Melanie Field on Her “Theatre Life” as Emilia in Othello at STC

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The versatile actress on returning to STC with their current production of Othello and more.

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Today’s subject Melanie Field is currently living her theatre life onstage at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) playing the role of Emilia in Othello . The production is helmed by STC’s Artistic Director Simon Godwin and runs through June 28th at Harman Hall.

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This is not the first time Melanie has performed at STC. She was previously seen there in The Wild Duck and Uncle Vanya .

On Broadway she has been seen in The Phantom of The Opera and Evita and on tour in Wicked .

She has also been seen regionally at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

You might have seen her on the small screen in A League of Their Own , You , Heathers , Shrill, Killing It , Florida Girls , or The Alienist or on the big screen in Home Delivery.

As you can see from Melanie’s credits, her work is as varied as it comes and definitely shows her versatility as a performer.

I highly urge you to see Othello at STC if you possibly can. It stars Wendell Peirce in the titel role while also featuring such great local talent as Todd Scofield. And of course, the fine talents of Melanie Foeld are back at STC for all to enjoy. What other reason do you need?

Melanie Field is truly living her theatre life to the fullest.

How did you get interested in performing?

Growing up, I played the piano and flute and sung in the choir. But it wasn’t until sophomore year of high school that I did my first musical, Les Misérables. My role? “Whore #1” and I donned that corset and played her proudly.

I was bitten by the bug hard . I always say there is no drug more powerful than high school musical theater. From that point on, I was hooked.

My dad is a singer and a huge theater nerd, and both of my parents were incredibly supportive of my desire to pursue acting. I really have them to thank for encouraging my talents and giving me the confidence to go for it.

Where did you receive your training?

I got my Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from NYU Steinhardt and my MFA from Yale School of Drama.

What was your first professional job as a performer?

The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway was my very first professional theater job, and the way it came about still feels a little surreal. A mentor of mine had arranged for me to meet and sing for Kristen Blodgette, the show's music supervisor. The idea was simply that she might be a helpful resource as I prepared to graduate and enter the profession.

I sang five full songs in the lobby of the Majestic Theatre under a chandelier— I mean, what?!

What I didn’t know was that the production had an ensemble member preparing to go on maternity leave. After hearing me, they offered me a position covering her leave. If I remember correctly, I received the offer the day after I graduated from college and made my Broadway debut just three weeks later. It was nuts.

Those seven months were pretty much a crash course in “How To Be On Broadway.” The cast—many of whom had been with the show for years—really took me under their wing. It was an incredibly formative time in my life and really shaped the rest of my career.

Can you please tell us a little something about the character you play in Othello ?

Emilia is honestly such a boss. Especially in this production. Everyone knows her arc—this incredible redemption at the end, even though it costs her everything.

What’s interesting here is how complicit she is along the way, even without fully understanding what Iago is up to. I love that Simon really leaned into the class structure. She comes from nothing, grills a mean hot dog, and is ultimately hired as Desdemona’s maid. She’s one of those women you recognize immediately: tough exterior, sharp tongue, but underneath it all, just desperate to matter, desperate to be loved, desperate to be seen.

She goes along with things longer than she should, making choices that aren’t clean, until she finally understands the cost of not speaking up.

Is Othello the first time you have performed in a play by Shakespeare?

This is my first professional Shakespeare job, and I really hope it’s not the last. I had read quite a bit of Shakespeare in high school, but it was grad school that really opened me up to his work. And I’ve been pretty obsessed ever since.

You have performed in both musicals and plays. For you as a performer, what is the biggest difference in working on a musical like Evita over a play like Othello ?

I remember coming home from rehearsals for Evita and practically crawling to the couch so I could soak my feet in an ice bath. The choreography was incredibly demanding, and the brilliant Rob Ashford treated every one of us like a true dancer. The entire ensemble—even those of us who were primarily considered singers—were fully utilized in the big dance numbers. It was awesome.

The physical demands of the plays I've done are different. The toll comes less from choreography and more from asking my mind and body to go through deeply lived emotional journeys. It's funny—the body doesn't always know the difference between real life and play-pretend. Tears are tears, rage is rage; even in a fictional world, those experiences are felt on a cellular level. So, while I can leave a character at the stage door, so to speak, my body often carries the memory of what she's lived through onstage. It takes a little while to shake that off.

Othello is your third time working at STC. What do you enjoy the most about working there?

The people. It goes without saying that STC is under incredible leadership with Simon Godwin at the helm. He and I have formed a really special creative bond over these last three plays and I’m so grateful he keeps inviting me back.

The entire staff and crew at STC is special. It feels like one big family — each person dedicated to their role and bringing their unique talents to make the magic you see every night. I love going to work every day.

And then there’s the community. I’ve been lucky enough to engage with audiences through various talkbacks and events, and I’m always struck by how curious, thoughtful, and engaged they are. The support for theater in this community gives me so much hope for the future.

Why do you think Shakespeare’s plays are still being performed hundreds of years after they were originally written?

Because they're so damn good.

Seriously, Shakespeare understood people. And human beings haven't changed nearly as much as we'd like to think they have.

Just look at Othello . It's a play about jealousy, manipulation, insecurity, prejudice, and violence against women. Sadly, those aren't problems from 400 years ago.

Working on the play, I was struck by how modern it feels. I recognize these characters. I know these dynamics. Shakespeare really understood human behavior at a profound level, and I think that’s why audiences still respond so intensely.

Globally, tens of thousands of women and girls are killed each year by intimate partners or family members — an average of 137 every day, or one every 10 minutes.

Desdemona’s and Emilia’s fates are horrifying but not uncommon. That's part of what makes the play so devastating and so relevant.

After Othello finishes it’s run, what does the rest of 2026 and onward hold in store for you workwise?

The rest of the year is a bit of a mystery—at least professionally. Outside of work, I’m a mom to two-year-old twins, so I can confidently say I won’t be bored anytime soon.

They’re at such a fun age right now, constantly discovering new things and, in the process, teaching me a lot about finding wonder in the everyday. Getting to experience the world through their eyes is really special. Sometimes just observing them feels like an acting exercise in itself.

I’m also taking a few online science courses, which has been a really cool change of pace. Science wasn’t something I focused on much in my formal education, so it’s been exciting to stretch a different part of my brain and dive into a subject that feels completely new to me. It’s nice to be reminded that learning doesn’t have to stop just because school did.

Special thanks to Shakespeare Theatre Company's publicity goddess Heather C. Jackson for her assistance in coordinating this interview.

Theatre Life logo designed by Kevin Laughon.

Today’s subject Charity Arianna is currently living her theatre life on tour playing Nabulungi in the current North American Tour of The Book of Mormon. The show will be in DC from April 28th to May 3rd at the National Theatre.

Today’s subject Lauren M. Gunderson is a prime example of an artist living her theatre life to the absolute fullest. She has had the honor of being the most produced playwright in this country three times and shows so signs of letting up with her always superb creative output. One of her latest projects is the world premiere of  I And You The Musical which is in performance at Olney Theatre Center through May 24th. The show is based on her play of the same name, which was part of a Rolling world premiere that played at Olney Theatre Center in 2015.

Today’s subject Kokayi is currently living his theatre life as the composer of John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest at Mosaic Theater Company. The show runs through May 3rd at Atlas Performing Arts Center in their Sprenger Theatre space.

Today’s subject Phoenix Assata LaFreniere is currently living her theatre life on tour playing Dorothy in The Wiz. The show is currently in town at the National Theatre through April 12th.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/Interview-Theatre-Life-with-Melanie-Field-20260604)._