Hello world, welcome to WFHR's Directors Playhouse.
For this February 12, 2025, Session 59 I believe Seth.
Yes it is.
We're almost, wow, we're almost a 60, that's crazy.
Your host and program director here, James J. Mailoff.
I am joined by my partner in our head of production, Seth Habagger, Seth.
Let's, uh, the Microsoft role and let's go.
Let's get going here.
Uh, another fun series that we are hoping to start with this interview today.
Yeah, uh, we like, well, we changed the name of the show to playhouse.
And there's kind of a reason for that because, you know,
theater is very important to us.
And we have so many great theater groups in this area,
all throughout Central Wisconsin.
So it seems like a logical next step for us.
We asked the best listeners in radio to welcome to the WFHR stage,
longtime director, actor, creative and found one of the founders of Wisconsin's
rap community theater, local legend, Kathy Miles.
Thank you, although legend is pushing it.
I, I, I think I'm actually understating it.
I completely disagree or we're starting off the interview will completely
disagree because I, I think it's, I actually, this will be fine.
Yeah, I, I feel like I could have used even more verbs there.
Uh, Kathy, I appreciate you being here so very much.
Uh, we'll, we'll touch on some of the reasons for that in a moment here.
Um, and certainly your connection to Wisconsin's rap community theater,
your connections to this area so much.
Um, but first off, just want to get to know you a little bit more and let our
audience get to know you a little bit more.
We love to ask people their origin stories.
Can you tell us a little about where you're from in your early days?
Well, I am born and bred here, um, but my parents liked to travel.
So it's been to a bit of time in Florida growing up, um, but graduated
from house, school and Lincoln high school and, uh, came back here, uh,
after I had finished college and been away for about a year.
Um, and, but I will say that local origin in regard to theater,
I just always loved theater, um, story.
I remember being a five year old and wearing lipstick, uh, for the school
play in kindergarten at, at, at beer and, uh, and, uh, and bragging that
I was going to be an actress.
So not an actress, but, um, I still, uh, that love for theater came early.
Yeah, uh, you know, it's, it's, it's funny how many stories are, are
somewhat similar when it, when you talk to creatives, when you talk to
actors or even musicians, we have a lot of musicians on the air and you
ask them there when they first picked up an instrument, five, six years
old, uh, very similar with, uh, athletes too, you know, you, uh, growing
up around a lot of hockey players, most of them around skates by the
time they're five, uh, it's interesting where these passions begin, you
know, and how quickly they can happen.
Yes, and I have to say I'm, um, um, totally in with, um, Malcolm
Gladwell's theory about the 10,000 hours because I'm sure I have way
more than 10,000 hours.
One of the things we love about this show is certainly get to know
some of our locals and, and, uh, put the spotlight on some of the local
events and local companies in our area and people in our area, uh, but
also, uh, artists supporting artists and, and encouraging young artists
out there and helping them build where they're going.
So these origin stories are not only interesting and cool to hear
about from you and the individuals we have on, but I, I think
encouraging as well, hopefully encouraging, uh, to young artists.
I know I was seven and knew what I wanted to do right away and, uh, and
would take it to anybody that would listen and, and, you know, that's
kind of where it kind of stopped.
I didn't really have a lot of people like to go to, to want to be an
actor or want to be creative and, and there was no blueprint where
we're trying to help people find or give them some version of that.
And I appreciate you sharing those things when it comes to, you kind
of touched on this a little bit, uh, is it when you first found that
you, you wanted to do this that you wanted to be, whether it was an
actor or whatever type of creative, you found that from a young age.
Was there something that happened that you can remember that made you
want to, like, for me, I was watching, uh, Mork and Mindy and I saw
Robyn Williams and I'm like, oh, that's what I want to do.
I, I, I want to make people laugh.
I want to make, take people out of their lives and make them feel
something.
Uh, was there anything like that for you?
No, I just like to boss people around.
I think that's good.
That works.
So directing was a logical choice.
But I, but I want to go back to do what you said about supporting it.
I, I have to say I, I listened to this program.
I think this is really, uh, really great that you're doing this.
And I, I want to know when you're going to be interviewed for it.
That's coming.
Oh, good.
Oh, good.
We'll get to it.
Yeah.
As much as he doesn't want to.
Yeah, we'll get a mother.
But I do think that, that, as you said, it's, it's important to be supportive.
Um, and I tried to do that, um, in my personal life, um, when I, whenever I'm back in
rapids, I try to get around to, uh, I've been at the Alexander house at the cultural
center of the community theater.
I try to get around to those things because I think we need to be supportive of each
other, but we also grow from that, um, uh, that we don't limit ourselves in terms of
our vision.
I, I can't just put all my focus on theater because all your inspirations come from
everything around you.
Isn't it wild?
How, um, you can, uh, if you're, whether you're writing something or you're preparing
for a role or you're working on a song and where those influences can come from.
I think as a writer, I've almost been just as influenced by, like, um, song
writers as I have by poets and authors and some of that, uh, you just don't know where
that impact can come from.
And, and the reverse of that, that's why to Kathy's point, it's so important to support
those things, especially, you know, I, I love seeing musicians go to plays or, or, you
know, theater people going into showing up and, and supporting a music actor or something,
a lot of the crossover that we have.
Well, um, to that point about writing, my, uh, new hobby or it's not that new, I've
been doing it for a few years is writing stories and I find that being in theater, I can
hear those voices of the characters in the, and I approach them.
Each of the characters in, in my stories, the way you would approach, um, a character
from an actress point of view and you listen to hear, oh, would they really say that?
Is that, is that honest coming from them or not?
And the other thing that I find is the whole sense of, of drama and the dynamic.
So when you're, when you're writing a story, you need to also have those builds and
then the lulls and, and the high points, the way you have in theater.
Um, so they really cross pollinate.
Yeah, yeah.
Well said, yeah, uh, Kathy, when it comes to influences, uh, is another one of our
favorite questions.
Who were some of the influences you had, either early on or just in general?
Oh gosh.
I, I can't think of an early on influence.
I asked the tough questions.
I mean, I was, I was here in Wisconsin, rapids and there weren't influences here.
So I spent my time, uh, reading, um, reading plays, reading books about theater, um, coming
home and doing that every night for hours after school.
So my influences were from outside of the community in terms of theater.
And, uh, um, I, I, I always want it to be part of that world.
But, um, I think that's also maybe one of the reasons why I started the community
theater here was because I wanted to make sure that other people growing up here
would have that opportunity that I felt so much was missing in my life.
Um, I did have a second grade teacher who gave me a little lead role in, uh, the, um,
Baron, uh, all school play, um, and I really appreciated that.
This is Douglas.
Um, so, you know, maybe that's, uh, about as close as I came to an inspiration locally.
To the, uh, to the, to the point of, uh, you know, what I was saying before and everything, too,
of, uh, you just don't know who can influence you and where those influences can come.
Uh, it doesn't always have to be somebody from the artistic world that impacts you and it gives you,
like you just mentioned there.
That's a great example.
Um, and, and I, I think too that, um, it should be noted as well.
You are influenced for so many, uh, and, and that.
And so that there's that part too that I have to mention as well.
Um, when it, uh, when it comes to, as, uh, as you've gotten older and you, you,
your, your career has been a little bit more established.
Do you find yourself being influenced or, or just being encouraged or, or, uh,
and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and younger artists or other artists that you come across?
Oh my gosh.
So I think that one of the reasons that I like, um, directing is that,
I'm like the total fan girl.
Um, I love actors and I'm in awe of them getting up on stage.
Um, and I've been really lucky in that I've been able to meet a lot of people in my life.
Um, but I also really love when I have a chance to work with someone,
especially someone locally, um, who,
I can feel that passion.
I can feel how interested they are.
How much they, they want to, want to better themselves and to work with them, um,
intensely and on one on one capacity and help them to realize what they have in them.
Um, but yeah, I'm just, I'm, I'm, I love actors.
So that's a good thing if you're going to direct.
It helps.
Kathy, you touched on something that I really wanted to make sure that we took some time to talk about.
And, uh, and, and it's something that all three of us can relate to.
Seth is an actor and from Minnesota and from an upper northern Minnesota.
Um, I, well, I, I started out in the perfect place to start as an actor in Chicago.
I moved up here and too much more rural area.
And when it came to that, I, I, I saw opportunities go away and I saw this in my head.
I thought, oh, um, how am I ever going to get a break here?
How am I ever going to learn as an actor here in Central Wisconsin?
I, uh, where, where's the culture?
Where's all these things?
And then, uh, as I'm going through high school, I find out about Wisconsin rapist community theater.
And I, oh, there's a community theater in town.
There's all this and it just opened up a world to me that was missing until then and gave me opportunities
from a young age to not only fine tune the craft and all those, uh, the things that come along with that,
but just this year ability to be able to do theater as an adult.
And in that, not in high school, not in a grade school situation or anything.
Um, and, and I'm one person, I, I guarantee there's hundreds of people that have the same, a very similar story, uh,
that this happens because of you in this idea.
And, and I want to go there into the beginning of those early days of creating Wisconsin rapist community theater
and what that was like, how did it even get started?
Uh, well, I have to thank my mother for that who is not with us anymore, but, um,
I had been out of college for a year.
I'd worked at, um, some, uh, regional theaters, um, in New York, in Milwaukee, uh, in Atlanta, uh, in Florida.
And I was coming back home from New York where I thought I was going to move to, um, to attend, um, uh, cousins wedding.
And I didn't know what I wanted to do next.
And my mother said, oh, Kathy, you know, there's a theater at the brand new McMillan library.
And you should start a theater here.
And of course, I'm sure she wanted me to stick around because, you know, mothers want their kids to stick around.
Um, and I walked over to the theater.
I said, oh, I'd like to speak to the director and it was Ray Hernandez.
And I said, oh, you know, I'd like to start a theater here.
And I talked to him for a little while.
He said, can you come back in about an hour?
We have a board meeting.
And I was supposed to be leaving on a, on a trip for Door County.
And I ran back home, which was like about a five minute run because I live so close to the, uh, to the library and said,
hey, can we postpone, uh, getting in the car for a little bit?
So I went back to the board meeting and I talked to the board and I, um, told them what I need.
And I said, yeah, we'll need a little bit of seed money.
And there was an article published in the newspaper.
And I got a call from my seventh grade flute teacher.
I ran charat and she said, my husband and I will give you the seed money.
Just let us know how much you need.
Whoa.
And wow.
And I, so I had that, um, it actually ended up being much less than, um, I need it because we were very frugal.
And I had my mother, who was a force of nature, who enlisted all of her friends in riverview, uh, hospital auxiliary in her, you know, church
women's group and AAUW bridge club, every group that she was in, they sold tickets.
They bought tickets.
My mother would go door to door to the businesses in town and say, wouldn't you like to buy four tickets to this play that we're going to have?
And we ended up with a really good audience for that very first play.
I also have to have to, um, uh, mention that I was very lucky with that.
I chose, um, the Glassman naturally, right.
Um, I loved Tennessee Williams.
And, um, I love that play and, uh, one of my high school classmates, um, happened to be back in town, Neil Daring.
So I said, Neil, wouldn't you like to play Tom?
And, uh, I had Bill Young and Joan Johanna's come to auditions.
And so I had, I had Tom.
I had my gentleman caller and I had my Laura and I need it an Amanda and my neighbor, uh, across the street, Nancy Lucas, um, had invited me to come and be part of AAUW's children's theater group.
And they had that look and it was taking place.
The meeting was taking place at the home of Pat T's.
Well, Pat asked me to stay around after the rehearsal.
We talked, we found out we had both gone to Northwestern.
I found out she was an actress.
I said, oh, I'm looking for an Amanda.
Oh gosh, I can't come to the auditions that night.
I'll audition you separately.
I mean, I didn't even need to audition her.
And so she was our Amanda and she was amazing.
And I had this wonderful cast and it was such a strong start to a community theater.
And I had my father building the sets for me, my sister, my sister putting together the programs for me.
And at the end of that first year, I had a list of 100 people who had worked in the community theater in that first year.
So I had that list to build on.
I thought, when I started this, I thought, oh, yeah, I'll give it a year and then I'll pass it on.
At the end of the first year, I realized it wasn't, it wasn't strong enough to pass on.
So I stayed around a couple more years and by, and I had also organized a, to teach a class at a mid-state called theater crafts.
So I could, I talked people how to build sets, how to look for costumes, you know, props, lights,
everything that I had learned in seven years of undergrad and grad and, and MFA programs.
And at the end of those three years, they were, they were ready to take off and continue it on their own.
And I have to say when I hear your story about, about realizing there was a community theater in town,
those are the things that, that they touch my heart so much and they're the things that make me feel
the most proud of this, anything I've done in my life.
Because it's that what you can do for others and how you can touch others and you can help and support them.
I think it gets lost in the shuffle when we talk about creatives, but the majority, if not almost every creative you meet,
one of the, the callings to do this is to do for others.
Well, you know, we, we are, are gifted with this skill set and we talked about this a lot during the pandemic,
where we wanted to do good.
We wanted to put in our communities, want to help, but I can't, I don't have a doctor's degree.
I don't have certain things, but I got this skill set.
I, what can I do with this and how can I impact my community and help and do some good with the tools I was given?
And entertaining people is still a big resource, is still a being able to do that.
The economic impact that, that entertainment brings to communities.
We've, we've been able to find more and more.
I think not just as creatives, but the, the world in itself and society in itself, I think has come
around to this way of thinking and realizing, oh, the, the creatives in the creative art world, it has an impact
in almost every aspect of our lives, whether I take a movie in or I go see a band or anything like that,
that's lower taxes, that, that helps my, it ties into so many things.
And while, you know, even in this day and age, it's gotten a lot better, but the, the creative kid out there
that's in junior high, that's in high school, there is no more junior high, it's in the grade school, there's in high school,
there's something like that that, that, that feels like we did or that was looking for that outlet or looking for,
you know, just like minded people or people to be friends with or people that, you know, share a similar interest or something.
This gives that, this, this, it's just as important as kids being able to take hunting classes or fishing classes or drivers
ed or any of these other things that are very popular in this area.
This is just as popular, this is just as needed.
We just didn't always have that resource.
Kids like you growing up, Kathy didn't always have that.
Kids like me did and I'm very appreciative of that.
And again, no, I'm not alone.
There's so many kids out there that are like that in that situation.
You mentioned a, I thank you so much.
I was whole hoping we'd get that early story of that first play and I was really looking forward to that.
We'll go ahead and time out right here and we'll come back and I got just a couple of more stories about WR,
questions about WRCT that I want to get to as we celebrate Kathy Miles, her story and of course,
50 years of Wisconsin's Rapids Community Theater here on Directors Playhouse.
Welcome back to WFHR's Directors Playhouse, everybody.
We sat in James here with you and we have brought into the studio Kathy Miles talking a little bit with Kathy and her journey,
her life story and all of that above.
And of course, we're talking Wisconsin Rapids Community Theater as we're not only celebrating 50 years of Wisconsin's
Rapids Community Theater this year, but also just celebrating the arts and celebrating a theater,
all of us love in different ways and for so many reasons.
And Kathy, one of the things that I've done my homework on you over the years,
I know your backstory and I know quite a bit about you.
But one of the things that I actually came across was an old story.
I made a gigantic fan of Stepple Wolf Theater in Chicago.
It's one of my dream jobs is to do a play on there.
I don't care if I have just an extra in the background.
And I'm very proud of that theater being a Midwest kid,
being a Chicago and everything.
And I love the history and the origin stories of things as you have found out.
One of the stories I just came across and I'd never seen the details of,
I just heard rumors of, but when they were first starting in the very first place that they did,
they of course would bring people in and stuff and they're hoping to,
but they had the bathroom areas, but they didn't have the money for toilet paper.
So John Malkovich and Gary Cinease would, during intermissions would run to like gas stations in places
and like asked to use their bathroom and steal their toilet paper to bring to have into there.
And of course, all these decades later and everything,
Stepple Wolf, I, just my opinion, I think is the broad way of the Midwest.
I think that Stepple Wolf Theater has built such a reputation and the town and the people they bring into it.
It just is pretty cool to see where it started from from Malkovich and Cinease,
running around stealing toilet paper to where now it's one of the premier places to play.
If you want to be a performer here in the Midwest, I'm curious at those early days of WRCT
and maybe not stealing toilet paper,
but hopefully you didn't have to do that.
But some of those early days of getting this established, of getting this built.
Yes, well, we didn't have to steal toilet paper.
Well, what can I tell you about it?
It was a matter of constantly reaching out and trying to bring in people who had talents.
Connecting with people, that was really important.
And people would pop up and say, oh, hey, I've got some lights here at this alternative school where I teach.
You need some lights? Yes, we do!
So it is a matter of bringing in resources.
You do that. By the way, I interviewed Gary Cinease once.
But much later, I think it was when I think it was for Forrest Gump.
Oh, wow!
In Vienna, he brought in two of us, but that's a whole other story.
We'll talk about it.
Well, we'll get that story from you one day.
Well, part two.
Well, there's second interview.
It's really, I just think it's so interesting to see where these things start.
You mentioned the theater for those that don't know and maybe not been in town.
The theater used to be a part of McMillan Library, and that was where our show was about
used to take place and everything.
To see it go from that, to having your own walls, your own building, your own backstage,
your all that, I wanted to ask you, as we're kind of wrapping up, talking about Wisconsin's
Ravis Community Theater here a little bit, what it must mean to sit back and see where it is now.
But even just go a little bit rewind a little bit before that, when the theater went from the
library, which we loved in a big shot at the McMillan Library, and all the, you know, I did some
shows there at that stage, and I loved my time there. But the idea of having going from that,
to having your own theater, your own stage, what that must have felt like for you.
Yes, I was very lucky to happen to be in town during those years, and also I was so fortunate
when Ellen Racler asked me if I would like to direct the last show at McMillan Library,
which was Gypsy, as you know. And then to do the first show in the new theater,
how lovely that was and how thoughtful that was. But that was also a matter of really reaching out
to the community. We were so lucky to have a gift from Gilbert and J. Lee Mead, and then we were
so lucky to have somebody like Larry Nash come on and head up our fundraising team and use all
of his resources and connections to twist elbows. And I don't know, I suppose you already know this,
but we topped our goal by something like one or two percent. And that's like, who does that?
Most people are, most people are like, oh my god, we just need that last one or two percent,
or more. And we topped it. But it was, it was about having built up over those many years,
the goodwill and the connections in the community. And people realizing that, yeah,
we want this to exist. But it's wonderful to have a space of your own and also to see how that
space has grown from what it was. And we were lucky to have a connection with the city
to have their support. Jerry Bach originally was so, so supportive of us when he was mayor.
And really, you know, work to make things happen for us. But that's how things,
things happen when you have a lot of support when it doesn't depend on one person or a couple of
people. You do have to have, when you're starting up something, you do have to have
probably your figurehead person who is going to devote every ounce of their strength and source
and everything they have and is so committed to making this thing succeed. But you also have to
realize if you have an idea that can succeed. I think that's that's kind of crucial.
All years later, I put together some festivals here in town. But I wouldn't have done that if I
didn't think that I had enough of a base and had enough resources that they were going to,
that they, that it was going to actually be able to do them. So you can test the waters a little
bit. If you see something, if there are too many obstacles, you know, leave that, move on to
something else. If you, if you have a creative mind, man, you can always find something else
that you want to do. Absolutely. I want to speak real quick to the ability of a community theater
to have their own space. So many, and I've moved around a lot. Some people have heard this story before,
but I've moved since I've been married to a pastor. We move around quite a bit to different
churches. And I have seen community theaters most of the time with most. It's, it's big, plead,
and you know, try to find a place to perform. It can be extremely difficult. I thought it was so
cool when, when we moved into town here and saw the, the community theater, you know, right across
the street, you know, from where we lived. It was, you know, we'll check it out and we were like,
wow, this is amazing. Look at this facility that they have here. This is so cool that they have
something that's solid. It's theirs. They don't have to worry about, well, where are we going to store
the costumes? Where are we going to store, you know, our flats, where all this stuff that, I mean,
that goes, you don't even think about it when you're at, you know, you go to a show, you know,
where does all this stuff go when the show was done to have that there to have the studio theater
there to do other kinds of projects. I mean, it's, it's a blessing for a community theater like this
to have that kind of facility. Yeah, I have to say it's pretty impressive. I am part of a,
actually, a professional theater group in Prague and they have a theater of their own. They
rented. They don't own it, but, you know, it's not nearly as nice as the other, and that's a
professional company with a big budget. Right. This is, this is, yes, it's, I think it's quite
unusual to have something like this as a community theater and it's a resource for the community too.
That story and sharing so much of that with us and thank you for that, Kathy, because it's a
testament to what people can do from a grassroots level when they really want to accomplish something,
that can, that can bleed into everything, even not even just the arts, but I have a lot of nonprofits
on the air with us. I think that have very similar stories to how they started. And festivals
we have in this area that started that way, they reminded me of that very much when you were talking
about that. It's, it also speaks to something else that comes up with their nonprofits and a lot
with how great this community is and how much it supports these things and how, and just blown
away I am every day, literally every day, by the support that this community shows, whether it's
to the United Way or WRCT or the Family Center or so many different things that this community
is able to do. And not just the, you know, Wisconsin rapids here, specifically Wisconsin rapids,
but Central Wisconsin really in general and the neighboring cities here too that do such a great
job. But then the other end of that too, going back to what we were talking about in the originally,
it also speaks to how much this community needed this and how much this community wanted this,
whether they realize that or not, because as soon as it shows up, it's not surprising to see a lot
of people being like, oh yeah, I want to be a part of that and the story of a people offering
lights or costumes or anything else. You see that it's a mutual beneficial situation where yes,
we as artists and you yourself were looking for this and wanting this and every kid that goes
to school around here is going to have a local theater, not just a local theater, but a local kids
theater too that they can start in and everything. The gift that that is and the support that that
is because whether a kid goes on to become the next George Clooney or whatever is here or there,
it's no different than when we're talking sports. Not every kid is going to go on to be a
professional athlete, but the opportunities that gives them, the confidence that that gives them,
well they can take that into whatever they do in life, no matter what they do and that's what
the arts can do. And having HOPO Productions, WRCT, along with our other local theaters around here
that don't want to shout out as well, we're able to give that to kids. We're able to invest in the
greatest thing we can invest in in the future. You know, that's what this does. You look at that
WRCT, you look at 50 years and you think about that stuff and that's really cool. We have that in
town. It means so much more than just putting on great shows. It's so much bigger than that. It's
really a cool opportunity and very cool to hear the history of so much of this. I just appreciate
that very much, Kathy. And I would like to talk a little bit because Kathy is not just a great actor
and director, but you have other great outlets as well creatively. I noticed, I didn't even
notice this when we didn't talk a lot more and everything near a writer. You've done some writing
as well for variety and some other places as well. I was a correspondent for Variety for
Gosh, I don't know, 10 or 12 years from Vienna and from Prague. I started first as a theater critic
for them. Was that tough for you to be on the other side of it a little bit? Well, I had
because I'd worked in New York and I'd seen so many, many, many plays over the years.
And I got to Vienna and I had an infant daughter at the time and didn't have a job and moved
there because my husband got a job there. And I joined a local women's group and I volunteered
to write a column about theater for their newsletter. And after a year, I thought, oh, I can actually
do this. I kind of like it. So then I started sending theater reviews off to Variety.
And the third one I sent, I heard back from them and he said, okay, actually, here's our format.
So you need to put it like this and he printed it. And I became their theater critic. And I did that
for a number of years until I started to realize and then they asked me to review films. So I was
a film critic for them also. And then they asked me to write articles and then I became a journalist
and I corresponded for them. And I wrote for a number of other international publications
in that capacity also. And including American theater magazine. But I realized I liked writing
about the shows that I loved. I didn't like so much writing about the things that I didn't like.
Because I could feel how much everyone had given to a production. I knew from my own experience
that if you're an actor up here on stage and somebody doesn't say, you are the most amazing gift
that God ever gave you. You're gonna feel like, oh, it wasn't good enough. And I didn't like doing
that. And so I withdrew from writing as a critic except if I could talk about something that I
really liked. Yes, that's how it. That's how I started writing for Variety. You just, you know,
you just you just put your self out there. And I had read Variety for so many years and I thought,
well, I need to be working for them. This is, I knew that was where I should be. That's a great
story. That's amazing. That's a good idea. And yes, you put yourself out there and you just never
know what can happen. Well, I almost, I almost, I thought at one point I was going to get fired
because I wrote about a film festival that was a disaster. And he had a dream chief happen to
be a guest to them. And he called me and said, we should meet. So we met. And for I, it was very
nice dinner. And I was, you know, tap dancing my way all through that. And I said to him, you know,
yeah, if I'm going to write something, if I'm going to say something positive about this,
then I have to be able to speak honestly about this to write honestly about this. And
yeah, we were strong friends ever after. At one point, at one point, I said to him, oh my gosh,
I don't know. I seem to be making a lot of enemies in this job as a journalist writing about
the entertainment industry. And he said, how many enemies are you making? I said, oh, about one
a week. And he said, he said, I think you're doing your job right. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of how it
works, right? Yeah. That's wild. That's awesome. I'm curious. Kathy, I want to talk a little bit about
your acting career and the work that you've done there. And it's kind of interesting. I don't know
about you if you see it this way or not. It may not even thought about it. But one of one of the
ways you can see Kathy's work, you can actually see her in the movie Euro Trip showed up in there.
I want to say though, I find that kind of symmetry of that kind of interesting with you ending up
in Europe and you being in a movie called Euro Trip. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help that connection.
Which was filmed at the American High School in Prague. How do you like it? I like that. You can't
plan these kind of things. I know that as a segue into the conversation certainly, but that was
one of your experiences. Can you tell us some of your other favorite acting experiences, some of
your favorite roles that you've had? So I recently did a couple of parts in Prague.
One of them was the Book of Will, which I think was done recently at a theater. Maybe in
in Wasteland. I want to say it was Wasteland. And I played Shakespeare's widow. And that was what a
wonderful play that is. The author was intending to come to Prague for the production, but she
unfortunately had some illness in it. It kept her from intending. And the other thing that I did
right around the same time was play a, it plays the role of Sir Andrew Ego cheek in 12th night.
Which is not a part I would ever have thought of passing myself in. But there's this wonderful
director, Lisa Volpe, who I brought here to Artie Grande. She directed a production of as you like
it here. She's amazing. She is the actress who has done more of Shakespeare's male role. She
has performed more of her, his male roles than any other actress in history. She's really well
known and very highly regarded. And she, we become friends and she was coming to town to Prague to
direct this. And she said, Oh, how would you like to play this part? And I was like, um, sure. I was
like, what in the world am I ever going to do with this? Because a friend of mine had played it
at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Peter McNichol, who some people might know from Ale McNichol.
I love, oh, and Peter had, he had played this part and it was one of the funniest things I ever saw.
No doubt. He, he got tangled up with a vine on the stage. It was, it was hysterical. And I thought,
I've got, I, I've got like these shoes to fill, but I can't do what he did. Um, and man, that was
what a challenge it was. And I brought in a lot of influences, including one from Wisconsin Rapids.
Jodie Steinke had asked me to play, um, the, um, the, um, part of the Dowager Duchess in, in her
Downton Abbey tribute thing. And so I had done the Maggie Smith thing with the lois.
So I thought, okay, I'm going to steal a little bit of that, that oddity of, you know, of Maggie Smith
in here. And, and then, you know, maybe I'll do like the Queen's English where it's A, don't think so.
And that's how I brought all of these things. And then, and then Lisa's like, okay, Kathy, now you
need to pull back. But I mean, man, give your director everything. Um, give them something to work with
when you're on stage as an actor. And don't be afraid. Go home, do your homework. It's up to you
to bring in the character. It's not up to your director to tell you every step to take. And
every way to say a line. Um, they can do that if, if you, if you need them to. But it's so much
better when you bring something in. Some are more fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, when, when we
were working with Mandy, I would ask everybody in working on the show, the three, what was it?
Three or four of you create creatives around the show with Mandy say, well, what do you think about
this? And, and you, you draw from everybody and use the best ideas from everybody. And don't be afraid.
That's what I find about the really, really good, strong directors and leaders. They're not afraid
of other people's ideas. Absolutely. We are wrapping up our conversation with Kathy Miles now. And
just one more question for you, Kathy. Before we do, though, I do want to take the moment. We touched
on this a little bit earlier and just let you know how much I appreciate you, how much this
community appreciates you. I mentioned before about, you know, like Seth, I moved around a lot and
I came out here and didn't really feel like I not only belonged anywhere, but I had a whole lot
of friends. Um, I was 18 and I tried out for corpse at WRCT. And I walked in there and I immediately
felt better. And then I auditioned and I felt pretty good. And then I get the part. And it's my
first lead role. It's two lead roles. And I've never acted like this before on this kind of situation.
And I had a rough go over that first, but then I had Steve Martin and Linda Garsky literally
take me under their wing. And I, it changed my life. It literally changed my life. It not,
I'm not even talking about acting and what me wanted to be an actor from a young age or any of that.
It gave me a home. It gave me somewhere where I felt like I belonged. And so that I thank you for.
But speaking of that dream, I'm seven years old and I learn about the Screen Actors Guild.
And my first goal in life is to be a member of that club. I want to be a part of that guild.
I want to be able to say I'm a professional actor. Whatever else happens in my career, my life,
I can say that I'm a SAG member. And years and decades later and everything, I get the chance
to audition for Kathy Miles and Gypsy. And I'm excited. So I just want to be a part of the
play. I don't care what part I got. I just want to be able to have you direct me. And that was an
amazing experience right there. What I learned from you, how I grew as an actor, especially not
so much on stage, but especially backstage. And what Mark and I were able to do with the rest of
the crew and the great cast we had and everything. But then you give me a casting opportunity to be
in no names. A wonderful, independent film that was directed around here. Many people remember and
encourage you to go out and watch. And in order to be in that, I have to be a screen actor guild member.
So you helped me, you literally helped me with the audition. As you recorded my audition for me,
you get me the opportunity to audition for that, which gets me the part, which gets me in the
screen actors guild, which doesn't happen without you. Oh wow. So you literally helped my dreams come
through. I'm so thrilled to hear that. And I only did you help with that, but you helped
so many ways. And I appreciate you. Well, I want to see something else to to what you've
talked about here. And I think if there's any message that that you can give to people is that
if you have a passion for something, you can find a way to to live that passion. You don't have
to live in New York. You don't have to live in Chicago. You where you are, you can find a way
to enjoy that, to grow it, to indulge in it, and to share it with others. If that's what you really
want to do, you will find a way to make it happen. Yes, yes. Personally, I mean, that's a
great, I love that story, James, but for me too, it's been a theater has just being a part of
community theater. That's how I met my wife. That is when I moved here. That's where I met James.
We were in the show together. And that's how I run about way I ended up where I am right now
here at the radio station. So I have actually theater to thank for things that have nothing to do
with theater, just because of meeting people, because of of interacting, getting to know people in
the community. That's one of the great things when you first move, find the theater. That's what
Beth and I do my wife. We always do. We find the theater and we find great people and we find great
things to do. We find ways to expand ourselves in the community. And when you are involved in
theater, man, do you ever get to know people? Yeah, you do. Why better than you may want to.
There's no personal space. Cathy, if you could have coffee with any historical figure,
who and why? I know. It's not fair. It's not fair. It's not fair. We ask you to
everybody. I'm a horrible person. Oh, man, I don't know. But I would say, I'm just such a,
I'm so in awe of check off. Oh, yeah. That's probably good answer. Yeah. Yeah. Great answer.
I, boy, the questions I would have. And you know, actually, now that I'm thinking about it,
I wonder if I would actually say anything. I feel like I'd be so, I'd be so almost either afraid
to say something or just wanted to take in so much of what they would say. I would just want to watch.
Yeah. Yeah. I would, I would be happy to sit there in the corner of the room and watch it right.
Absolutely. Yeah. I'll be right behind you. Yeah. Awesome. That's great answer. Cathy.
Awesome. Amazing conversation. I cannot thank you enough for the time today. How wonderful this
is and it worked out. You were in town. This is just great. I've enjoyed it so much. Thank you so
much. We, we look forward to because you know, you did too good of a job, Cathy. You might have to
come back. You might have to come back sometime. But thank you very much. Not only for the obvious
things and the things that you've done for our community and with our community, but hanging out
with Seth and I today, we appreciate you. Oh, it's been so much fun. And thank you for having
this program. I think this is really great. And you talked about how, how important the arts are.
And I think that's a message that needs to be repeated over and over and over.
Yep. I agree. 100%. Totally agree. That'll wrap up the show everybody. Thank you so much for
joining us for another director's playhouse. Spread the word about the show. Spread the podcast
on your social media and we'll be back with you again real soon.
