Leigh Fitzjames has booked the lead role in ‘A Demon on My Life’, a play about ME/CFS/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The play stars Broadway Actors Darren Lee and Emmy winning Blanche Baker. Written and Dirercted by JB Bruno.
They will be presenting a live performance of A Demon on My Life online.
Liz (Fitzjames) and her husband Mark (Lee) are dancers who have to navigate the physical and emotional challenges of Liz’s ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Sydrome). The play will stream on Saturday 20 June
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into the entertainment industry?
Leigh Fitzjames :
I started singing and playing out stories at a very young age. I would stage ‘plays’ with my Barbie dolls, even giving them rehearsals for the shows and having them fight over their roles. I guess it was being an only child until I was 7 years old, I was always running to my imagination. I was obsessed with Disney and anything on TV. I didn’t meet any industry professionals until I was 14 years old, after I had called a bunch of acting agencies by looking through the phone book. After I signed with one of those agents, I started meeting people within different parts of the industry.
Pro Media Mag : What attracts you more, acting, hosting, promoting or making music ?
Leigh Fitzjames :
That’s like asking me to choose a favorite child! I have to do it all, they are different sides of me.
Pro Media Mag : What’s the best part of being an entertainer?
Leigh Fitzjames :
I get to meet a lot of new people with every project. From working with new creatives to engaging with audience members at every show or via my fan pages. I also get an excuse to research deeply, ask big questions and walk in the shoes of those of whom I would otherwise have a lesser understanding.
Pro Media Mag : Leigh Fitzjames a better actor or better host?
Leigh Fitzjames :
Ummmm….ahhh…. I’ll let your readers decide!
Pro Media Mag : You have booked the lead role in ‘A Demon on My Life’. Our readers would like to know more about the play and your character in it?
Leigh Fitzjames :
I play Liz, a dancer in her thirties, who has learned that her ME (often referred to as ‘CFS’/’Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’) has reached a stage where she cannot expect it to get any better. As Liz and her husband, Mark, navigate the caregiver/caretaker relationship, they must deal with an illness doctors often misdiagnose and the world misunderstands.
Liz must find a way to define herself and not let doctors, others, or the disease her friend Katie refers to as “the demon on our lives” define her.
We have upcoming performances adapted for online and you can book a donation based ticket via https://bit.ly/2Azywxk.
The play is Written and Directed by JB Bruno and stars award winning actors: Darren Lee, Blanche Baker, Emmy James, Akil Apollo Davis, Elena Ricardo, Mackenzie Sherburne, Manuel Herrera and Charles Platt.
Pro Media Mag : Your play will stream this Saturday, you must be very excited about that?
Leigh Fitzjames :
Absolutely! We are expecting people from all around the world to tune in on a subject that often gets overlooked or misunderstood. There are an estimated 17 million people affected by ME/CFS and we have a stellar cast of Broadway actors who can help give them a voice on the mainstage.
Pro Media Mag : Aside from acting and hosting, what Is an interesting fact we don’t yet know about you?
Leigh Fitzjames :
I play theme songs in my head when I enter a room.
Pro Media Mag : What’s the biggest achievement in your career so far?
Leigh Fitzjames :
I’d have a different answer depending on who asked…but I think it’s the fact that I opened myself to living wherever the action was. I took my first independent trip abroad in 2010 to explore Acting opportunities in Melbourne, Australia. Soon after I was living in New York City and have since worked and performed in the USA, Canada, UK, India, Thailand, Netherlands, Sweden as well as my birthplace New Zealand. Haven’t looked back since.
Follow Leigh on Facebook
http://facebook.com/leighfitzjamespage