Greetings from the Barn! Since my last column, the entire staff has been busy with crucial and simultaneous tasks such as constructing the set, hanging the lights, building or renting the costumes and props, collecting the sound cues, and rehearsing our first show of the 2026 season, “Baskerville.” All the above are examples of the collaboration required by so many artists to get a show like “Baskerville” ready for you to enjoy.
“Baskerville” by Ken Ludwig tells the story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous story, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” — but with a particular twist. The cast is made up of only five actors: Sherlock Holmes (Rafael Untalan, seen in last year’s “Hay Fever”), Dr. Watson (James Evans), Actor 1 (Jimmy Kieffer), Actor 2 (Tim Hackney), and Actress 1 (Olivia Gilliat). The last three actors play up to 40 roles, ranging across age, gender and dialects. The play is an extraordinary mix of mystery and comedy — it tells the story faithfully in the manner of “Masterpiece Mystery” with moments of Mel Brooks-style humor. Because of what the play asks from the three actors playing all those characters, I want to shine a light on how they navigate those challenges. I spoke to them partway through our rehearsal process.
BF: What are some tools or techniques that you use to create and differentiate each of your different characters?
Olivia Gilliat: One of the delights of this show is getting to employ so many tools from my technique toolbox: physically, exploring which part of the body to lead with, the characters’ tempos and ages; vocally, where to pitch them and how much melody or range to use for them, in concert with the different dialects; and psychologically, using hints in the text to make choices about the overall modus operandi of the characters, which can color how they respond differently to each of the people around them.
Tim Hackney: We started with our amazing dialect coach, Thom Jones, which for me is the ideal place to begin. A specific voice rooted in a specific place immediately helps a character feel distinct. I also use a movement technique called the Laban Efforts to help develop each character’s physical life. Laban is a movement system that classifies human movement through four effort factors: weight (heavy/light), space (direct/indirect), time (sustained/sudden), and flow (bound/free). I especially like Laban because it helps me make quick, actionable choices.
Jimmy Kieffer: I’m a deep believer in the transformative power of masks and identifying the physical “home” where a character’s voice lives. My process often begins by exploring the Commedia dell’arte catalog to see if a specific mask resonates with the character’s soul in the script. There is something magical about how these ancient physical shapes can breathe life into a character’s movement.
BF: What are you finding are some specific joys or challenges about being one of the play’s chameleons?
JK: Most of us are drawn to acting out of a pure, lifelong love for play. As children, we could shift between worlds and characters with such effortless wonder, and returning to that sense of discovery as an adult is incredibly rewarding. While the task of differentiating 12 distinct souls in a single production is certainly a challenge, it is a beautiful one that reminds me why I find this profession so fulfilling.
TH: I find the entire process incredibly joyful. I love acting, and I get a real kick out of stretching my voice and body so that each character feels like a fully realized person. That’s also the biggest challenge.
OG: I am constantly reminding myself to physically elongate to my full height (all 5 feet, 2 inches), and to find expansive breath to help an audience both hear and understand the text. Otherwise, more characters than I intend could end up resembling Cockney gremlins. However, the reward is that the container of this play is truly bonkers, in terms of the amount of zaniness it will allow while still telling a story with sincerity and pathos. It may sound counterintuitive, but I’m finding that the more I lean into the truth of each character’s circumstances and what they care about, the funnier it often is for an audience.
BF: Have you done any plays that remind you of what you’re doing in “Baskerville”?
JK: The two that immediately fill my heart are “The 39 Steps” and “Nicholas Nickleby.” Both productions invited me to step into many different lives, a style of performance that sits right in my wheelhouse and always leaves me feeling inspired.
TH: One that immediately comes to mind is “Peter and the Starcatcher.” In “Peter,” there weren’t any costume changes, but each actor played eight or nine different characters, sometimes for as little as 30 seconds. We worked hard to make every character specific and memorable. It really helped me hone my ability to differentiate characters through physicality and vocal placement.
OG: I was lucky enough to work with Ken Ludwig on the premiere of his sequel to “Baskerville,” “Moriarty.” This track is much more demanding in terms of the number of characters I get to play (12 as opposed to three), and that is a great joy!
Brendon Fox is artistic director of the Peterborough Players.