Monday, August 5, 2019

Sunday Post, Katherine Kupiecki interview

Katherine Kupiecki is with me. Katherine is an actress I saw perform in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Dreamland Arts.

Katherine, what was the most extreme change to personality, hair, body, etc that you have done to prepare for a role?
I cut 5 inches off my hair for Martha in Virginia Woolf. That was actually big for me!

In the play, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" your character was very loud and had a very engaging personality. Have you had to play roles like this before ?(If so which ones)
I do often play women like Martha. I've played Medea and Clytemnestra, twice, for a few more well known examples! I played a lead role in GABRIEL, a play about a tough-as-nails woman in wartime Britain, Joy Gresham in SHADOWLANDS (married to CS Lewis). I feel very lucky to portray these women who are often ahead of their time (and often punished for it). It's an honor to tell their stories.


What is a question you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview?
You never really get asked when you started acting or when you knew you wanted to be an actor-  and I love hearing my fellow actors tell those stories! 
(Answer, if you want it:  I would put on plays for the neighborhood kids at our local park, when I was itty bitty -like a toddler. I was always doing something like that. And then I saw Drew Barrymore in ET, I thought "I could do that!" I had the knowledge even at that age that she was performing. I was five.) 

Are you currently working on anything?
I've worked with The Mystery Cafe, on and off, since 2006 doing their holiday season. it's a very fun, high-end comedy dinner theater. I'm back again for this season and we have various performances through February! I also have done the Mill City Museum's holiday show on and for about five years. I'm back for their weekend of shows in mid-December. I used to take the holidays off from performing, but I enjoy the work so much. Many, many smiling faces.

Of all the roles you played in the past which is your favorite?
I played Sharla Smith in KILLER JOE with Theatre Pro Rata in 2008. The role and the show - cast, crew, audience- were all amazing. It's a very challenging show and I was with people who understood and rose to that challenge in big ways. Loved it and I loved figuring Sharla out.

CURRENTLY


Reading: Good to Great by Jim Collins, Gratitude by Angeles Arrien

Listening: to talks by Pema Chodron


ON THE BLOG

On another note, I had a chat with two military personnel- one of them was in the navy and the other-the army.  The one in the navy talked about the length of time at sea, approximately nine months. He talked about PTSD, and how this can occur in the navy as your standing on the flight deck and you have no idea what may happen next. 
The veteran talked about planes landing all hours of the day. He said he used to position himself in an area where he could avoid the exhaust from planes. He said that the exhaust would sometimes send crew members flying into the sea.He talked about the tail hooks that are supposed to snag and catch onto cables when landing and how he’s seen some guys’ legs torn off because the line would become like  a bungee and snap back and/or send the aircraft into the sea. Luckily, many pilots can eject.
I also took my son to a big indoor play place and went to an improv show.

I'll also be in an improv show on December 11th (7-9) at Theater in the Round so I've been going over notes from my improv teacher.  Things like tag outs, edits, walk-ins, etc.

16 comments:

  1. I like spending time at play parks... It keeps the kid amused and gives me time to think, lol.

    Hope you have another good week!

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    1. Me too Nicci. I like how time whooshes by and how your little one gets so exhausted that by the end, there falling asleep in the car ride home.

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  2. Good luck with your improv show!

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  3. Katherine sounds like she's been lucky to have had some pretty interesting rolls.
    I think it's great that you get a chance to talk to people whose life experiences are so different from yours, I bet it helps when you're doing improv.

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    1. It definitely helps to see so many plays. I have so many ideas for characters and scenarios.

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  4. I enjoyed reading your interview. Imagine cutting your hair for your work!

    Good luck with your time in improv. I hope it's an electric experience.

    I hope you get a bit of time to read a good book during this busy time.

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    1. You bet Deb! If I cut my hair one inch, I'm going crazy-I can't imagine cutting more.

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  5. OMG these talks with people in the military must have been so interesting!

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    1. They were really cool and so open to discussion.

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  6. Interesting talks about PTSD. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog. Enjoy your week.

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    1. PTSD is real and it's great that they have things Like Vet Homes and such where veterans can come and talk .

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  7. Cutting 5 inches of hair off for a role is big. My hair is long enough for me to sit on and while I trim it regularly, I'm not sure I could cut 5 inches off right now for anything. lol

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  8. My dad was in the navy in WW2 out on aircraft carriers as an aviation electrician so he fixed the planes. I know he was out for long stretches. One time in the Atlantic and one time in the Pacific. This was all long before I was born. I used to cut my hair 10 inches every 2 - 3 years for Locks of Love. I did it 6 times but I'm finished now. They asked me if I had a perm because they won't take it. I told them the only time I had a perm was once in the 80s so since it was almost 20 years ago I was sure that hair was gone! I'm excited about your improv. I can't wait to hear about it. Good luck!

    Anne - Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post   

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    1. Must be intense to be at sea for so long. I'm sure your dad must have some seriously good stories.

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