Kate Mann will be portraying Emma Goldman in our upcoming production of Ragtime. This will be Kate’s 10th show with MPT! Find out the challenges Kate faced in bringing Emma to life and what she recommends you bring to the show.
Are you a Madison native?
Nope! I grew up in a little town called Suamico, Wisconsin, near Green Bay. I moved here for school.
Have you done a show with Middleton Players Theatre before?
Oh, yes! This is my 10th show. Others were RENT, A Chorus Line, Carousel, Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunday in the Park With George, Seussical, The Full Monty, and 42nd Street.
What is your favorite theatrical work?
THIS IS TOO CHALLENGING! But, I’d probably say Angels in America (yes, both parts!).
What do you enjoy about Emma Goldman? Are there any challenging aspects of her character to portray?
Emma Goldman is a fierce, strong, passionate woman. I relate to her in that she feels things very intensely, and is very passionate about her beliefs. She’s also a total feminist, so, same. My biggest challenge with Emma is that she has moments of real warmth and softness, followed by fire and a more rigid strength, so I’m working hard to differentiate the two.
What is your favorite part of the rehearsal process?
I’m a nerd with a theatre degree so I LOVE the nitty gritty “book” work as I call it. I thoroughly enjoy the process of reading a script, researching everything I can about it, the character, the time, etc. I take pages and pages of notes and read the script an (almost) embarrassing amount of times.
What do you do when you're not performing/working in the theatre? Do you have a day job?
I manage the Pure Barre fitness studio in Hilldale and am currently getting certified to teach classes there as well!
What would you like audiences to know about this show?
BYOT (bring your own tissues).
What is your strangest experience in theatre?
I lit my hand on fire by accident doing an Irish play once. That was pretty weird.
What is your favorite Broadway musical?
Falsettos!
What do you eat/drink before/after doing a show?
Before a show I usually stick to tea and something easy to digest like a banana. Which means after the show I’m super hungry and eat exclusively fried, delicious food.
BONUS: Give us a fun fact about yourself.
This will be my fun fact for all intents and purposes for the rest of forever, but I danced backup for Weird Al last year on a stop of his world tour. Yes, THE Weird Al.
Don’t miss your chance to come see Kate in our upcoming production of Ragtime! Performances are August 10-13 at the Middleton Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased here.