“I often thought of some of Shakespeare’s women as tame. Now I feel that he has written some of the strongest women for the stage…When I play these women, I definitely do not lean toward weakness.”
—Cassandra Bissell, Actor

In less than two years, Cassandra Bissell has become a mainstay on Chicago’s seemingly inexhaustible Shakespeare scene: the Queen in Richard II, Miranda in The Tempest and Juliet in Short Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (through May) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Ophelia in Court Theatre’s Hamlet; Desdemona in Othello at Shakespeare on the Green; and Isabella/Mistress Overdone in Measure for Measure at Next Theatre (through May 18).

“It’s my curly, long hair,” jests Bissell, 25, when asked to theorize about her latest speed-of-light affiliations with the Bard.

More seriously, the actor connects her most immediate Shakespearean roles to her fierce commitment to the language and its meaning, as well as her tendency to “fight against the naive ingénue and recognize that femininity and strength are not mutually exclusive.” She adds, “These are not withering flowers.”

In fact, Bissell threw herself so forcefully into the role of the feisty teenage Juliet during a performance of Gary Griffin’s abridged version of Romeo and Juliet for students at CST, she broke her toe. Temporarily side-lined, she agreed to do an interview—her foot still in a cast—at her vintage plant-and-book-lined apartment in Logan Square.

Over tea—and against a sunlit window that gives her flowing blonde locks a deeper golden glow—Bissell emits the porcelain demeanor of classic Shakespearean heroines. But there’s also a non-self-conscious directness and steely quality to her manner—illustrating her intriguing balance of delicacy and fortitude that would appeal to directors intent on revealing these female characters’ multiple dimensions.

“I often thought of some of Shakespeare’s women as tame,” Bissell acknowledges. “Now I feel that he has written some of the strongest women for the stage. Miranda may not have experienced much of the world, but she has a boldness to her. She sees a man for the first time and has no qualms about showing her feelings for him.

“Desdemona does an incredibly risky thing by marrying Othello behind her father’s back. Juliet is very funny and decisive and uses language incredibly well. She’s got her stuff together in a way Romeo does not. When I play these women, I definitely do not lean toward weakness.”

Now in the dual role of virtuous Isabella and bawdy wench Mistress Overdone at Next, Bissell enjoys exploring the contraries that exist in us all. This idea also relates to her 2000 BA degree in gender studies from the University of Chicago—a field she distinguishes from women’s studies: “Gender studies looks at both sexes and how one affects the other.” Her thesis centered on gender dynamics in 17th century plays, with an emphasis on writers Corneille and Racine.

“A lot of criticism, when it deals with gender,” Bissell explains, “falls along this binary opposite of what men do orwhat women do to each other. My experience in gender studies was to think of gender as a spectrum that’s culturally defined and does change. In the 17th century plays, I was looking at how gender roles were blurred; how the sexes were connected.”

Bissell, who credits her feminist mom—a scholar of evolutionary theory—with indirectly sparking her interest in gender, also found herself drawn to gender issues in all of her courses at the University of Chicago, from the classics to biology.

But more than gender studies influencing the way she approaches Shakespearean women on stage, Bissell is a staunch proponent of a liberal arts education.

“You don’t need a theatre degree to be an actor,” she insists. “And, by that, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a theatre degree. But, from my experience, a liberal arts degree teaches you how to analyze text, ask questions and not accept answers at face value. It’s about people relating to each other. How do we structure civilization? How do we structure culture?

“Liberal arts make you a thinking person—you think about things in as many ways as possible. At the University of Chicago, what I learned in terms of how to ask questions and deal with a text has been invaluable.”

Bissell’s affiliation with U of C began at a very early age. She grew up in Hyde Park, where her father worked at the University of Chicago hospitals, and her mother received her PhD in history and the philosophy of science at U of C. Bissell attended the U of C’s Lab School, where she joined a drama program in the third grade.

“I was a bit of a ham, I guess,” she says with a tinge of embarrassment. “My mom thought it might be a good idea for me to take drama classes.”

Bissell recalls portraying a little boy in a third-grade staging of folk tales. She was so nervous that she entered flying a kite with her back to the audience. Then, once on stage, her skittishness instantly changed to exhilaration: “I clearly remember that transition from being terrified to the adrenaline-rush of being on stage.”

After her parents divorced, Bissell settled in Buffalo, N.Y., with her mother—after temporary stays in other states, including California. She spent her high school years on the East Coast.

“I moved around lot,” shares Bissell. “Theatre was the common variable through all those moves. Plus, I really liked school—I was a nerd. But theatre people tend to be more open-minded and understanding. They made me feel like I belonged.”

While still a senior in high school, she got cast in a professional, non-Equity production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses for Buffalo’s Irish Classical Theatre Co. No small feat, she landed the role of the innocent Cecile de Volanges, the target of Valmont’s brutal seduction. “I know that Cecile is supposed to be young,” says Bissell. “But I really was 17 [playing opposite an actor who was about 40]. I was so utterly thrilled to be in this show that I didn’t think about the age difference. I think everyone else was more nervous about it. The adult men were tip-toeing around the situation.”

Because Les Liaisons Dangereuses was given a longer run than the school productions she was used to acting in, Bissell discovered she was able to unearth more layers of a character after being in front of an audience for a long time. She truly feeds off the energy of the audience.

When it came time to decide on a college, she initially considered Yale and Barnard. But, due to varied circumstances, she ended up back in Chicago and, upon her mother’s suggestion, re-visited U of C. “I fell in love with the university and its Gothic architecture” she says. “It had the feel of academia. I fantasized about staying up all night and studying in the library.”

Bissell, however, acknowledges that those were the most academically intense and challenging years of her life. And she has no regrets. While there, she was very active in U of C’s University Theatre, then under the direction of Curt Columbus. U of C has no theatre department, but its University Theatre performs year-round and has an outstanding reputation.

“University Theatre was great for real-world training,” says Bissell. “We built our own sets, directed our own shows and were actively involved in programming the season. We were often called to do more than say our lines. It closely mirrored what actors experience in Chicago theatre. It was a balancing act—I worked a day job to pay the rent, studied, got a lot of stage experience.”

At University Theatre, she starred in classics—from Hedda Gabler and Measure for Measure to The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard. During her junior year, she participated in an acting internship, headed by director Tina Landau, at Steppenwolf Theatre and was in the ensemble of The Berlin Circle.

“Most importantly,” adds Bissell, “the environment at U of C really built up our confidence. I graduated and didn’t have any fear about jumping into theatre here.”

Before getting swept into Bard-based theatre, she performed in local non-Equity shows, including Our Town for Wing & Groove and Four Women of Thebes for Harridan Productions. Then she immersed herself in general auditions and kept getting called back for Shakespearean roles.

“It was the spring of 2001,” says Bissell, “and I happened to be doing a lot of Shakespeare auditions. So Shakespeare was kind of in my blood at the time.

“When I get called in to do a Shakespeare audition, I check out every edition of the play and read all the notes to be positive of everything I’m saying. With Shakespeare, it seems very complicated at first. The best thing you can do is simplify it. I need to read a lot to feel equipped.”

Bissell talks about the benefits of performing in CST’s abridged staging for younger audiences: “I still hit the poetry and respect the language, but it’s done in a way where students understand it better. Gary Griffin would tell us to get out of that 'Shakespearean voice’ and speak naturally. You want to get the audience excited about hearing the words, not make them tune them out like a foreign language. You have to give the language the glory it deserves while making it understandable.”

More recently, Bissell appeared in a contemporary play, In the Blood, at Next Theatre. This summer she’s taking a respite from the Bard to perform in three shows at Peninsula Players: A Man for All Seasons, Caught in the Net and Proof (the latter in an apropos U of C setting).

Throughout our conversation, she speaks of the crucial component of the audience. It’s one of the main reasons she revels in live performance.

“In theatre,” says Bissell, “you’re connecting to real live people in the moment. You’re seeing the immediate effect of your work; you get immediate feedback on whether or not you’re making a difference.
“Being an actor can be very lonely—you’re constantly moving around. But, ultimately, the number of people you’re connecting to is so vast.”

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