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?  

Back from the road and settled in Brooklyn, I am ready to dive into the tv/film opportunities in the New York market. No demon roles on your cast list? No worries because I am adept at playing your tough, capable detective, barracuda of a prosecutor, war-weary dystopian gang leader, and uber-honest best friend. 

My greatest joy is participating in the communal experience that is the performing arts. The opportunity to change hearts and minds —both my own and the audiences’ —to reveal truths and shine a light on the human condition continues to drive and inspire me every day.

 

RECENT NEWS

 

NYSCA Grant for Use Your Words!

Karen Eleanor Wight received a Support for Artists grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support her creative work. Sponsored by Emerging Artists Theatre under the leadership of Artistic Director Paul Adams, this award will fund Use Your Words!, a new one-act comedy. Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has awarded over $80 million since Spring 2023 to over 1,500 artists and organizations across the state.

This new comedy features Karen Eleanor Wight and musician Rodney Umble on trumpet. It is Co-Directed by Zinc Tong, Production Stage Management by Jenna Arkontaky, Assistant Stage Management by Colston Rienhoff, and Play Development by Melissa Attebery.

Use Your Words! will be at the Spring Spark Festival NYC in 2024! 
•Friday 3/8 at 7 pm
•Sunday 3/10 at 5 pm
•Thursday 3/14 at 7 pm
•Saturday 3/16 at 7 pm
•Sunday 3/17 at 2 pm
•Tuesday 3/19 at 7 pm
•Thursday 3/21 at 7 pm
•Friday 3/22 at 7 pm
•Sunday 3/24 at 5 pm

THEATRE INFO:
28th Street Theatre at 15 West 28th Street, 2nd floor, NYC
212-247-2429 / Website + Tickets

 

  • Use Your Words! is a one act play that explores the joys and frustrations of first-time motherhood. The show is rooted in physical comedy with most props mimed—most importantly, the baby.  The play is wordless.
    2023 Show Dates: 10/23 at 7pm, 10/30 at 7pm, 11/12 at 3PM & 7PM, 11/13 at 7PM. All shows are at The Tank 312 W 36 Street, 1st Floor. Click here to buy tickets.

• Use Your Words! was featured in Broadway World. Read the promo here!

EDINBURGH FRINGE 2025 REVIEWS
Tim Wilcock, Fringe Review

To read the whole review click the button below.

FRINGE REVIEW
“Weird, wonderful, wacky and wordless. Almost.  A brilliant two-hander…”
“The denouement is wonderfully tender and beautifully delivered, a fitting climax to a brilliantly conceived and executed piece of performing art.”
“Wight’s seemingly infinitely elastic body works well with her expressive face and her hands, oh, those hands, they are so supple, so demonstrative that words really are superfluous – you know exactly what she’s doing, every time.”
“It’s a tour de force of mime and physical theatre, the delicacy of her movement redolent at times of Oliver Hardy…”
“This is an absolute hidden gem of a piece of theatre, a unique take on the perils of parenthood.  The attention to every little detail, the soundscape, the lighting, the staging, the choreography, the mime, the expression, the silliness, the clowning, the concept, the whole damn thing.”
“Not quite centre stage but nonetheless an absolutely pivotal part of the performance is a man on a chair, draped with a clipboard, holding a tiny trumpet…Meet the innovative Rodney Umble...”
“Umble’s performance is equally striking. Expressive, creative, inspired...”