to remain in the Boston area, and hope to perform both in musical theatre and theatre with many of the wonderful directors and companies in and around town. I also would like to work as part time or adjunct faculty at a local university, possibly teaching in the movement area of acting, and or musical theatre. I also have another Master's degree in theatre education and would love to get involved in an arts education program within a theatre company. If there's anything I've learned it is that you can't plan anything in this business. I'm just grateful to be surrounded by talented creative people who love what they do and let me be a part of it.

JA: Tell me about your role as the Duchess of Hapsburg in Funnyhouse of a Negro. How did you prepare for this role? Is this role similar or different to the types of roles you "usually" play?

MD: We are just beginning the rehearsal process for Funnyhouse ... . This play is hard to prepare for. I've been reading and researching the Duchess' life, as well as the life of Adrienne Kennedy. I know that I will be applying a lot of the vocal work that we study here at Brandeis in order to shape this amazing character. This character is unlike any I've ever played. She's the representation of one part of another human being, and because of this she's an extreme. So far I see her as impulsive, vicious, childlike, lost, hurt, vengeful. But the beautiful part about theatre is that I can love all of these things about her and throughout the rest of rehearsal process they may change and morph. This process is so reliant upon our director, David Gammons, who is a visual genius and all around creative person. He has set the perfect tone to take risks and create while keeping in mind the sensitive context of the material we are dealing with.

JA: Are you in any non-Brandeis performances this spring that you want to tell us about?

MD: This May I will be playing Yum-Yum in New Repertory Theatre Company's musical Hot Mikado. Come see it! Hot Mikado is a swing/big band updated version of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. It's a bright, fun show with a really talented cast from all over the Boston area.

JA: Also, what did you study in undergrad? And how did you decide to go back and get a second masters degree after you already got the theater education one? Did you work as a teacher before coming to Brandeis to study?

MD: In undergrad I graduated from Ithaca College with my BFA in musical theatre. I lived in Manhattan after graduation, signed with an agent and a manager and worked steadily in NYC, especially in the commercial/television area. I went back to school for my Masters in education at Emerson for many reasons, some being I am very interested in our education system in this country and promoting and maintaining arts programs. I also wanted to work with the amazing faculty there, especially Dr. Robert Colby. I left there with a degree to teach drama K-12th grade. I am back in school currently because I eventually would like to teach at the collegiate/university level, while also continuing to act and perform. I was hired by Emerson to teach their Summerstage program, for two years, which is a program for seniors in high school who are getting ready to audition for college BFA theatre and musical theatre programs. I taught acting, movement, and musical theatre workshop.

JA: Were you in any commercials or TV shows that our readers might recognize you from?

MD: I was on the soap opera Guiding Light, I did an in house commercial for Hewlett Packard and I did all the physical movements for all the girl animation in the videogame Bully for Rockstar Video Games.