Diana Riley went to school for Theatre Studies at the University of Central Florida, graduating in 2013 (although it took three major changes to get to the theatre major). She went to a private school in Orlando, FL for 1st-12th grade. Diana has had a number of odd jobs over the years, but acting has always been the career goal. Now she does promotional modeling to supplement her acting addiction.
In addition to theatre, Diana has worked in voiceover, film, TV, commercials, industrials – pretty much everything an actor can do. She is playing Van’s Sister in Dog Sees God, in the original comic strip, you might find her in a psychiatric booth .
Diana humored by playing a little question-and-answer with us for your entertainment:
Q: Name two fun facts about you:
A: Two fun facts: I have heterochromia and can touch my nose with my tongue.
Q: What is our dream acting role?
A: Give me the antagonists all day. I love playing characters with no limits. Snarky, manipulative, and/or crazy women with a lot of fight in them are my favorites.
Q: How does your character compare to you?
A: Many people would tell you that we’re alike in that we’re both absolutely nuts. 😛 Van’s Sister is wonderful in that she takes everything in and lets it roll off of her. Nothing keeps her down anymore; she doesn’t take anything too seriously. She has an energy I can relate to, an absurd excitement about even the little victories. She and I also share a sense of humor; we’re a little sassier than we probably should be. When I read the script for the first time, I actually got a bit of a Harley Quinn vibe from her. Maybe that’s also my comic book counterpart? 😛
Q: Dog Sees God is based a beloved comic strip, and we get a look of what might happens when life gets real. Why do you think this is a good way to present difficult topics?
A: Theatre has always been a great way to tell stories. Particularly, I think, it’s a great way to share what could happen when “life gets real” through a medium that we know is fictional. The audience is aware that nothing happening on stage is real, and yet the stories told there can touch us as if they actually happened to us. Theatre creates impact, incites discussion. Nobody likes to discuss difficult topics – they are prefaced with the word “difficult” for a reason – but stories like Dog Sees God can open up minds and hearts to new ideas and perspectives that might not have been considered before.
Come see Diana and the rest of our crew for Dog Sees God, which runs from October 21-November 5, 2016 at the Belfry Playhouse (downstairs at Norcross Presbyterian Church), 3324 Medlock Bridge Rd, Norcross GA