Unlike many audience members who may watch her play the female lead this weekend in a local production of Neil Simon’s play, “Barefoot in the Park,” Noelle Gunn has never seen the 1967 movie.

“Not being a Jane Fonda fan, I never saw it,” the Odenville native said.  “With pieces that are considered classics, I usually feel more comfortable not having seen another actress’ performance.  I can certainly appreciate their performance, and it’s not a matter of me thinking mine is better than theirs.  It’s just that I feel that the best way to truly turn a character into an individual is to let the character completely form in your mind without any preconceived ideas about how someone else has done it.”

Gunn, currently studying musical theatre at the University of Montevallo, has been trodding the board since childhood and took time before an audition Tuesday to discuss her current role, how she develops a character, and how she met her current leading man and real-life boyfriend Tanner McCracken.

The show:  “Barefoot in the Park” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday at Community Education South, 1220 50th Street South, Birmingham.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children and seniors.   For more information, call 205-590-0155 or visit www.bhamparkplayers.com.  

Gunn’s character:  “Corie is very free-spirited and colorful, very much the typical only child.  Her mother is very passive, always giving in to Corie’s will.  In Corie’s head, she’s always right.  She’s not angry or petulant, but she doesn’t see where she’s being inconsiderate or crazy with some of her behavior.  She’s helping.  She’s also one of the more high-energy characters I’ve gotten to play, and that’s fun.”

Are there similarities between her and Corie?  “You could say that.  She’s very definitely a quirky character, and I relate to that.  I like to think I wouldn’t push so far to do the things that she does, but I kind of understand the logic.”

Becoming Corie:  “What I find enjoyable about working on this role or any other is getting to really pry into the psychology of being somebody different.  I believe that if you’re doing it correctly, you’re not trying to bring your personality to the part.  You become the character, and the most challenging aspect of getting inside a character is when they don’t think like I do.  The psychology of the character is key, whether simple or complex, and when I can’t understand where the person is coming from, that gets a little tricky.”

Her most challenging role:  Agnes, in John Pielmeier’s “Agnes of God.”  “Bless her heart, that girl is crazy as a bedbug.  The challenge was becoming a character that isn’t campy but surreal and making it real and sincere.  It was an exhausting piece.  I was starving every time we were through, but it was great.”

Does she ever miss a character once a show closes?  “Definitely.  It doesn’t happen every time, but there are certainly characters that I look back on and wish I were still performing, and a select few I’d play again if given the opportunity.”

Her first show:  “Operation Christmas Child,” when she was seven years old.  Since then, “I’ve lost count of how many shows I’ve done.  Probably around 20 or 25.  Since I was 14, I’ve tried to do at least two shows a year.”

How she met her current leading man:  Gunn attended a performance of “The Taming of the Shrew” in which McCracken had the role of Lucentio.  “I had a couple of other friends who were also in the show, and they introduced us afterward,” she said.  They later appeared in two shows together, although they had no character interaction.  Backstage conversation during “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” led to them becoming a couple two years ago.  “Barefoot in the Park” is their first show appearing opposite one another.

Coming soon:  Gunn is auditioning for other local shows and will appear in the independently-produced feature “Meridian,” currently in production by Outlaw Films.

If she could change one thing about the world: “That’s a toughie. I think it would be that people actually learn from mistakes, even if they aren’t theirs. Bad things and unfortunate accidents are going to happen, but I believe that if people actually learned from them, the amount of bad things that happen would decrease significantly. Humanity as a whole is so competitive. If we could just humble ourselves to learn from others, things would be so different.”

What makes her laugh:  “Tanner. He always tries to keep me smiling, and being a member of an improv troupe, it usually works. I do love puns, though. They crack me up every time.”

Her favorite indulgence:  “Sweets. If I could live off of brownie batter, I’d be a happy camper.”

Something an acquaintance might be surprised to know about her: “By percentile, I’m technically Hispanic. I just happened to get my mum’s Irish skin tone.”

Her greatest fear:  “Alligators. Hands down. They’re evil things. They could all disappear forever, and it would be all right by me.”