Thursday, September 29, 2016

Spotlight On...Kyle Schaefer

Name: Kyle Schaefer

Hometown: Tulsa, OK

Education: BS Theatre Performance – University of Evansville, MFA Acting – American Conservatory Theater

Select Credits: Tosca Cafe (World Premiere at A.C.T. and Canadian Tour), Hold On To Your Butts and Fly You Fools! (Co-created with Recent Cutbacks), White Christmas (Arkansas Rep), Candide (BTF), and Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson (WTF Workshop).

Why theater?: To get SUPER RICH. And also to tell human stories live, which remains a uniquely transformative experience.

Who do you play in Hedda (Gabler)?: George Tesman.

Tell us about Hedda (Gabler): It's a great adaptation of a great play with a great company of artists and producers. It's hilarious, tragic, confusing, chilling, and touching.

What is it like being a part of Hedda (Gabler)?: It's been very enriching and exciting, but quick. There's not nearly enough time to play with these smart and talented folks on this updated classic.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Exciting and original, messy human truth-telling (not to exclude entertaining!). I create a lot of irreverent pop-culture parodies with my theater company, but I also love new plays by upcoming writers as well as the classics (done INTERESTINGLY and with joy). My fiancée inspires me as an artist, as well as my collaborators and teachers. Also, continuing to make discoveries in the work.

Any roles you're dying to play?: Garry Lejeune in Noises Off (again), any role in O Lovely Glowworm by Glen Berger, Hal in Proof. I'd also love to be in an action movie.

What's your favorite showtune?: "Memory."

If you could work with anyone you've yet to work with, who would it be?: Anne Bogart, Mark Duplass, Mark Rylance, or Kate McKinnon.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Andrew Rannells as younger me and Conan O'Brian as older me in "Cats, Wine, and Women"

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Ragtime.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Cock. Uncle Vanya at Soho Rep. (you mean recently…? A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City by Halley Feiffer as well as The Actor's Worst Nightmare at the PIT

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?: Multiple ice creams in a day.

What's up next?: Short films "Float" and "Turnpike," the new comedic webseries "Brokers", and a soon-to-be-announced Holiday project with Recent Cutbacks.

For more on Kyle, visit www.kyleschaefer.com