Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kailin Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Kailin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been the Chicago National Tour from 2023 to 2024. I had the honour of getting to play Velma Kelly this past year on tour and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The Fosse style was always intriguing to me growing up, especially because I had a typical “ballet body” but very little of the natural technique to back it up. I found comfort in the weird and atypical ways in which my body could move, so Fosse, along with Gwen Verdon and Ann Reinking, became huge inspirations to me throughout my musical theatre and dance training. Chicago, of course, has always been a dream show of mine ever since I saw it on Broadway in 2014. Ann Reinking’s reimagining of the show highlighted the text and the choreography so beautifully, and I knew that I had to somehow be a part of Chicago one day. My first time auditioning for the Chicago tour was during the summer of 2023 right after I graduated from Pace University. I was extremely nervous because I knew how much the show meant to me, and the room was full of people who wanted it just as badly as I did. I kept making it through the cuts, was asked to buy red lipstick and hair gel to give the “Velma fantasy” at final callbacks, and eventually I got the call that I was cast in the show! I was initially cast in the ensemble, and only two weeks before rehearsals started was when I got the call that they wanted me to play Velma Kelly. I cried happy tears for hours pacing around my apartment calling everyone in my family about the news. Before I knew it, I was rehearsing everyday with an incredible company and a creative team of legends, and I felt very in over my head. It took a long time for me to feel completely immersed in the world of Velma, and it was not an easy process over the eight months of the tour. While it came with its challenges it was also a magical feeling to perform that show every single day. I made lifelong friends who are more like family to me, and I regained a confidence in my artistry that I lost a long time ago. My life is forever changed because of my experiences on the Chicago national tour, and I am so grateful to everyone along the way who supported me and believed in me.

Kailin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been doing theatre and dance ever since I was two years old. Theatre struck a chord with me after watching my grandparents’ DVDs of Hollywood movie musicals, and I was hooked from the beginning. I grew up in competitive dance and community theatre in Burlington, Ontario, building a foundation and technique in order to attend Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) for musical theatre and dance. I found a love for choreographing while attending ESA, as I was given many opportunities to choreograph for both student-led shows as well as mainstage performances. Although competition dance was a huge part of my upbringing, I had to leave that world when I started attending high school in order to find my own choreographic voice and personal style. By attending a school for the arts I was constantly surrounded by other creatives and incredible performers who could bring my choreography to life, and helped to nurture my passion for creating art of my own. After graduating from ESA I moved to New York City to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Commercial Dance at Pace University. During my time at Pace I performed in two musicals, assistant choreographed a musical for the BFA Acting majors, performed in two of the Commercial Dance shows, and participated in numerous workshops with Broadway directors, choreographers, and performers. All of these experiences led me to become the creator and performer I am today. My time at Pace taught me to value my worth as an artist, and to allow myself to take risks and have confidence in everything I do. Upon graduating from Pace University I signed with Clear Talent Group, and my career as a performer began to take off in ways I never imagined possible. I had the privilege of playing Velma Kelly on the Broadway National Tour of Chicago this past year, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to date. I got to travel the country doing an iconic show that I love so dearly every night, and bring theatre to people who don’t have the same opportunities as me to experience live performances. I learned so much about myself as both a person and performer, as well as the industry and the ways in which I want to be a part of it. I love performing and I’ll do it as long as my body allows me to, but I’ve also rediscovered my love for creating art. I hope this next chapter of my life brings new experiences and challenges that push my artistry to a different level.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I have always said that the reason I do what I do is because I want my art to influence someone the way so many artists have influenced me. Even if only one person in the audience is affected by my creation or performance then I feel as though I’ve done my job correctly. As an artist I want to be able to provide an escape for the audience; a new world they can be transported to, to take away the stress and routine of their everyday lives. The most rewarding moments for me are when I have young, aspiring artists come up to me after a show, and tell me that they were inspired by my work. Especially young non-binary people or trans people who feel seen by my existence on stage or in a role they dream of playing. I often feel the magic that other artists create on stage when I see them perform, and my goal is to create that same magical feeling for others to experience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve dealt with a lot of significant loss in my life: The loss of my two theatre teachers who guided me on my journey more so than anyone, family members, and the hardest loss of all, my mom. My mom passed from the most aggressive form of brain cancer when I was 19, just after I finished my first year at Pace. She believed in me and supported my dreams from my very first dance class, and pushed me to go to Pace for my first year instead of staying home with her and the rest of my family. At the time, she didn’t tell me how long she had left, so while I was pursuing my dreams in NYC I missed out on the last year of her life. I harboured a lot of guilt for not being there, and it took me a very long time to recover from that loss. I found it difficult to attend classes my sophomore year, and even though I worked hard the way she would’ve wanted me to, my heart wasn’t always in it. I stopped accepting auditions from my agents in Canada to take a step away from the industry; also because my mom handled everything for me, and I had to learn how to do it all by myself for the first time. I fell into negative coping mechanisms and struggled to feel like my normal self, all while trying to sing and dance in front of my professors and peers with a smile on my face. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that she gave up so much in order for me to succeed and pursue my passions. There are still days where I struggle with losing her and I will always have those days, but I won’t let my grief stop me from achieving my goals the way she intended for me. My mom is the driving force behind my love for creating and performing, because she gave me the tools I needed to pursue my dreams from day one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kailinbrown.com/
• Instagram: @kailinbrownn

Image Credits

Monte Photeaux
Jeremy Daniel
Leilani P Carr
KAMeraShoots
Niteka Creative
Robert Quiles