Interview With the Editor: Kelly Quinnett

Last year, at the KCACTF Region 5 Festival in Sioux Falls, SD, I participated in the Society for Directors and Choreographers (SDC) event which is an opportunity for directors to showcase their work and receive helpful feedback on how to improve their directorial skills.

Going into the competition, I did not expect much.

While yes, I had worked diligently with my actors to put forth a scene I was proud of, I also knew many of the other participants had been directing for much longer than me, as many were pursuing their Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Directing. While I did end up nabbing one of the six spots in the final round, what was more important to me than whether I won or lost, was the relationships I made through participating in the event.

Kelly Quinnett, one of the event's selectors, was the warmest, most inspiring soul who not only provided wonderful feedback, but fostered an environment where everyone was able to freely articulate their artistic vision. Her openness and encouragement have stuck with me to this day, and I felt blessed when she agreed to this interview with me.

Tell me a little bit about your theatre background. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? Where do you currently reside etc.?
I am from Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and I went to an all-girls Catholic school growing up. There wasn't much theatre there. My parents were not supportive of theatre. They called it the-ayy-tre and thought it was the devil's work. But I first did a play when I was a senior in high school. I did a production of The Music Man with the all-boys school across the street (haha). And I always wanted to be a singer, but I guess I would do more improv stuff in my basement. You know, play bank, play mass, etc. But I always had a passion for telling stories and wanting to create. Now, I currently reside in Moscow, Idaho, and am the Head of Performance at the University of Idaho.

I discovered that while you were in college, you not only won the Regional Irene Ryan Acting Competition, but the National Competition as well. How did those experiences help you in finding work in the industry post-graduation?
Yes! I did win the Irene Ryan National Scholarship in 1990. And let me tell you something. That was life-changing for me. I had had a pretty traumatic childhood, and while I loved college, I could not wait to be on my own. Winning that scholarship connected me. I had an agent before I went to New York. I had an ABC network contract before I went to New York. I was able to learn everything about TV/film because of that Ryan win and auditioned for every role ABC had that I was right for, which ended up being a lot of stuff (haha). From there, I landed on two soap operas, which was a really wonderful gig because it was all about memorizing really quickly and putting it out there really quickly, because you only got one recording for your stuff. And then it was out there. So that was really wonderful.

I ended up meeting my first husband out in New York, because he was playing for the Knicks, and that's how I ended up out here in the Pacific Northwest, because he was originally from Washington state. He ended up having a horrible back injury, so we decided to go back to school. So, I got my MFA in Acting from the University of Idaho and then went back out to New York to try to get back on a soap. But then, the University of Idaho ended up offering me a job, and I took it!

I read that you currently serve as the Head of Performance at the University of Idaho, and during your tenure there, you have coached five students to winning the Regional Irene Ryan Acting Competition as well. What is the most rewarding part of being an acting coach/professor of theatre?
I think what's most rewarding about being an acting professor and a coach is just being in the room where people are making discoveries about who they are and the world around them. Which allows them to connect with such an open heart and such courage and such empathy. I don't really believe that as an acting coach, I'm doing anything other than helping someone realize their worth and helping them understand how to exercise empathy radically. So that's really been the most rewarding part because it reminds me and it connects me to inherent goodness. Everybody has inherent goodness, no matter what. I believe that, so that's the source of everything for me.

Not only have you found success with Irene Ryans, but you have recently been the recipient of the Gold Medallion Award and currently serve as a National Member at Large for KCACTF. Why is KCACTF such a worthwhile organization? What positive effects does it have on the students who attend?
It's full circle for me. That organization saw me, and you know, provided me an opportunity I would have never ever received that opened my heart, my eyes, my entire being to a different world. A world where so many other different stories were being told, and I just saw myself in all these stories, no matter what. My family had kind of suppressed us, and they were just so judgmental, and so racist, and I knew something was wrong with that from the beginning. So, KCACTF changed my life as it provided me a space to see and to be seen.

As for the positive effects of Festival, I get to just keep being a part of it, and start spreading the opportunities for space to everyone else. Everyone needs space to tell their stories, and everyone deserves to be listened to because ultimately, it's the greatest healer.

What was the best theatrical advice you ever received? How has that shaped you as an artist?
For me, it's two things. Comparison is the thief of joy, and other people's successes are not your failures. Growing up, success was always something you had to earn, and you had to do it, or you weren't worthy. And it was very difficult. I think that comes from the scarcity culture as a result of capitalism. You know, there are only a few spaces at the top, and you better get one or you're a big ol' loser. So when those statements were shared to me by people who I truly love and respect, it allowed me to have a little more space, and ultimately breathe.

What are your career goals moving forward? What would be your biggest theatre dream come true?
My biggest theatre dream come true would be that as we move forward, everyone has a place. Everyone deserves to be seen no matter what. No matter the color of their skin, or the body that they are in. I want us all to look at each other with compassion and know that we're all on this Earth for a very short time. Therefore, we should bask in the moments where people know that they are connected. That's my biggest theatre dream, and my biggest humanity dream as well.