The Good Bride actress talks strong characters

By Ally Baharoon, September 20 2016 —

According to actress Arielle Rombough, the process of bringing The Good Bride to her hometown of Calgary came together like a “beautiful artistic sandwich.”

Written by Rosemary Rowe, The Good Bride is about 15-year-old Christian girl Maranatha who hopes that every day will be the day her 28-year-old fiancé Pete comes to claim her.

“It premiered in Edmonton a year ago. After we finished, everyone involved agreed that it was a really special show and we just really wanted to do it again for selfish reasons because it’s fun,” says Rombough, who stars in the show as Maranatha.

Friends at Glitterverse Productions supported Rombough who then partnered up with Handsome Alice Theatre to bring the show to Calgary this fall.

The Good Bride was honoured with a 2016 Sterling Award for Outstanding New Play and a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress. The play explores faith and religious fundamentalism by asking questions such as “is condemnation more righteous than compassion?” and “is she making an idol of her nightly Chick-Fil-A shake?’

Director Trevor Schmidt also helmed the production in Edmonton last year.

“Trevor is very good at giving his actors enough confidence and respect to follow their  own impulses. And he offers incredible gems that punch up the performance in such a significant way,” Rombough says. “He was really good at calibrating that in me and helping me stay within the age because Maranatha is 15.”

When Rombough auditioned for the role a year and a half ago, she was pleasantly surprised to find a character who she felt
connected with her emotional journey. She was enthralled by Maranatha’s story so much that she even turned down other roles before she got an offer for Maranatha because she wanted to keep herself available.

“Much like Maranatha was hoping and praying so hard for her fiancé to show up, I was hoping and praying so hard that I
would get this role and I got it!” she says.

The play is 90 minutes long with no intermission. Rombough says she had to deal with a lot of script memorization to prepare for the role.

“The text is so incredibly strong and Maranatha is such a strong character that she lept off the page,” she says.

The Good Bride runs Sept. 22–Oct. 1, 2016 at Arts Commons.

For more information, visit artscommons.ca