Molly Ehrenberg-Peters Discusses Current Roles In “The Night Alive” And “Romeo & Juliet.”

Edition Nine-Week Nine:

By: Jacob West 

Being an actor often means signing yourself up for a life of simply waiting by the phone for the work to come in. Fortunately, this doesn’t appear to be the case for British actor Molly Ehrenberg-Peters, who seems to have found tremendous success here in New York.

Currently, Molly is in rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet, a production being performed at the Vino Theater in Brooklyn from August 11th, 12th, and 13th with the Blind Cupid Shakespeare Company, directed by Avery Banks. Once that is done, Molly jumps straight into rehearsals for Conor McPherson’s award-winning dark comedy “The Night Alive,” which will run in October at the prestigious Chain Theatre with the incredible Team Theatre company.

But her story didn’t start here in New York – indeed, she was able to share with me the journey of her already impressive career and what is in store for her in the future.

Hear all about her production of The Night Alive, and consider donating your support for this production at https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-night-alive

For tickets to see Molly in Romeo and Juliet, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/romeo-and-juliet-tickets-392185416137

Molly, tell us about yourself – your background, how you got started, hopes, dreams, etc.

“I’m originally from Halifax, which is in West Yorkshire in England, and I’ve been acting for nearly all my life. My dad is a professional actor, so it was always something I was surrounded by. I joined my first theatre group when I was 8 and then just continued to pursue it. I was part of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, I also studied at East 15 in London for a year, and then I moved out here to New York. I wanted a longer training course, so I took the Three Year Conservatory class at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

The immediate hope is to enjoy my time in New York, meeting other creatives, doing as much acting work as I can, and hopefully continue to work and act here in this city I love so much. Further down, though, I’d love to perform at the Royal Court in London – it’s my favorite theatre. I love the space, I’ve seen loads of things there, and they’re always fascinating. I’d also love to be a series regular on a TV show, such as the Game of Thrones prequels or the Lord of the Rings TV series that’s coming out. I’d love to break into that genre. It’s stimulating, and I know it’s good casting for me!”

What have been your career highlights up until now?

“One that sticks in my memory is when I was accepted into the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. I was only 13, and I really didn’t expect to get accepted my first time auditioning. But I was, and that was the first time I had that feeling – maybe I can do this, perhaps this is a viable career choice, and people like what I bring, and that was a great moment. And then, in 2019, I did a company show with them in Bradford, a town close to where I’m from, back home, with an amazing cast and an outstanding director. So working with NYT has been an all-around brilliant experience.

Another highlight would be getting my first TV credit in 2019. I played Margot Frank in the BBC’s “Anne Frank: A Life In Hiding.” This was my first time on a professional television set, and the group I was with was extremely warm and welcoming. It was so exciting to be on a set, and it was a really important documentary episode that we were doing. So it was a huge deal for me.”

What is ‘The Night Alive’ about, and how did you come about producing and starring in it?

“So, ‘The Night Alive’ is a dark Irish comedy, and it follows five characters, all struggling in life and have been forgotten by society. The lead character is a middle-aged loner who has just given up until he meets Aimee and saves her from an abusive relationship, and he installs new hope into her. It’s all about loneliness and what we will do to find a connection. I was cast as Aimee in my final year at Stella Adler, and I absolutely fell in love with the character and the show. It was such a magical experience. It very quickly became one of my favorite plays ever. The writing is so spot-on. It’s so human. Pretty much as soon as our run finished at Adler, one of the other cast members, Haydn Harvey, and I knew that we had to bring this back. It felt really important, and we knew we needed to bring it to a wider audience. So, we graduated, and straight away, we started producing it. It will be at the Chain Theatre from October 13th – 22nd.”

Tell us about your character, Aimee. What do you love about playing her? What challenges does the role bring?

“She is so strong. She’s put through so much, and it’s hinted in the play that things have happened to her. She’s had a tough life but remains strong and wants to do the right thing. She wants to look after people despite what she’s been through.

And she’s also really straight talking! You don’t want to mess with her, which is something I find really fun to play. But that is one of the challenges with her: sometimes she’ll only respond in two-word answers or less! That’s exciting to play because you really have to discover what’s going on underneath those lines. The subtext is genuinely challenging.

Another challenge is that she is a victim of abuse. So, it’s important to me to deal with that with a great deal of sensitivity and truth. So, I did a lot of research, which was hard because I discovered some really hard things to read and hear about. But that made me feel even more so that I had to respect this immensely. I didn’t want her backstory and motivation to just be general.”

What are you hoping audiences will take away from ‘The Night Alive,’ and what’s it like acting alongside your father and the rest of the cast?

“I hope that they have a good laugh! Even though there are dark themes, it’s hilarious. Classic Irish humor. So I really hope people have a good time at the theatre.

I think everyone can relate to the show’s central theme: loneliness and the search for connection. Especially since COVID. I hope people feel seen. Loneliness is something that we recognize and should talk more about. But, on the other hand, I think human connection is one of the most essential parts of life, and I hope this play can give people hope about finding that connection. Sometimes it can just be right under your nose.

I am very excited to be acting alongside my father. I can’t even put it into words! He’s been my biggest champion throughout my career and life. We’re very close. I remember a New Year’s party when I was 12 years old, where we put on a little comedy sketch for people! So we’ve always been a little duo in that way! He has directed films before and has brought me in for little parts in them, but we’ve never acted together like this before! We’ve never shared a stage. I’m so unbelievably excited. He’s perfect for the role of Maurice, and I think it’ll be very special. I can’t wait.”

What role are you playing in Romeo and Juliet, and how did you get involved?

“I am playing the Nurse, and I got involved because my good friend Harrison Tipping is playing Romeo, and he reached out to me when he was auditioning. He told me they were looking for people, especially international artists!

So I auditioned (I actually had Covid at the time, so I did it over Zoom!), and it was one of the best audition experiences I’ve had. I got to play out a few parts and a few different scenes, and it just felt like we got to play. So when they offered me the role, I was very excited to say yes, and I am even more excited to be part of this group.”

How have you enjoyed the rehearsal process for R&J, and what do you like about the character you’re playing?

“I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I really love Avery’s direction! She has a clear understanding of what each scene is about, and she is clearly very knowledgeable about the language and what’s underneath the scene, which are very important things for a Shakespeare director to have.

It’s also really collaborative, which I just love. She’s super open to our choices. We can ask as many questions as we want, which is so vital in any work. The rehearsals are so relaxed and fun. Working with Anne Kato, who plays Juliet, is excellent too, and we’ve developed a great friendship which helps with our character work. And I love the boys too, like Harrison, Josh Davis (Mercutio), and Joe Staton (Benvolio).

What I love about this version is the Nurse because we’re not playing her as old. I’ve made her a fierce friend who will do anything for Juliet. I love seeing that dynamic on stage or on screen: powerful friendships it’s so important. I love that. But there’s a protective nature there too. The Nurse is so intelligent, and being of lower status, she’s had to develop a tough skin. I think that it’s really fun to play with those dynamics. I am of lower status, but I am very intelligent and very headstrong. So streetwise! Such a delightful duality to play with.”

What would you say is different about this version of R&J, as opposed to most versions?

“For my character, at least, is the fact that she’s not being played as young. We’re playing her my age, which gives the characters more of a friendship. Juliet actually has a friend! We see Romeo with his boys, but usually, Juliet only has this old Nurse. But this way, we see Juliet as more of a typical teenager. And I think that’s a really nice difference personally, for this show.”

Is anything else coming up for you in the near future?

“Well, The Night Alive rehearsals will start pretty much straight after Romeo and Juliet, and we’ll be performing that at the Chain Theatre in October. I’ve also been doing a couple of readings, and I’m in the early process of another play called “The Magician’s Society,” which is by an excellent writer and director called Caitlin Baer. I’m doing that with the lovely Harrison too! So that’s exciting because we’re in the early stages, and we can see how the script develops and changes. It’s a really great play. But I can’t go into too much detail about that yet!

I’ve also just signed with a Manager! I’m with Nicole Astell at the Prestige Management Group. I’m really excited to be working with her. Other than that, I am just starting to audition for many different projects, and I will be building my base here in New York!”