Director Richard Seyd stops the well-choreographed chaos to give some notes. Seyd and several cast members strike up a debate on how best to communicate a risqué gesture, the view of which currently seems to be obscured for one side of the audience. Actress Jane Carr, who's been part of the discussion, takes a minute to examine the long apron she's just been handed for part of her costume and speculates on the quantity of plastic sardines it might hold.

In Noises Off, Carr plays Dotty Otley, an actress who lives up to her first name and has a peculiar fondness for sardines. The British-born Carr may be most familiar to American audiences as Louise Mercer, the bubbly facilitator of a singles' support group in the sitcom Dear John, which also starred Judd Hirsch. Carr has appeared in a number of comedies and dramas for TV, film and the theater.

Onstage and off, it's easy to see why Carr has become especially known in this country for her comedic talents. Humor seems to be a natural part of her personality.

Growing up, Carr hadn't planned on an acting career. "I didn't really want to be an actor at all. I wanted to be a dancer. I wanted to be Ginger Rogers, to be precise," she says with a smile. "I wanted to be a dancer and I took dance classes for years and years and years and won a scholarship to a performing arts school when I was 10 or 11. That was when I began to realize I could do it, I could do acting. Because you know, I was taking dance classes, but you had to go and do the acting classes, too. And I enjoyed them and I just literally got a job when I was 14, I think." After touring with her first theater gig, Carr landed what would prove to be her breakout role: a dramatic turn as a young student in the play--and later the film--The Prime of Miss Jean Brody. Her career took hold from there, with more films and a number of roles with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company.

Although Carr didn't further pursue a career in dance, she has put her education to good use in a number of musicals. She also has trained in martial arts, which she initially took up to support her son's interest in the sport.

Of working in film, TV and theater, Carr speaks with equal enthusiasm, "The fact that it is all so different, is what is the most fun. Then you can do a bit of this, a bit of that. I go through times where different things are my favorite," she says, although she does reveal a soft spot for one type of work. "I think what remains a real joy always is voiceover work. There's less effort involved--you don't have to learn anything, you can read it," she laughs. "You don't have to dress up, you don't have to look good, you don't have to be the Hollywood ideal to get a part in a television thing. Your age doesn't matter. You can play a 6-year-old little boy or a 90-year-old grandmother and you can do it all with the voice and it's always a joy. And it's usually full of laughter, too.

"You go and do a kids' cartoon show. You'll be standing at the microphone and one side of you will be the guy who does Invader ZIM and on the other side will be the guy who does Sponge Bob. And I am on the cover of Cool Mother of the Month magazine! I have a 14-year-old boy who thinks that's a cool thing for mum to do." Carr has worked on Treasure Planet and recently had a small role in Finding Nemo.

Carr speaks about theater with great affection. "There's nothing like being there at the moment, hearing people laugh at you. You know that you're giving a lot of joy in a comedy--I mostly do comedy. It's good for the soul," she says.

Carr says there's one reason why Noises Off has continued to strike such a chord with audiences for nearly two decades. "It's the funniest play ever written. It's as simple as that. It's the funniest play ever and people will tell you that who've seen it years ago. All the best directors in the world will say it. We can't get through things. We're laughing a lot in this rehearsal--and not getting a lot of work done," she says with a big laugh. "No, we are, we are getting a lot of work done. The play's a gem. It's inspired."