Playing Big Maggie is a ‘mental and physical’ challenge

A clinical psychologist by day, Janice Hansen (Maggie Polpin) has had a keen interest in acting and performing since she was in her early teens and played the part of the Mock Turtle in a musical version of Alice in Wonderland.  For most teenagers, the experience of singing in front of their friends while wearing a green velour jumpsuit and a giant card-board shell would have scarred them for life, but she was hooked and a ‘Gleek was born!’

Hansen continued to perform in both musicals and “regular” shows all through-out high-school and university, while pursuing a degree in Psychology.  After dabbling in the professional theatre world with Theatre New Brunswick’s Young Company, she decided to head west and try her luck in Toronto.  She spent a few years working as a waitress/actress and then got accepted into Ryerson’s Theatre Arts program.  As fate would have it, by that…