Dena Tyler (CBS’s BULL) talks about playing Emma in Harold Pinter’s BETRAYAL

Dena Tyler talks about MST’s production of BETRAYAL.

How are rehearsals going?

Rehearsals have been wonderful! The ensemble is terrific and working on BETRAYAL is tremendously enriching and fulfilling. I’ve never worked on a Pinter play in a professional setting and it’s delightful to find discoveries around every corner. I’m eager and excited to feel it breathe and pulse in the intimate Mile Square Theatre. It’s sure to be electric.

You worked at MST in Craig Wright’s The Pavilion. How is it to be back?

I’m so excited to be back at MST! I was extremely fortunate to work with the phenomenal director Chris O’Connor and actor Matt Lawler (Robert) in “The Pavilion” (Kari). Being back feels both nostalgic and brand new. The new space is a fantastic place that truly inspires creativity.

What are the challenges of working on Pinter?

I’m finding special challenges working on this play. Harold Pinter’s language, coupled with his precise punctuation is like learning a new language or an extremely complex piece of music. Not only must you memorize your lines, but also every comma and …dot dot dot and pause and silence! Then you must fill the whole play up with your absolute deepest feelings and strongest needs and then…are you ready for this?!… cover them up with a shiny, pretty, proper mask which is proudly worn in society! What a fun puzzle!!

How does working on a play compare with the pace of TV work?

I play the inspirational, somewhat geeky lawyer Liberty on CBS’s BULL, with Michael Weatherly (Bull). Working on TV sure is lots of fun and FAST! In a TV script, we have double the pages than are in BETRAYAL. There are usually a minimum of 40 scenes in a TV script versus 9 scenes in this play. We shoot the whole TV episode in 8 days, rehearsing each scene about ten to fifteen minutes tops right before we shoot—to figure out where the camera will set up to tell an interesting visual story. For BETRAYAL, we have an amazing three week rehearsal period! Rehearsing a theatre piece really lets actors deep-dive into exploring the character’s relationships and their needs and what obstacles are in the way of them getting what they want. In TV, we have to do all of this work on our own, or with an acting coach, but never with the real actors that you will meet on the TV set just minutes before the director says, “Action!”

What are some of your favorite acting roles in theatre?

BETRAYAL is definitely on my list of favorite theatre projects I’ve worked on. Others include “The Cherry Orchard,” playing the mischievous magician Charlotta opposite Ellen Burstyn, AR Gurney’s “Sylvia,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as Puck. Plus all of the amazing children’s theatre I’ve done over the years especially dive-rolling over stumps as Rabbit in” House at Pooh Corner,” and playing the ferocious jokester Carlos, Pinocchio’s clumsy, stuffy-nosed BFF. As you might have guessed, I’m a big, dorky kid at heart.