HUNDRED DAYS is an uncensored, exhilarating and heartrending true story about embracing uncertainty, taking a leap, and loving as if you only had 100 days to live. Just a few days away from our first audience, performer Emile Modaff (who plays Abigail) gives us a closer look…
Emilie, tell us about Emilie!
Hello! I’m Emilie Modaff. I use they/them pronouns. I believe in failing big, queering the narrative, radical honesty, body neutrality and Gillian Anderson.
What drew you to Hundred Days?
Have you HEARD the cast recording? I WEEP!!!!! This show makes grief and trauma tangible through music. It welcomes healing in the face of fear and it is unapologetic in its vulnerability.
You are playing Abigail Bengson. What’s it like portraying a real person?
It’s such a thin line I’m walking playing Abigail. I want to honor her story and her voice but I don’t want to imitate her, right? And the Bengsons don’t want us to recreate their performances (pro tip: nobody can). They want us to tell the damn story and bring ourselves, our truths, our experiences to it. When I find myself thinking “Abigail sings this riff like this, she delivers this line with a different cadence,” I hold onto what they told us. I feel deeply honored to play this part. I feel connected not only to the material but to the real Abigail Bengson. The intimidating responsibility I started out feeling has quickly shifted into a comforting blessing.
What are you most excited about?
I’m excited to face fear 5 nights a week. That’s what this play encourages me to do – to be afraid and live anyway. I can’t wait to see audiences be inspired to do the same. I also can’t wait to fake-marry Royen Kent.
Why should people see the show?
To heal.
Describe yourself in three words…
Expanding, terrified, resilient.
Describe Hundred Days in one…
Purifying.
Join us at HUNDRED DAYS and be purified! Our first preview is Friday, March 6 at The Chopin Theatre. Regular performances begin Saturday, March 14. The show runs Wed-Sat at 8PM, Sun at 5PM. Tickets are available HERE!
