From May 11 to 16, the Belfry Theatre is presenting The (Post) Mistress, a lighthearted musical starring Krystle Pederson in a solo performance as Marie-Louise Painchaud, a woman who works in a post office in a small town, where she knows just about everything about just about everybody. She shares stories and songs, accompanied by Neil Watson on saxophone and Naomi Woo on piano.
Pederson says she connects with the story and the character because of the focus on laughter, love, and community connections.
“I just love the way she is, because she’s such a trickster and a joy. Laughter is a huge thing that carries throughout the show, and her joy and life, I think, is what I attach to,” she says. “I like to be a joyful, fun-loving person and I find a little bit of who she is in my own character, and that’s why I find her so great to perform.”
Reflecting on the show’s theme of interpersonal connection, Pederson feels that it’s important to stay close with the people that you love, particularly in difficult times.
“Especially now, since it’s been COVID and we’re so detached from each other, I think one of the greatest things is to come back to being able to connect to the ones we love, and remember how much we care about our communities and our families,” she says.
Pederson feels that the biggest challenge with this show, which the Belfry is streaming online, is the lack of a live audience. Theatre is a fundamentally interactive media: although the audience says nothing, their emotional reactions and energy is palpable and feeds the actor’s performance.
“Because there was no audience, that made the show a little bit more challenging to push through, where you feel like sometimes there would have been applause or laughter or breaks and things, so that you would get that energy from the audience,” she says.
Pederson says that she recalls a bit of wisdom from a mentor regarding stage fright and performance anxiety, saying that it’s a sign that the performer is passionate about the work.
“I got some really great advice from an elder once, that nerves for performers is a way of your spirit telling you that you’re doing something that you love,” she says. “For me, it made the nerves and the butterflies feel less scary in a sense, because if you don’t feel the butterflies, then your spirit is not there.”
Pederson believes that live theatre should be preserved because it provides an experience of social connection in a way that can’t be replicated through virtual media.
“Especially for theatre, it was made to have an audience and have people react to stories on stage and to experience that all together,” she says. “I feel like the way we have to do it now is a great way to still be able to do the work, but I definitely feel like we need to go back to having audiences in the room again. Having that restricted over the last year has been a big struggle for a lot of folks, so I feel like we really need those outlets to talk about what’s going on or be able to feel things and open discussions.”
Pederson feels like she’s found her calling, and is looking forward to continuing to act and sing and share stories for the rest of her life.
“Art plays such a huge part in my life; it’s the only thing I feel like I’m great at. I love being a creative person, and that’s the best way that I can express myself, and I honestly feel like I couldn’t work a normal job,” she says with a laugh. “I feel like I was put on this earth to be a performer—that’s what I’m meant to be doing and that’s what makes me very happy, and I want to continue to do that as long as I can.”
The (Post) Mistress
Until Sunday, May 16
$25
belfry.bc.ca