SU alumna Victoria Montalbano discusses new Star Wars-themed solo show
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Victoria Montalbano started doing theater at 7 years old. After she realized her passion for theater, she auditioned to act in local community theater productions in her hometown of Sarasota, Florida, and then attended Syracuse University as an acting major.
Montalbano’s new solo show “The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman’s Search for the Space Cowboy of her Dreams” is currently streaming as a part of Lifeline Theatre’s 25th Annual Fillet of Solo Festival. She will also be bringing the show on tour in Chicago and Orlando.
The actress spoke with The Daily Orange about her time at Syracuse and what spectators can expect from her new show. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Daily Orange:
How did you get your start in theater?
Victoria Montalbano:
I was a theater kid. I started going to this performing arts summer camp when I was 7 years old that my parents put me in, because I was kind of a shy kid. And they wanted me to communicate and make friends and things like that. So they put me in that and then it just spiraled — it was my favorite thing to do.
So I went to summer camp, I did acting classes and kind of around junior high was when I thought that I wanted to be an actor when I grew up. And so that’s when I started auditioning for local community theater and stuff like that around that time. And so I then went to a performing arts high school in (Sarasota), which led me to auditioning for theater programs like at Syracuse.
The D.O.:
What was theater life like for you at SU?
VM:
You’re sort of in a bubble of theater people, because you’re taking these classes like, voice and scene study, and all of this stuff that requires you to really dig into all of your emotions and what you’re feeling. And that’s not unique to Syracuse drama, pretty much every college theater program is going to do something similar. And so, you sort of share this experience with this group of people that you’re with.
For me, Syracuse was my top choice university. And it was for the reason I specifically wanted to be in a theater major and be very focused on theater, as opposed to (going) into a more liberal arts school where I would do a lot of things, even if theater was my major. I really wanted to focus on theater, but still be able to have a college experience.
The D.O.:
According to IMDb, you’ve been a mainstay in Chicago theater for 15 years. What attracted you to Chicago? What’s theater life like there?
VM:
Chicago theater is really unique. And also I was very into comedy, like I love doing improv, so I moved to Chicago to do that, and discovered this theater scene and it’s really cool. There are literally hundreds of small theater companies just scattered around the city, some of them have their own theater space, some of them are just a company, and they rent out space to do shows.
And it’s not that hard to get into, like everyone talks about in theater and acting in general, that it’s such a difficult business, and there’s so much rejection, and all this. But in Chicago, it’s just so prevalent that I just started auditioning right away and started getting casted (in) shows right away, which I did not expect to happen because it’s such a hard business. There’s still plenty of rejection, but the fact that you can do it in these small companies here is really awesome.
A childhood crush on Han Solo and newfound interest in storytelling inspired Montalbano to write her solo show. Courtesy of Sarah Elizabeth Larson
The D.O.:
What gave you the idea to make the play that you made?
VM:
“The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman’s Search for the Space Cowboy of Her Dreams.” Honestly, with the last two years of COVID I’ve really just lost track of all time. Maybe four years ago, I started doing storytelling, which looks kind of like stand-up comedy. You’re standing by yourself with a microphone, talking directly to the audience. The difference is, instead of telling jokes, you’re telling a narrative first-person story.
So I started doing storytelling. And I wrote a story that I told at a storytelling open mic about this sleepover with (a) boy I had a crush on when I was 12 or 13. And it was right around the time I saw “Star Wars” (for the first time) and that’s what made me realize the relationship that Princess Leia and Han Solo have, where they’re kind of fighting and bickering all the time, and then they kiss. Seeing that when I was 13, I was like, “well, they’re fighting all the time. They don’t like each other.” (But) then I was like, “oh, that boy that I’m constantly fighting and bickering with. I like him, too.”
And (as I was writing), I then started going, “Okay, well, who else have I dated or had some sort of relationship with like that? Was this type of person (the) Han Solo type?” And that let me tell those stories and kind of put them together into the show.
The D.O.:
To you, what’s the beauty of doing solo shows?
VM:
Really, this is what I love about storytelling in general. I have complete control over the point of view and how I want to present this story.
It’s a show about dating and relationships. And so I talked specifically about the relationships I’ve had, and I get to decide in what light to present them. It’s about how I felt in the moment, which was just complete infatuation.
The D.O.:
Anything else you want our readers to know about your show?
VM:
If you are not a “Star Wars” fan, this is still a fun show for you. I’m looking at it through the lens of these “Star Wars” characters, but during the show, if you know nothing about “Star Wars,” you will still have a good time and appreciate the story. I tell you everything you need to know as part of the show, and it’s not ultra nerdy. I don’t go into details about all the different planets and the different gadgets and all that sort of stuff. All I talk about is who is making out with who in all of “Star Wars.”
And so I actually think if you’re not a “Star Wars” fan, this is a good show for you. And if you are a “Star Wars” fan, then yeah, there will be some, like in-jokes and stuff that you’ll get, but it’s not a prerequisite.
