Danica Burch

Dominique Purdue: If you could describe your character using a song, what would it be?
Danica Burch: Due to the circumstances in this play, I think “Haunted” by Beyonce would be the most appropriate fit for poor Helen. But maybe at the end of the play she is more of a “Walking On Sunshine” kinda gal.

What movie traumatised you as a kid?
I remember watching Scary Movie 2 as a kid and I was actually really scared. I didn’t realise it was a parody of other horror films… and I obviously missed the comedy in it. Forrest Gump used to creep me out as well, especially the war scenes. I saw that film about 3 or 4 times as a kid and always found it really unsettling.

Apart from acting, what’s your dream job?
If I wasn’t acting, I think I would enjoy being a celebrity fashion stylist or maybe even someone’s personal creative director… Someone really extra like Lady Gaga or Cardi B. How fun would it be to dress someone up in ridiculous outfits and decide if they should arrive at the Grammy Awards in an alien egg or a meat dress.

If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
Well, I can already play the piano… I wish I was more skilled, but I no longer have a piano to practice on. Although, the other day I saw that you can get silicone keyboards that roll up for storage. It blew my mind. I think that I should get one so that I can start playing again. I’d also like to learn the violin one day.

If you could live in any fantasy universe, what would it be and why?
Well obviously I would love to ride a hippogriff and drink butterbeer and experience all that Hogwarts has to offer. But if that’s asking too much, I would settle for a world where teleportation is possible. I think it would be so useful and you would have so much extra time. No rush hour train rides, no sitting in traffic, no 23 hour flights to Europe. Also, think of the money you’d save!

Dominique Purdue

Danica Burch: What is your favourite theatre production that you have seen?
Dominique Purdue: There’s been so many, but I saw Twelfth Night last year at the Globe Theatre in London. It was insanely good; I always thought the Globe put on really traditional productions of Shakespeare, which I also enjoy, but this one was so well-adapted for modern audiences and I was literally laughing the entire time. I also bought an embarrassing amount of Shakespeare merchandise from the gift shop, so that was definitely a plus.

Do you believe in ghosts?
Hell yeah I do. I haven’t had a supernatural experience yet, but I watch too much Ghost Adventures to not believe in ghosts.

What is the weirdest food combo that you enjoy eating?
I like a lot of weird food combos. I like pineapple on pizza, so there’s that. I also like really, really salty fries dipped in ice cream.

What city, apart from Sydney, would you like to live in?
I’m an actor, so I’m gonna say New York, for sure. I also recently visited Lisbon in Portugal last year, and I surprisingly loved it, so I would definitely live in Lisbon for a good few months.

If you could get inside the mind of any actor in the world, who would it be and why?
Oh man, the dream! It changes every few weeks, but right now I’m gonna say Taika Waititi. He’s directed/acted in a bunch of golden indie films and he recently directed the new Thor film. I think he’s a genius, I love the sense of humour that in puts into each of his films, even when they’re dealing with some pretty hard-hitting issues. I would really have loved to have been in his head when he was developing/filming What We Do In the Shadows. That film should be a New Zealand national treasure.

Danica Burch and Dominique Purdue are appearing in Sherlock Holmes And The Speckled Band, by Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Max Gee.
Dates: 7th April – 12th May, 2018
Venue: Genesian Theatre