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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Taking center stage

Kate Olsson

When she was little, her room was her stage, as she reenacted commercials. But now, Kate Olsson, a senior theater major, puts on a show for a live audience through her IU performances. Inside sat down with the actress to find out more about her persona under the lights.

Would you say that you feel more or less connected to the audience when you’re in character?

I think more, actually. I’m a social person. I’m outgoing to begin with, but I think it’s easier to connect with people when you aren’t being yourself because you can mold yourself to being whatever they want to see. When you’re in character, you’re given guidelines.

When you’re onstage, it’s hard to see the audience, so how do you know you’ve connected with them and bridged the gap between the audience and the show?

During the show, most of the time you can’t see them, but you can hear them laughing. People, when they think, “Oh, they can’t hear me talking from the back of the theater…” You can. You can hear them whispering “Oh, that was funny,” or “Oh, that’s so sad.” You pick up on a vibe just being on stage having all of those people watching you.

How would you say that you personally connect to the character? When you’re getting ready for a show or once you’re given your role, what do you do to get into character and connect?

When I’m given a character, I tend to become my character when I’m not in rehearsal. It’s not necessarily a good thing. It gives me a chance, a few days after I get my character, to kind of live as them for two days, like do everything I would do as if I were them. It gives me a part of myself into it as well as creating a whole new person. I think that’s the best way of connecting with the character.

Would you say that it’s hard once a show is complete to disconnect from that personality?

Yeah. It’s so hard. It’s just sad when a show is over. You’ve grown not just  as the character, but the relationship you built.

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