Splitting her time between Toronto and Nova Scotia, Lavender is a
theatre and film actor who still regularly plays teenagers even though
she’s 29. She went to high school in Moncton, where she first trod the
boards, then studied at Acadia and followed that up with work at
Neptune Theatre. She spent some years studying in New York, but the
Halifax scene eventually lured her back. You may know her from the 2008
production of Christopher Newton’s The Devil’s Disciple or Michael
Melski’s Growing Op (“I was Jasmine Fitzgerald, the high school
bitch!”), and she also produces her own material, including working
with The Ship’s Company Theatre, the DMV Co-op (The Leisure Society,
How I Learned To Drive) and her theatre company The Neighbourhood Watch
(Tuesdays and Sundays).
The Coast: What do you love about being here in the
summer?
Kate Lavender: When I lived in Halifax I was on Maynard
Street. I was always privy to these summer concerts. I could sit on my
balcony and have full-on concert view. I very rarely am interested, but
it’s become a thing. Oh, god, here we are, I am literally in the Stars
concert sitting on my balcony, from the Common or the Hill, actually.
The sound just travels so crazily.
TC: Any other particular shows? The Rolling Stones was a big
one.
KL: I remember my sister calling me from the Stones, soaking
wet. I remember her texting me and my mother freaking out. I was
supposed to bring her rain gear. But for me, the reason I moved back to
the Maritimes, I can remember when it shifted in New York City. I was
sitting on my terrace, I lived in the East Village at the time. I
remember sitting reading on the terrace and it was so bloody hot. I got
up and stood on the wood, and my feet burned. And I think what is so
important to me in Nova Scotia in the summer is the ocean. When I
worked in Antigonish—this is a pretty good memory—what we used to
do is rehearse during the day and then we would go for a swim and come
back and do a show at night. That was pretty amazing, to have a couple
of hours off to high-tail it out to the ocean. That’s pretty special to
me.
TC: When you do make it back to Halifax in the summer, are
there events that you will try to catch?
KL: It would depend when I was coming in. The Busker Fest I
remember from when I was a kid. I summered in Nova Scotia. We had a
place in River John outside of Pictou for 11 years. I’d always catch
the Busker Fest. You know what I’d like to catch this year? I always
miss the Fringe Fest because I’m always in rehearsal. I would
definitely be interested in seeing more of that. Also, another thing
that interests me and I’ve been an advocate for is what’s happening at
the Bus Stop. I always do my shows there and rehearse there. I would
probably check out any independent theatre.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2009.