Spotlight on...Lauren Kiel

Author: Justine Katzenbach

Lauren Kiel '07, a senior Theatre major with a Psychology minor from Simsbury, CT., speaks adoringly of her summer at The Potomac Theatre Project (PTP). Founded in 1987, PTP has been exposing young Middlebury College actors to the Washington, D.C. theatre world for almost 20 years. A unique combination of internship and performance, this program was created by Professor of Theatre and Women's and Gender Studies Cheryl Faraone and Professor of Theatre Richard Romagnoli. Accompanied by Laura Harris '07, Bill Army '07, Alec Strum '08, Rishabh Kashyap '08, Jon Ellis '06, Rebecca Kanengiser '05.5 and Lily Balsen '06, the troop was able to work alongside professional actors in this enriching and special experience.


The Middlebury Campus: How did you first hear of the Potomac Theatre Project?

LK: I read about it when I was first coming to Middlebury. But it wasn't until this past summer that I heard about it from other [Middlebury] kids and I realized that I wanted to do it.

TC: What play were you performing in?

LK: I acted in An Experiment with an Air Pump by Shelagh Stephenson and then I assistant directed No End of Blame by Howard Barker.

TC: What was it like to be acting beside professional actors?

LK: It was awesome. I loved watching their process. They all had very unique processes and different approaches. It was just amazing to watch them all. I could take from each person things that I liked and then learn my own personal approach.

TC: Who was the most inspiring person to work with?

LK: That's hard. I can't pick the most inspiring. I loved working with Tara Giordano '02 because she went to Middlebury and she was so down to earth. She came from the same theatre upbringing, but she is so down to earth, works so hard and is so talented. I felt like I could identify with her upbringing and that gave me hope that there is a way to work and be successful as an actor while still staying true to who you are and where you come from. I could see her using some of the things that I have learned directly at Middlebury, and it was so cool to see it in practice.

TC: What was the most discouraging thing about PTP?

LK: It wasn't discouraging because it showed me exactly what I wanted to do with my life. The last thing I would describe it as is "discouraging." It was inspiring. But, I could see the hardships of being an actor. The professional actors who you see as so successful and stable are still auditioning all the time and working so hard. I knew all that before, but I guess PTP affirmed it.

TC: How has the PTP experience improved your own acting techniques? Was the main focus of the training on technique?

LK: No, that was the other cool thing about it. When we do shows at school it is a lot about process - "Go research this, go study this, let's discuss this." But at PTP, it's so fast, you have so little time to do all these things. The professional actors don't want to be babied, so we need to go along with them. If we want to study or research, then it's all on our own. That was challenging, but I loved it. It has improved my acting because it was the first time I had been aware of what I personally had to do to prepare for a role because it was up to me. Not to say that [my technique] is fully established, but I at least developed some sort of approach that works for me. This is an ever-changing approach, but at least I have more of a personal approach than I had before PTP when I was asked and forced to come up with one on my own.

TC: What was it like to be reviewed by professional theatre critics?

LK: A little scary. I actually wasn't really mentioned much personally, but there would be the paper on the kitchen table in the morning with an article right there about the show and people's performances, and that was scary. People would say they wouldn't look at them, but guess what? That's a lot harder to do than you think.

TC: What's the best piece of advice you would give to a budding Middlebury actor?

LK: Take advantage of every single thing this department has to offer. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that. Go to every show, talk to the theatre professors, they have endless amounts of information. Take the classes. Just do everything. You never know if it's going to open a door or teach you something that is eventually going to get you a part. There's just so much potential.

TC: What are you most proud of about your career as an actor?

LK: That I, in no way, feel like I am done learning. I'm never bored by it. I have so much to learn from acting and I will always have so much to learn. Even watching the professional actors involved in the show. It's never-ending, and that makes me happy because I can recognize that and I can always be receptive to new information.

TC: As graduation approaches, how is theatre involved in your future plans?

LK: It is my future plan. I want to do it, so I'll find the way.

TC: Do you feel like PTP helped facilitate your future acting endeavors?

LK: After PTP, I can totally see myself settling in D.C. and auditioning there for a while. I'm dying to go back. There is something about the humbleness of the community that was inviting rather than intimidating. Yet, at the same time I'm so curious about New York City because I've never gotten the chance to explore it. Hopefully, maybe, I'll do PTP again if they'll have me, and that may be a way for me to experience New York. But, if not, I see myself going back to Washington.