Meet Trailblazer Kimi Sung

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimi Sung.

Kimi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
First, I want to thank VoyageATL for including my journey in your Trailblazers article, and Taeler Chanlel Buchanan, for recommending me. It is an honor.

My journey is one that brought me full circle with my first love and career, acting in theatre and film. If I have any words of wisdom to share with anyone, it would be to stay alive and open to life’s changes because your true love will make its way back to you. I grew in Harlem, New York, and was fortunate to have the influence of local activists, politicians, creative artists, and educators early in my life. I come from a family of performing artists. As a member of the Drinkard Clan, I am cousins to Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Whitney Houston. My father, Richard Dixon, was a member of the 1950s teen group, “The Kodaks”. He passed on to me the art of dance and perfecting myself as an artist. It was at the Harriet Tubman School (PS 154) on 126th Street where I first stepped onto the stage before an audience. I was asked to give a welcome speech to the parents and faculty. I remember my mother sitting up with me practicing, and she kept pressing the point to eliminate “Um” between sentences. Later in college, I became an award-winning student on the speech and debate team, and her coaching remained with me throughout that period. It was my first theatrical role that set the foundation for my lifelong love affair with acting. I played the role of Harriet Tubman in elementary school, and I was hooked.

For me, acting is about the story that is being told, and my skill is one part of telling the writer’s story. And when the art and science of theatre is merged with history, that is the best experience, in my opinion, because not only is the audience entertained, they are taught something important about the human experience. Reading literature was my favorite past time as a girl, and the playwright, Lorraine Hansberry was my favorite. I devoured her play “A Raisin’ in the Sun” and I held it in my heart to one day play the role of Beneatha, which I did, twice. First, at the age of 16 in college at Santa Rosa Junior College. Marjorie Shears (Frutivale Station) played my mother; and later at age 24 at Geva Theatre where I was directed by the great Woodie King, Jr.

I must note, however, that it was in junior high school where my skills began to evolve. In the Fall of 7th Grade, I was ready to attend school in Harlem with my friends when I was met with a disappointing surprise. My mother told me that I was being transferred downtown to Gramercy Park’s Simon Baruch JHS 104. I was livid. I did not want to attend a school with other children from every borough and from a plethora of cultural and economic backgrounds, and I tried my best to get kicked out by picking fights, yet, there was something bigger at work, which I am thankful for. The teachers, Deans, and Principal would not let me have my way. They saw something special in me, and instead of suspending me or transferring me, they encouraged my artistic side. Mr. Robert Sharon, the renowned vocal instructor, taught me so much about the theatre. I performed in plays with other students who shared my love. Some are pretty well known today, Jon Cryor (Two and A Half Men) and Erica Gimpel (Fame and God Friended Me) to name a couple. My life was evolving positively because I began to see the joy in life through performance. Singing with the school’s Madrigal Society and Permanent Waves provided me the opportunity to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. My early experiences in the arts set me on a beautiful course that led me to California where I continued to perform in theatre, and landed my first professional job at the age of 17 at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, coincidentally.

I returned to NYC at the age of 20 as a member of Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association, and was fortunate to work in regional theatre throughout the country. I traveled back and forth to Los Angeles; and one trip in 1989 yielded great results, for I was cast in the role of “Sunni” in Reggie Hudlin’s first feature film “House Party”. Such great times which taught me so much. I would say that the most demanding role I ever had the pleasure to play was Lena in the late Michael Henry Brown’s play “Generations of the Dead in the Abyss of Coney Island Madness” directed by the visionary, Lee Kenneth Richardson (Co-Founder of Crossroads Theatre). I absolutely loved the character, and the cast which included Jerome Preston Bates (American Son); Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy), Lorey Hayes and William Jay Marshall was phenomenal.

In 1992, I left the industry to start a family. I am the proud mother of four children ages 27, 17, 16 and 14. December 2017 set me on the journey back to where I started. I was invited to portray a historical figure ‘Mrs. Combs’ in the Kansas City Repertory Theatre/UMKC “Letters From Freedom Summer” co-written and directed by the other Co-Founder of Crossroads Theatre, Ricardo Kahn. That performance and experience made me acknowledge to myself that regardless of the other professional paths I’ve taken – law school, graduate studies at Harvard, teaching, receiving an MPA and working in State and local government – my love of acting hadn’t left. I made a firm decision, with the support of my children, in May 2018 to return to my first career in Atlanta, and I haven’t stopped since.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Life is filled with hills and valleys, that is a promise. Stay alive. Stay creative. Stay healthy. Stay open to learning. Stay kind. Stay humble. always remember to love yourself and those around you. Be selfless, for when you give, you receive. Never give up on yourself no matter what. I came from a family life that was filled with strife because of divorce and barriers to resources due to socio-economic and political structures. Yet, I used my mind. To this very day, libraries and museums are two my favorites places to be. I feel good when inside of them because I have another opportunity to learn. These institutions provide me the refinement I need to remain strong and positive about life. When you feed your mind, your heart becomes more open, and you are able to see a way through hardships. Media makes us think that just because a person has attained a particular goal, that they are no longer struggling. This is incorrect. Everyone is dealing with some sort of struggle daily, whether it is mental, emotional, spiritual or financial. If one is a parent, like myself, there is an added layer because you are not only navigating society for yourself, you are for your children as well. I have had lots of wins and lots of loses in my journey. Making good decisions isn’t as easy as people may think, especially if you are an optimist because you tend to take risks that others will not. Sometimes, the risks will yield great results, and sometimes they do not. If you live by the motto, “At the end of my physical life, I want to be able to say, I did everything that I visualized doing”, then struggle is going to be a part of your journey. The good thing about that is, REGRET will not! Embrace each struggle as a new adventure, and spread love while you do it. That is my advice.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your business – what should we know?
When I was in law school, I became a Rappaport Fellow of Law and Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School. On the first day when the other 9 fellows and myself, along with our mentors who were comprised of government and legal professionals throughout Boston, and the Rappaport Board members congregated at the JFK School, we sat around a huge table in a beautiful room. The mentors were asked to introduce themselves and to speak about their mentees. When my mentor expressed his enthusiasm about working with me, he mentioned that I was previously a professional actress in theatre and film. The other attendees erupted with excitement and began asking me all types of questions. This wasn’t the first nor the last time that I’ve received this type of reaction from professionals in other sectors. However, I was baffled at the response from this particular group because my thought was “You all are doing big things. You are people who are in a position to create policies that will impact the lives of citizens, why are you so excited about the fact that I was an actress? I am seeking to do what you all are already in a position to do.” Oh, how naive I was. Knowing what I now know, the change really comes from what the minds of citizens are fed.

The entertainment industry has the ability to positively or negatively impact our society. The fact that people in government and industry become excited over the work that artists do in film, television, and theatre should inform us all about where the true power lays. I am proud of the fact that my first chosen career path is positioned to show viewers what the world can be, if we want it to be a certain way. The youth are our future, and I am now in a position to merge all of my learning into a company that I conceived in 2009, and formed in 2014, The Taisna Group. It is an educational arts firm, and prior to returning to acting full time, I taught small groups of youth the art and science of cultural anthropology and archaeology by way of field excursions, which they shared via the technical arts. My plan is to use the income that I earn as an actor to continue and expand upon my work with youth merging the cultural excursions with media and the performing arts.  TAISNA represents the middle name of each of my children and myself. I wanted to create an entity that embodies my life, a legacy for my children.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Yes, An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski is like a bible to me as it relates to my technique. Wendy Alane Wright, the creator of Talent Managers for Actors can be found on YouTube. She is a great resource because she brings on coaches, casting directors, and teachers who share valuable jewels in this ever-growing industry. Open Culture is a great educational site that offers free classes from ivy league and other higher learning institutions in the US and abroad. I also have a YouTube channel, “Black Vision Art Series”. This is an art appreciation series where viewers can watch short videos that I created teaching about historic visual artists unknown to most of the general public.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimisung.com
• Phone: 929-277-1629
• Email: kimisung2@gmail.com
• Instagram: kimisung17
• Facebook: Kimi sung
• Twitter: Kimisung17
• Other: IMDB.me/kimisung

Image Credit:
Ira Carmichael Photography, Do4Selfvisuals

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