Barefoot in the Park – 2017 – (left to right) Richard Bowman and Katherine Lacaze
Since making her Coaster Theatre debut in 2014’s holiday production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Katherine has immersed herself in life at the theatre. After spending her 2014 holiday season on the Coaster Theatre stage, she has tackled many roles including Anne Bennett in the 2015 thriller Dead Guilty, part of the ensemble in The Apple Tree and Roz Keith in 9 to 5: The Musical. In the fall of 2016 she was also part of the trio who produced and performed a recent production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [Revised] at the theatre.
Currently she’s spreading her wings as the free spirited Corie Bratter in our May production of Barefoot in the Park while simultaneously rehearsing for her upcoming role as Shelby in this summer’s Steel Magnolias.
1. What is your present state of mind?
Chaotic, I suppose, but also ecstatic. I have a lot going on in my personal and professional life, which includes playing Corie in Barefoot In the Park and preparing for my role as Shelby in Steel Magnolias. I’m also directing Alice in Wonderland (and Back Again) with local children this summer, working fulltime, writing frequently, mothering a 2-year-old, and much more. But I am thoroughly content with my attention being pulled by a myriad of focuses. I function better that way.
9 to 5: The Musical – 2016 – (left to right) Katherine Lacaze and Aaron Harris
2. Who are your favorite playwrights?
Unfortunately, I don’t familiarize myself with playwrights as much as I should. However, based on my favorite plays, I would have to say William Shakespeare; Leonid Andreyev; Lorraine Hansberry; Eugene O’Neill; and Tennessee Williams.
3. Your favorite musician?
I am terribly fond of The Killers, and either Mika or Regina Spektor is my favorite solo artist.
4. Who are your favorite characters?
It’s my dream to someday play Professor Harold Hill in a gender-bending version of The Music Man. I also love Beatrice, from Much Ado About Nothing; Velma Kelly, from Chicago; Fanny Price, from Mansfield Park; Cosmo Brown, from Singin’ In the Rain; and Bob Gaudio, from Jersey Boys.
The Apple Tree – 2016 – Katherine Lacaze (back row, center)
5. Who are your heroes in real life?
My siblings – seven in all. Each of them stands out to me as the perfect example of a human being in various and unique ways. I rely on them constantly to challenge, inspire, encourage and support me. Also, my daughter, Juliette, who every day gives me lovely new insights into the meaning of life, the value of persistence and the depth of love.
6. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
The ability to hit a home-run, so I could fulfill my (now laid to rest) childhood dream of being the first woman to play catcher for the New York Yankees. As a youngster, I was poised to aggressively break down gender norms and achieve that goal – until I sadly
Dead Guilty – 2016 – (left to right) Katherine Lacaze and Priscilla Fairall
discovered I have no natural talent for the game.
7. What is your most marked characteristic?
I had to ask friends and family on this one. The answer with the most corroboration was dedication.
8. What do you most value in your friends?
The ability to gently call me out when I’m failing to be the best version of myself.
9. If you could be anyone throughout history, who would you have been?
Queen Elizabeth I. She was tough, brilliant and passionate – the epitome of a nasty woman.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – 2014 – Katherine Lacaze (far left)
10. What is your motto?
To quote Gandalf the Grey, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
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