Julia Sweetland (pictured: centre) plays the role of Cassidy in GAGGLE, directed by Karin Randoja, and choreographed by Alisha Stranges. She talked to us about the best of the fest, digging deep into female dynamics, and every woman’s nightmare: the Carrie prom scene. Check out the show Friday, Oct. 23rd at 9 pm, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. $15.

If you had to compare Gaggle to a living thing, what would you compare it to?
A goose! But more specifically, in this case, a flock of geese!

What’s the best thing about being part of Hysteria?
I’m thrilled to be a part of this fantastic and significant yearly festival. The best things (sorry, more than one!) are being able to work with Karin Randoja and a bunch of fabulous Humber ladies, coming together to explore controversial topics that we’ve all had experiences with and all have opinions about, playing together with our ideas to create a show that’s fun and means something to us, and then having Hysteria let us share it with everyone!

What has been the most dramatic part of the process?
Initially, we had to do some digging to find out what’s bugging us, what hurts us, what motivates us surrounding these issues of competition, gossip, betrayal, and the overall dynamics between women (we are so horrible to each other sometimes, aren’t we!). We do cover some heavy issues, but not in a heavy way. So, I think the most dramatic part of this process was at the very beginning, just being open and honest with each other about the way it really is. There are some pretty brutal realities about the way girls treat each other. I think we may have been somewhat overwhelmed with (and perhaps a bit saddened by!) just how much material we had for this kind of piece.

Any crisis moments in the rehearsal process?
It’s our own creation, and there has been little time to actually put it together because it’s hard to get a large cast in the same room, at the same time, on the same days! But it’s been crisis-free. We’ve managed to keep things light, joke around, and maintain a positive, excited energy. In general, I think the whole process felt quite natural for everyone because the cast comes from the same program and the same training, so there was a familiarity there. In fact, the majority of our rehearsals were in our old Humber studios. (Nostalgia!)

Once the festival’s done-what are you doing to relax?
SLEEPING. And then seeing the other Hysteria shows!

What other shows are you checking out at Hysteria?
I have a festival pass, so as many as possible!

What’s in your Hysteria survival kit?
Festival pass, open mind, water, snacks, sense of humour.

If you could bring any movie to the stage, what would it be?
Funny enough, we actually bring the prom scene from the movie ‘Carrie’ to the stage in our show!

What’s your dream role?
I don’t know that I have a dream role. But, the dream is just to continue acting and finding roles that mean something, take risks, and get people thinking.