ABOUT KAREN, Actor/Improviser/Coach

I was 10 when I found out that a person could be paid to act.  After I regained consciousness, I declared that I no longer wanted to be a veterinarian (sorry cute animals of rural Oklahoma!) but instead would be an actor come hell or high water! I found many a creative outlet: writing haikus about armadillos while lounging next to our pond, choreographing roller skating routines, and subjecting my parents to my lengthy skits.

To the relief of the citizens of the greater Ada area, I left to attend college in SoCal. I landed on the West Coast in the most conservative county in the country.  Wait, what? I left the buckle of the bible-belt to live behind the Orange curtain? Y’all, I stayed, survived, and thrived. While in Cali, I studied the classics, discovered improv, and worked very hard to lose my hick accent.

Then, NYC called to me. I arrived in the Big Apple bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Found Alice Spivak and an incredible improv community and became one-half of the improv duo Imp which performed wordless long-form improv. Translated into English: Charlie Chaplin meets Looney Toons. I kept myself busy performing in the Peter Pan National Tour, Off-Broadway, Off-West End, and in indie films.

I immersed myself in motherhood. Having kids is glorious and satisfying when you, due to sleep deprivation, conveniently forget all the gibberish, crawling, biting, and drooling. I won’t even begin to describe what the kids were getting up to. Then, while my children were still portable, I took them on tour with the Off-Broadway two-hander The Screwtape Letters. I played Toadpipe, a demon creature, who spent a good amount of time speaking in gibberish, crawling, biting, and drooling. Turns out, I am Method. Who knew?