South Wales based actress Liz Keech steps into the role of a Hollywood icon on November 4 as she plays Marilyn Monroe in the rehearsed reading of One Night with Marilyn at Newport’s Dolman Theatre.
Since graduating University of Wales in 2011 with a BA(Hons) in Performing Arts, Liz has performed in plays with various companies around the South Wales area, most recently with Peculiar Productions and Newport Playgoers Society.
As well as acting, Liz is also a solo vocalist and 1/5 of singing group “Quintessential” and has extensive experience of performing across the UK including concerts, weddings and cabaret evenings.
By day, Liz (who lives in Cwmbran with her beautiful cat, Ted), works in the Flooding/Sustainable Drainage team for Local Government.
Marilyn Monroe: “I Respect Her Even More Now”
In One Night With Marilyn, Liz takes the lead role of Marilyn, who is sectioned by her psychiatrist Dr Marianne Kris to New York’s Payne Whitney Clinic during February 1961. The play is based on a true to life event, which focuses on Marilyn Monroe’s personal life as well as mental health issues.
Liz plays one aspect of Marilyn Monroe in the play, with other parts of Marilyn’s persona portrayed by Emily Smallwood and Taryn Meyrick.
“I have been a huge Marilyn Monroe fan for years,” says Liz, “I am fascinated by her movies and her life story. I love her confidence and her attitude!
“It’s been a real learning curve exploring her time in the institution and discovering all of the different elements of her life that she was suppressing with medication or covering up with the movie star persona. She’s so much more complex than I ever realised. If anything, I respect her even more now.”
Where To See One Night With Marilyn
One Night with Marilyn will be performed at Newport’s Dolman Theatre on 7.30pm November 4th, with a cast of local actors performing script in hand to a small audience who will have feedback forms to fill in. This will help shape the script for a future full-scale presentation. The end goal being a locally cast and performed full stage presentation in 2022.
- Tickets for the rehearsed read-through event are free but now extremely limited and are available via Eventbrite.