Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Criss.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kelly. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I thank and blame my mother for my love affair with the theatre. She had a good work friend who was also an actor where I grew up in South Carolina, near Columbia. My mother thought I may like a behind-the-scenes look at a rehearsal. Mind you, I’m not even three years old at this time. So, she brought me to a dress rehearsal and sat near the back in case I became fussy. But, apparently, I was enraptured with the stage the moment the lights went down.
I started taking ballet classes a year or so later and continued for almost a decade. Eventually, I realized I enjoyed the acting part of dance more than the dancing part of the dance. My parents were always incredibly supportive of my interests and cheered me on at ballet recitals, band concerts, Christmas pageants, and the pop-up guerrilla theatre performances I wrote/directed/starred in with my younger brother in our living room. They even smiled and encouraged me when I did not declare Pre-Law and pursued a degree in Theatre Arts.
I moved to Atlanta after college, having done an internship with PushPush Theatre the summer before. I completed an apprenticeship with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, where I met some of my dearest friends and colleagues. Connections I made there led to the founding of the Weird Sisters Theatre Project (first producing in 2011 and becoming incorporated in 2012). I directed, acted, and produced with the Weird Sisters for about five years and it will always be one of my most treasured experiences.
During that time, I worked as an office manager and then as a Producer with Laughing Matters, an Improv and Education Entertainment Company. Sprinkle in some freelancing (nannying, temp work, cleaning houses) and eventually I ended up at Horizon Theatre Company as Artistic and Education Manager. I was there for four years before moving to the High Museum of Art in their Development department. That has led me to my current position at Aurora Theatre as the Director of Corporate & Individual Giving. I continue to act, direct, teach and overall overcommit myself to theatre around town.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The smooth road metaphor just makes me think about Bette Davis in All About Eve saying, “Fasten your seat belts- it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Meaning, no, it hasn’t been very smooth. Once in a while, sure. But mostly? Pretty bumpy. Money stuff and family stuff and life stuff can interfere with making art. But for an actor, all that life just makes for deeper storytelling. And empathy. I believe anything capable of cultivating empathy is beautiful.
As far as advice to young women: Listen to your gut. Perhaps, it’s a gender bias of mine, but I believe a woman’s intuition is a truly powerful thing.
I also would encourage befriending and connecting with -let’s say- more seasoned women professionals in the industry. Take them to coffee, pick their brains – they have *great* stories.
And practice your best steely gaze whenever someone suggests “perhaps you should smile more.”
And schedule time for yourself.
And be loud.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I think of myself as an actor first, but being a teacher is a close runner-up. I fell in love with teaching theatre when I was in college and assisting with summer drama camps. Witnessing students discovering artistic expression for the first time is so profoundly moving to me. I’ve been fortunate to have had opportunities to teach all ages and skill levels and I always learn so much from every group I work with.
I have been a Director, Producer, Stage Manager, and even Costume Coordinator on professional productions. I’ve also done box office and front-of-house shifts, helped with light hangs and dabbled in graphic design.
On the administration side, I’ve handled casting calls, coordinated Horizon Theatre’s New South Young Playwrights Festival, managed interns and apprentices, done literary management and grant writing, solicited major gifts, and provided donor stewardship.
Having some first-hand experience in all these different areas helps me appreciate the effort and sacrifices that go into each of these responsibilities.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I recommend “Know Your Own Bone.” See https://www.colleendilen.
Know Your Own Bone shares data and analysis about how cultural audiences think and behave. As much as we artists may sometimes be drawn to creating our art in a warm, fuzzy, safe little vacuum, this blog asks performance and exhibition based organizations to look outside-in, and focus on what our audiences are telling us. Theatre does require an audience, after all. We need to study them and listen to them and understand what makes them come back.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kellycriss444
Image Credit:
Casey Gardner Photography, Jeff Watkins, Kris Pilcher
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