For Lara Hillier, the casting of "The Tempest" is, to quote the play, "such stuff as dreams are made on." Hillier, 17, is making her professional debut in the Pittsburgh Public Theater's production of "The Tempest," which is in previews and runs through April 3. A senior at Upper St. Clair High School, Hillier will appear as Miranda opposite Prospero, portrayed by veteran actor Brian Murray, a Theater Hall of Fame inductee, OBIE Award winner and three-time Tony Award nominee, who is making his first appearance at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. Says Hillier of working with the accomplished actor, "Walking into that first read-through, I felt like (my) line from the play -- 'How many goodly creatures are there here! ... O brave new world/That has such people in it!'" But enacting scenes from Shakespeare is nothing new for Hillier. A finalist for each of the past six years of the Pittsburgh Public Theater's Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest, she ranked among its winners in 2004, 2003, 2001 and 2000. In 2003, she played Juliet in Little Lake Theatre's production of "Romeo and Juliet." "I've always been enthusiastic about Shakespeare and always gung-ho to get on board" for a production, Hillier says. "But there aren't a lot of ingenue roles, and quite often they are cast older, which is understandable." Hillier got excited when she learned that the Pittsburgh Public Theater had put "The Tempest" on its 2005-06 schedule. "After I read 'The Tempest,' I wrote a letter to (the Public's artistic director) Ted Pappas begging for an audition. That's uncharacteristic of me. I don't normally do that," she says. Pappas, who is directing "The Tempest," already knew Hillier's work, and not just from her appearances in the Shakespeare competition. In 2002 she had understudied the role of Hero in "Much Ado About Nothing," and she had volunteered support work for other productions. He advised her as she prepared for the audition and eventually offered her the role. Since then she has read the play hundreds of times, but is still finding new meanings and insights every day. The final play attributed to Shakespeare, "The Tempest" takes place on an imaginary tropical island vaguely located in the Elizabethan New World, where the exiled Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, have lived in isolation for a dozen years. "Miranda is incredibly loving and devoted, but more of a companion to her father," Hillier says. Prospero raised Miranda "to be everything she is -- smart, well-schooled. But the thing that's fascinating is she's had no feminine influence and has to rely on her own feminine instincts. It's exciting to see the things that come out of her. She's not sophisticated. Everything comes from her heart." The challenge for Hillier is playing a role very different from herself. "By my nature I'm girly, feminine. She's not a tomboy, but an island-y creature who plays in the mud and talks to flowers," Hillier says. Hillier's favorite scene is the one in which Miranda meets young Ferdinand after growing up on an island populated only by her father and a collection of fantastic, often weird, enchanted beings. "It's fun to see what comes out of her when this god-like boy comes into her life and all these hijinks ensue," Hillier says. From previous roles in high school and semi-professional theater, Hillier is no stranger to rehearsal and performance. But rehearsing with a professional Equity company is a more serious enterprise, she says. "It's so intense. You come to rehearse and work," she says. "It's great to have everyone so focused. This is not an afterschool hobby. This is people's lives. It's fabulous to see everyone so committed." The fact that she's the only female in the cast has been a new experience, also. "It's me and my men," she jokes. "I've never been in a production where I'm the only girl before. The boys tease me a lot, and I have a lot of father figures." At 24, Lucas Hall, who plays Ferdinand, is nearest her age. "Lucas and me are considered the kids," Hillier says. Unlike the rest of the cast, Hillier begins her day at 6:15 a.m. "It's been getting later every day," she says. Her school has been supportive, she says. But she faces a morning of classes before rehearsal and an evening of homework when she returns home. "The boys in the cast are excited that Mondays are a day off. But it's not a day off for me," she says. Such is the stuff reality is made of. But for Hillier, this is still a dream assignment. "It's what I want to do," she says. "To be actually working alongside these people is incredible. I'm learning as I go, and am lucky to." Additional Information:

Details

'The Tempest' Produced by : Pittsburgh Public Theater When : In previews now. Opens March 10 and continues through April 3 at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays and March 19, 26, 31 and April 2; and 7 p.m. Sundays and March 29. No performance on March 16. Admission : $33 to $52; $12 for full-time students and those younger than 26 beginning one hour before performances on Fridays and Saturdays and in advance for all other performances Where : O'Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown Details : (412) 316-1600 or www.ppt.org

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