A familiar face in an unfamiliar role

KELLIE Grant is a familiar face to North East theatre lovers. She has appeared on stage in countless productions for more than three decades, along with stints at directing and working backstage, mostly with Wangaratta Players. Kellie makes a welcome return to the boards in Wangaratta Players' upcoming production of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery playing descendant Sir Henry Baskerville, a Texan who is next in line to the Baskerville fortune after the grisly demise of several of his ancestors, victims of the infamous Hound of the Baskervilles. How’s it feel to be back on stage at the Stage Door? "It is great to be back at the Stage Door; it's like a second home for us. "My last show was working back stage for Clarissa & Pip, but in terms of on stage, my last role was about five or so years ago when I played Death in Terry Pratchett’s Mort." What attracted you to the role, and did you have your eye on another part? "Sometimes I do have my eye on a role, though I try to be really open to anything. "With Baskerville I didn’t have any clue, I just thought it sounded fun and the idea of playing lots of different characters was appealing. "Sir Henry came to me out of left field! He has been a lot of fun. You seem to have embraced the character and accent of Henry Baskerville with open arms; are you a big American Western fan? "You know, I’m probably a fan of modern Western. I loved the TV series & film of Firefly (think Western in space), and films like No Country for Old Men and the remake of True Grit. "There are definitely scenes in Baskerville where I am channeling my inner Mal Reynolds or Clint Eastwood, complete with internal soundtrack! Have you played an American in any other role? "I have played quite a lot of Americans, from all over the place. I love doing accents from the Deep South (love Southern Gothic fiction), New York and Boston. This is my first Texan and my first time playing the romantic hero, so thank goodness for Matthew McConaughey showing me the way." You have one of the more steadfast characters in the play, has it been difficult to remain on point with the melodrama and hilarity going on around you? "It can be a tough balancing act. You have to rein in some of the instinct to contribute to the mayhem, but also help maintain the high energy that melodrama requires. It can be easy to let that drop when you are playing it straight, but it is so essential that you don’t. One of the great things with Baskerville is that I have awesome scene partners like Bec Carta (Dr Watson). We just clicked from the get go and it has been a lot of fun." What do you think will appeal to the audiences about this production? "I love how much we poke fun at theatre and ourselves. We have a really good time and I think the audience will love being along for the wild ride." It’s been a big commitment for you to do this show; what makes you do it? "It has been huge, especially physically, but I think what brings me back is just my love of storytelling and figuring out what makes people tick. Artistic creativity is such an important part of my life. I could never be without it." Wangaratta Players Inc will present the Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, at the Stage Door Studio from February 7 to 23. Don't miss this hilarious, fast-paced adventure about everyone’s favourite detective duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson as they endeavour to crack the mystery of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Shows will be held on February 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7.30pm and on February 16 and 23 at 2pm with tickets available now at trybooking.com/CXPSH.

A familiar face in an unfamiliar role

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

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