Anyone who appreciates a doctor’s good bedside manner can probably thank a professional actor currently playing the role of the eccentric Aunt Queenie in the Classic Theatre Festival’s production of Bell, Book and Candle, running until July 31 at the wheelchair accessible, air conditioned Mason Theatre in Perth.

Catherine Bruce, originally from Ottawa but now a resident of Toronto, has played professional stages across Canada, and is also a familiar face from countless TV series, as well as commercials for everything from Celebrex and Lotto 649 to a spot as a hockey mom in a Don Cherry ad. But among the most interesting and challenging of her many diverse roles is that of “patient” in what’s known as the Standardized Patient Program. It’s there that she joins other actors in role playing for the benefit of young doctors, physiotherapists, and pharmacists in training, as well as foreign-trained doctors upgrading their Canadian credentials.

Bruce often has to imagine what it’s like to have a specific physical or mental ailment and, with the aid of preparation sheets, acts our her role over the course of a very exhausting day during which she and each doctor-to-be have 7 minutes together, followed by two minute breaks, after which the process begins anew.

“It can be emotionally draining, especially when you are dealing with life and death issues and you are playing this role 7 times an hour, all day long, with a different set of physicians,” Bruce says. She was part of one of the original such Canadian program through the University of Alberta in the mid-1970s, and as with all roles she plays on the stage, she devotes endless hours to preparation and character development. She knows that just as she needs to connect with an audience in the theatre, she needs to be as real as possible in the medical environment to help prepare doctors for the real thing.

“I’ve developed a tremendous respect for people in the medical profession, as we don’t always know the incredible amount of knowledge they have to obtain to do their jobs, and this gives me insights into that,” she says.

Bruce says when she visits her own doctors, she is often called out as someone who has gone through the program given some of the terminology she uses to describe her own issues. “Not a lot of patients talk about palpating their knuckles with their doctors,” she laughs.

Among the eccentric roles Bruce has brought to life over the years – and her turn as the eccentric aunt whose powers of witchcraft are just above sub-par has been a particular hit with audiences this summer – was her role last year as Mrs. Bradman in the Classic Theatre Festival production of Blithe Spirit.

She has also performed in a variety of diverse venues, such as playing Pat Womansbridge – a spoof of the loquacious CBC broadcaster Peter – for a series of General Motors gatherings, as well as at the annual auto show.

Most satisfying for this veteran actor is losing herself in a role to the point that even people who knew her may not recognize her. “I play a lot of characters and it is satisfying when people don’t recognize me afterwards,” she says.

Bruce, in her second season with the Festival, loves working with director Laurel Smith. “She’s very collaborative while being a strong leader, and her endless energy and love of the work really inspire the people she’s working with.”

Like her fellow performers in Bell, Book and Candle, many of whom use theatre in non traditional venues, she points out that “theatre needs to move people. It’s an intimate shared experience with the audience, and as experiential creatures, theatre is a way we acquire knowledge. Film offers that too, but theatre is of the moment. It’s like music—you often hear people say ‘you had to be there – you can hear the recording but it’s not quite the same.’ Theatre is like literature, it opens your eyes to how others see the world.”

When friends and audiences ask what it’s like to play the same role day in and out for weeks of rehearsal and then the run of a show, Bruce responds that she is passionately in love with theatre.

“I look up every night before I go on stage and thank the theatre gods. It feels like being a race horse, you just want to get out there and run, and you badly need to be out there in this profession, because the audience can’t give it to you. It’s such a privilege to do this work—what more could anyone ask for?”

Bell, Book and Candle tickets are available by calling 1-877-283-1283, or by visiting www.classictheatre.ca. The Festival’s second show of the season, a timeless comedy on marriage, The Fourposter, a Tony-Award winner for best play on Broadway, runs August 5-28.