Monica Raymund is setting Chicago on fire these days with her many performances and appearances.
Hailing from St. Petersburg, Florida, the talented actress graduated then headed to Juilliard in New York City. Concentrating on the theater this led her to working on television beginning with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She moved to Lie to Me where she starred as Maria Torres for 48 episodes. In 2012, she joined the cast of Chicago Fire as series regular Gabriela Dawson. This brought crossovers in the television shows Chicago Med and Chicago P.D., where she won an Imagen Award for Best Actress in Television.
Her many theater works include the musical Like Water for Chocolate and Boleros for the Disenchanted.
Raymund plays Isabella in Lookingglass Theatre's current production Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure. Set in Chicago's Majestic Theatre, this show tackles subjects such as racism and inequality. Windy City Times talked to Raymund after a recent performance.
Windy City Times: Hi, Monica. Let's start off with your history. Was TV always a goal?
Monica Raymund: No; theater was my thing. I wanted to be on Broadway. I still want to be on Broadway; that is not a dying dream whatsoever.
I started through music actually. I had been playing piano since I was about five. Music transitioned into voice lessons, dance lessons, and I was doing musical theater all through middle school and high school. Once it was college time, I applied to a few conservatories and ended up deciding on Juilliard.
WCT: What is your favorite musical?
MR: I think Chicago was hook, line and sinker for me. I was about 13 years old when I first saw it. I have seen it eight times since. That was my introduction to Fosse, Bebe Neuwirth, and Ann Reinking. Say what you will about the show but it was an introduction to strong female characters.
WCT: How did the television parts happen?
MR: I just graduated Juilliard and I was doing a play in Boston. I auditioned for a pilot and it was picked up. I flew out to LA and have been on TV ever since.
WCT: With the Chicago shows, you can cross over and be on all of them.
MR: Which is so fun. It is now Chicago Fire, P.D. and now Justice. I get to crossover and work with all of the different casts. It is a good time and a big family.
WCT: Is this the most time you have spent in Chicago?
MR: Yes, it is. I am here all summer and I absolutely adore the city. People are very kind and supportive here.
WCT: Did you study paramedics for your role on Chicago Fire?
MR: I did. Our main consultant is Michele Martinez, who works on Ambulance 42 downtown. I studied with her and her partner. I did ride alongs for a few weeks and did all kinds of trainings on dummies and how to administer IVs.
WCT: Does it feel more authentic after training?
MR: Yes, and it is nice because I have had four years of it now. The more time that goes by the more natural it feels.
WCT: You are free to work on other projects such as this show when you are off?
MR: The hiatus is about two months or so. when we start filming again they hold me in first position. I can do whatever I want to do for work but have to show up the first day of filming for season five.
WCT: How did you wind up working on Thaddeus?
MR: I was doing a reading for a new play by Jason Wells over at iO Theater. Philip Smith, who is the producing artistic director for Lookingglass, was in it and I was in it. He asked me to audition for this play. I landed the role.
I liked the content and the race relations of Chicago in the early 1900s. I am a huge fan of Lookingglass Theatre Company. I wanted to work in the theater scene in Chicago.
WCT: What does the show Thaddeus and Slocum say about racism today?
MR: That racism is very prominent today. It permeates society and our culture to this very day. We all see it in the news unfortunately every morning.
WCT: Your character seems very important in the show.
MR: I play a mixed woman who tries to pass for white. What she has in common with Thaddeus is that he is a Black man who tries to pass for white but he is using blackface on his face. I am using my white face as a means for passing for white.
If you have seen the movie Imitation of Life it is a similar storyline. Not being able to be seen with your family in public because your family looks Black.
The fact that Isabella is making those kinds of choices to protect her dream is a moral struggle that I think battles everyday. The challenge of that was very interesting to me.
WCT: You also get to sing a little for this show.
MR: Yes, I have a few numbers. That was fun.
WCT: There is a dance-off in one scene. If you could have a dance-off with someone alive or dead who would it be?
MR: Ginger Rogers.
WCT: You are so old-school!
MR: Look—I'm doing a vaudeville show. What do you think I was watching?
WCT: Are you nervous about throwing the first pitch at an upcoming Cubs game?
MR: No, I'm not. I'm throwing the ball. I would be nervous if I was hitting the first puck at the Blackhawks. I have been asked but I don't know how to play hockey.
I played softball in middle school and I was pretty darn good!
WCT: You are also going to be our grand marshal for the Pride Parade.
MR: I'm excited and especially now even more ready. This is my first time to participate at a Pride parade. I have stood on the sidelines in the past though.
WCT: I noticed you have been active in our community.
MR: I throw women's parties with my company, called Clandestina. People find out about the parties through word of mouth. People have to be on our mailing list and RSVP back. They then get a password. We try to make it as safe as we can. It is a pop up ladies party. We have done four events so far. We did a big benefit for Valentine's Day at The Promontory.
People have to follow us on social media and our email is on there. They have to email us to be on the list. They can't get in without a password or an RSVP. We make sure people have to because I am interested in setting an exclusive environment for the ladies, queer allies, and friends. I want my girls to be as safe as possible. That is why we don't announce where it will be until they before.
WCT: How was coming out as bisexual?
MR: I actually identify as queer. I was out when I was 19. I had been in same-sex relationships, then a hetero one, now I am back into a same-sex relationship. I came out 10 years ago.
WCT: What was the reaction after it being more public?
MR: It has been very supportive. I am an actor first. I talk about my work first but in the wake of what has happened I feel proud to be LGBTQ.
WCT: Life is short…
MR: Life is short and I live very fiercely. There is no shame about who I love and whatever that means. I am very proud to be grand marshalling in Chicago.
That is why I am taking every interview I can. It is a very difficult thing for us to process and to grieve through as a community. I just went to two vigils on Monday. We lit candles and said prayers. Because it is difficult for people to talk about we need to talk about it. We need to discuss how we can solve it. We need to talk about our feelings and our anger.
Unfortunately I have a lot of experience with grief. In my experience I feel we need to acknowledge how we are feeling. It will blow up in our face if we don't acknowledge what is in front of us.
WCT: When do you start filming again for Chicago Fire?
MR: I start in mid-July filming for season five. I am doing this show until then.
I will be doing a jazz show at some point but not sure where or when that will happen. I might announce it the day before or even a couple of hours before. I want to do a Chicago set so just started a rehearsal with a couple of my friends. I wouldn't call it a band.
WCT: So you are jamming?
MR: Yes, we are experimenting. I know I want to sing jazz while I am here. A buddy of mine knows some instrumentalists. People will have to follow me on Twitter @monicaraymund to find out when it happens.
Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudevill Adventure runs now through Aug. 14 with Raymund in the role of Isabella until Sunday, July 17, at Water Tower Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. Visit LookingglassTheatre.org for ticket information.
