Hold Me Well Artist Profile: Hayley Armstrong
Hayley Armstrong plays Des in the World Premiere of Eva Suter's Hold Me Well for Shrewd.
Why are you excited to be working on Hold Me Well?
Before auditioning for “Hold Me Well,” I read through the play synopsis, and I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it. First off, it’s an adaptation of my favorite Shakespeare play, Second, it features an all-female cast and is written by a rad female playwright, (Seriously, as a woman, who wouldn’t want to feed off of the awesomeness of other women?) and Third, Rudy Ramirez is directing, which was just the icing on the cake, the guy’s brilliant. So, initially I was lured in by those aspects, but what has kept me intrigued and challenged throughout the process of putting this show together have been the moments of genius that have come to light in rehearsal. This play is filled with beautiful language that is juxtaposed against the reality of what these women, these people, have been through and are living through.
For me personally, there has been so much magic in discovering a new piece of the gigantic puzzle that is this world, this deserted and not so deserted Texas outpost, and this beautiful, complicated character, Des, and her relationships with Odele, Casey, Raquel, and Amelia. Without giving too much away, there have been lots of laughs, tears, risks, power plays, tugs of war, questions and answers that we’ve encountered on this journey, and I, for one, am excited to be involved and ridiculously eager to share it with the public! Also, this is my first show with Shrewd Productions, and while I’m ecstatic about that, given its history, what it stands for, and the lovely and talented people who continue to make it what it is, I am mega intimidated, given its…history, what it stands for, and the lovely and talented people who continue to make it what it is. I hope to do y’all justice!
About Hayley
Hayley Armstrong is excited to be making her debut with Shrewd Productions in the world premiere for Eva Suter’s “Hold Me Well.” She is a company member with The Vortex Repertory Company where she most recently appeared in Gabriel Jason Dean’s “Terminus” (2016) and the workshopped production of "Sing, Muse" (2012) and the musical production (2013) which received B. Iden Payne awards for Outstanding Original Score and Outstanding Cast Performance. Her other Vortex experiences include roles in: (Sarah Silverhands, You Can't Take it with You, R.U.R., and School For Scandal) She's currently a senior at Texas State University where she studies Theatre Performance and Production. (Hayley Armstrong as Des in Eva Suter's Hold Me Well, Photo by Errich Peterson)
