In Dialogue: Amy Earhart in 'The Heidi Chronicles'

As she prepares to take the stage in The Heidi Chronicles at Group Rep, Amy Earhart (‘00) reflects on the excitement of diving into a role she’s long admired, the collaborative magic of rehearsal, and the timeless relevance of Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer-winning play. 

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

The Heidi Chronicles opens this weekend. Tell us about gearing up for that.

When you’re having the best time, it goes by so fast. Three or four hour rehearsals feel like they go by in about three minutes. There are so many good things about this show; it’s really exciting.

The role, to be honest, is humbling. [Laughs.] When the Company announced its season for this year, I zeroed in on Heidi. I knew it would work schedule-wise; I’m a mom, and I was teaching high school theatre up until this year. Brent Beerman, who is a dear friend I’ve actively worked with for the last 10 years, is directing it. I started memorizing and getting my brain around it about six months ago, and I had been researching for months before auditioning for the part.

Even though I’d been researching and working for months, it was a bit two-dimensional. It was only on the page. I’m working with some of the most beautiful, generous actors; it really is their show, as they get to tell Heidi’s story. I could not be more sincere about how supportive the cast and crew are, and how completely at their mercy I am for two hours. Good artists trusting each other on stage can find beautiful art.

Could you elaborate on the rehearsal process?

Rehearsals have been in the evenings; some of the cast are working actors, but all of us have day jobs. We’ve been going for about five or six days a week for the last five or six weeks. It’s gone by in the blink of an eye.

We had rough-blocked the show early in rehearsals and were able to change it from there. We’re making additions, and just last week, we added new changes. The show is more than two hours, and I’m offstage for a few minutes…you have to get your head around the logistics. I have some quick changes that were added late because we were waiting on these beautiful vintage costumes and pieces to work with. The last 72 hours have been integrating those things, trusting my team, and trusting my training.

We’ve had conversations about the intellectual aspects of the play and the incredible amount of research that has gone into it. The art references were fun to discover; I printed off everything that’s mentioned in the script. It’s become my own little art project and has helped me to memorize with the visual cues.

It’s a decades-old play. Why does it still resonate with audiences?

You could change the wardrobe and set The Heidi Chronicles today. The issues they were dealing with – representation, equal consideration – we’re still dealing with today. Those are things we’re still fighting for. Being a woman and mother, and trying to balance working and being an artist with responsibilities at home…there’s a scene in “Heidi”, where Jill talks about the one person she forgot to take care of, which was herself.

I understand you pivoted away from acting for a time.

I’ve been here since I was a kid, and let me just say, LA can be tough. I am grateful in many ways, and I have a strong community that I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. But it can be really tough, and you do have to keep working and growing. I remember going to this seminar not too long after graduation. It was for actors and hosted by a producer on ER. His advice: go be an interesting person. Much of my growth as an artist has come out of life’s challenges and exposure to new experiences. 

I stepped away from acting and worked with lawyers. It helped me become smarter, shrewder, and more thick-skinned. I remember looking out the window of the office down onto the 405 one day, and I’d been there for about 10 years, and I just thought, “What am I doing?” I saw the 405 as a noose around my neck–so dramatic. I just thought, “That's it, my time here is done. Time to try something else.” I started getting into VoiceOver work, reconnected with my high school theatre teacher, and started volunteering there. I lucked out and loved it, and spent nine years teaching.

What would you like to say about your time spent at The Academy?

I loved my time at The Academy. I’d never worked that hard before, and really loved doing it. While I worked with some incredible directors — Harvey Solin and Stan Roth come to mind — my favorite classes were Styles and Voice & Speech with Linda Brennan. Accents, dialects, and IPA transcription were my favorite things to do, and I still use them all the time for theatre, teaching, and voiceover work. At parties, I remember being the nerd sitting on the kitchen floor working on transcriptions. My training was invaluable. I have some great memories of The Academy and friends I’m still in touch with.

What would you like to share about The Heidi Chronicles run, and anything else that’s up next?

We have a six-week run. It’s amazing to be given that many shows, and kind of see how it evolves from start to finish. That’s always part of the process. I’m excited to work more with Group Rep, and I’m teaching some children’s theatre this summer. I’m trying to stay creative and positive. The world needs storytellers right now.

For more information and tickets to The Heidi Chronicles at the Group Rep, go here.