Catherine Russell always knew she wanted to be an actress. When I asked how, she looked at me, raised her hands to her ears, and shrugged her shoulders. She just knew. Thus began our conversation at the Snapple Theater one Saturday evening between a break of afternoon and evening performances of Perfect Crime, in which Russell plays Margaret Thorne Brent, a role she has maintained since 1987. It is a remarkable feat to accomplish and although I walked onto the 4th floor lobby of the theater with that one particular fact lingering in my mind, I would grow to learn that Catherine Russell is more than this one defining role.
Russell’s acting career began early. As a young child, she staged her own plays, enlisting various relatives to watch. But her decision to become an actress became a reality while performing the lead role in The Diary of Anne Frank as a 14-year-old freshman in high school. “I specifically remember walking on stage, saying my first line and realizing I was scared, but I really liked it. It is a strong, visceral memory for me.” Russell continued to fine-tune her acting throughout her college years, receiving a bachelor’s degree in theater from Cornell and a master’s degree in educational theater from NYU. It became a building block to perfect her craft as a performer, as well as to train those with the same fervor for acting.
After obtaining her equity card, coincidentally, on her 25th birthday, Russell starred in her first professional role as Nicola Davies in City Sugar. Additional roles in Off-Broadway productions soon followed including Three Sisters, The Lunch Girls, and Home on the Range. As a true New York theater actor, she does not hesitate to say, “I identify myself with Off-Broadway.” Fulfilling dreams of A-list stardom were not a part of Russell’s to-do list. “I never really thought about being a movie star, or a TV star or even a Broadway actress. When I thought about being an actor, I just thought about going to the theater and working every night.”
While continuing her love affair with Off-Broadway, Russell landed what would become her signature role, Margaret Thorne Brent. It has placed her in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most performances as a character in a play. Head over to the Perfect Crime website and you will see the number of performances presented so far, 9,724 and counting. During its 24 year run, Russell has only missed 4 performances, the most recent being 15 years ago for her brother’s wedding. But one has to wonder. Does it ever feel like you are working in autopilot? “I am aware that some people in the audience know that I’ve done it for a long time so it’s really important to me to make sure that it feels like the first time.” It is a challenge she finds exhilarating. Every performance gives her the opportunity to do something slightly different and to give it a subtle, new twist. She emphatically tells me, “If I thought I couldn’t do it with any kind of freshness, I would stop doing it.”
Her dedication to theater extends far beyond her role as Margaret Brent. Russell is also a professor of English at Baruch and an acting teacher at NYU. She finds it gratifying to help young, aspiring actors and writers polish their craft and evolve as artists. Her inspiration for doing such work is partly due to the same high school teachers who put her on stage as Anne Frank when she was just 14 years old. “I credit them with having faith in me and saying, “You’re good! We’re going to put you in a play.’”
Including being an actress, professor and one of the executive producers of The Fantasticks, Russell is also the general manager of the Snapple Theater, a project that saw her ripping old theater seats, laboring side by side with construction workers, and seeing the total renovation to its final end. So what does this Jill of all trades consider herself? “I’m a businesswoman, an actress, and a teacher. Each one of them requires different skills and when you put them all together, it makes for a satisfying work life.” Most nights, you can find Russell overseeing the theater and working alongside a group of people she refers to as her second family. “I have an amazing staff of people here, all of whom do so much more that they’re required to do. And that’s really why the theater runs.” But throughout our entire conversation, I was curious to know if she just wanted to get away from her hectic life. Does she ever want to stop and take a vacation? She responded with a slight smirk and a light chuckle, “I haven’t been on a plane since before 9/11. It has been 15 years.”
And it doesn’t seem she will slow down any time soon. Russell is busy with upcoming projects including building two more theater centers on Seventh Avenue and 44th Street, as well as wanting to produce a documentary about Off-Broadway. “A lot of what we see in original theater and on Broadway has its roots in Off-Broadway.” It is a project she is truly passionate about and cannot wait to share with fellow theater devotees.
Catherine Russell proves that she is unequivocally a part of the rarified group who know from the start where they are headed and how to get there. But talent is only part of the equation. Hard work is inevitable and Russell does not shy away from getting her hands dirty. Take a trip to the Snapple Theater and see what I mean. She has her fingerprint in every cushioned seat, floorboard, and light fixture. So although, her schedule is demanding, she likes it that way. She actually revels in it. “I never wake up and think, ‘Oh god, I have to go to work.’” Spoken like a true Renaissance woman.
Third photo from top by Fran Collin.
All other photos, courtesy of John Capo Public Relations.
To buy tickets to Perfect Crime, go to the play’s website, www.perfect-crime.com
Woman Around Town’s Six Questions
Favorite Place to Eat: Patzeria on 46th Street. It’s the best pizza in NY, I think.
Favorite Place to Shop: My sister’s closet. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest. She’s wildly chic and I get her last year’s clothes. I never buy anything.
Favorite New York Sight: Times Square, especially after it snows and it’s quiet.
Favorite New York Moment: I had an amazing first kiss in front of the Frick on 5th Avenue. And I am still kissing him.
What You Love About New York: I love the energy. It is one of the most positive places I’ve ever been.
What You Hate About New York: I wish it were a slightly more efficient city. You never know how long you will wait for a train. You can have the best of intentions, leave early and still be late.
