Rachael (character)

Rachael is a fictional character played by Rachael Murphy in the 2017 play, Paul Bishop is Directing a Play.

Rachael is an actor and director who has appeared in multiple productions at the Boardmore Playhouse and Highland Arts Theatre.

Rachael is much more widely regarded than Paul Bishop in the theatre community, though she appears to be typecast in young and gender-bending roles.

Development and Casting
The character was created by Fritz Bishop and Rachael Murphy after the former pitched the idea for the play. Fritz and Rachael conceived the character as an antagonist to Paul, embittered by their long standing working relationship and a stark contrast to her typical roles in theatre, though heavly influenced by Rachael's performance as Clem in Bigsby.

Rachael Murphy was originally cast by Fritz to portray "Paige" in Damned, with the role being specifically written for her. However, when Mike McPhee took over as director, he instead chose to cast Gabrielle Smith, a fact which is referenced within the play. Gabrielle was originally cast to play the stage manager in Paul Bishop is Directing a Play in order to insinuate a rivalry between the two, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. The role was recast to be portrayed by Deion Perfect, and subsequently rewritten into the character of Deion.

Rachael portrays "Sydney" in Paul Bishop's play, "Family Values", she later reveals that the character was written as a unfavorable characterization of a former real life girlfriend of Fritz to evoke sympathy for him. "Sydney" is named after the city in which Fritz and the rest of Tar City resides.

As part of the 2017 One Act Play Festival, the cast of Paul Bishop is Directing a Play were awarded "Best Ensemble Cast".

Appearances
Paul Bishop is Directing a Play (2017)
 * "Sydney" / "Rachael"