For Immediate Release
May 10, 2004
 
BECOMING BLANCHE
Saint John's Martine Coté-Barnwell Lands Plum Role in A Streetcar Named Desire

It took a boatload of determination, a fake Southern accent and a dose of peroxide, but Martine Coté-Barnwell is making her New Orleans dream come true.

The 34-year-old Saint John woman will play brash bad girl Blanche Dubois in the Saint John Theatre Company’s spring production of A Streetcar Named Desire.  The play opens at the Imperial Theatre on May 27th.

Coté-Barnwell went to what some would consider amazing lengths to capture the role.  Besides studying the life and work of playwright Tennessee Williams, she had acting coaching from theatre directors Bob Doherty and Jeff Scott. To make herself look the part of a Southern belle, she bleached her hair platinum blonde and had local costume guru Brenda McLeese whip up a peach-coloured 1940s-style cocktail dress.  n top of all that, Coté-Barnwell had to audition not once, but three times.

“It was nerve-wracking,” she says. “I ended up getting the call saying that I got the part, and I was blown away.  I was so shocked.”

The Pulitzer Prize-winning A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most famous and revered plays of the 20th century.  It’s set in the French quarter of New Orleans during World War II.  The story begins with Blanche Dubois, a fragile femme fatale who has lost the family fortune, showing up on her sister’s doorstep.

“Blanche is a victim of her upbringing, in a way,” Coté-Barnwell explains.  “She’s a victim of what she has done to herself.  She’s made a big bed for herself, and she has to sleep in it.  Her whole world has come crashing around her.”

A full-time mother, Coté-Barnwell has a degree in theatre from Concordia University.  Since moving to New Brunswick from Ontario five years ago, she has been one of the Saint John Theatre Company’s most devoted volunteers.  Stephen Tobias, the director of A Streetcar Named Desire, says Coté-Barnwell’s talent and look make her a perfect fit for the role of Blanche.

“Martine is a tremendous actor who brings a great deal of training and experience to the table,” says Tobias.  “In just the early stages of rehearsals she is doing some amazing work.”

The cast also features Brian Dobbelsteyn as Stanley Kowalski, the role made famous by Marlon Brando in the stunning 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire.  Andrea Arbour, a newcomer to SJTC Main Stage, plays Blanche's sister Stella.  Scott Thomas, whom audiences will remember from last fall’s Guys & Dolls, will play the role of Mitch.  Other cast members include Pauline Cronin, Doug Fillmore, Lisa Flower, Peter Gilchrist, Scott Marshall and Semi Vujcic.

Curtain time for A Streetcar Named Desire is 8 P.M. on May 27, 28 and 29.  There is also a 2 P.M. matinee on May 29th.  Ticket prices range from $16.50 to $25.  Seats can be reserved through the Imperial Theatre Box Office at 674-4100 or 1-800-323-SHOW.

-30-