We recently connected with Kat Kemmet and have shared our conversation below.

Kat, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

From the start of my decision to pursue acting as a profession to now, I have been in constant training. My first major decision as an actor to commit to the idea of acting full-time was when I hired my first coach- Scott “Sharky” Hodges. He drilled into my mind early on the value of putting the art first. I credit him for steering my on a path of career longevity. He ensured I recognized the commitment of pursuing acting as a career and not a hobby means being a lifelong student and maintaining a curious approach to the work. Since working with him, I took a two-year long training program at a Meisner-based school in Orlando called Truthful Acting Studios, went from there to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and later began studying with Kate McGregor Stewart. I’ve constantly looked at areas of improvement and worked with teachers and coaches to develop and strengthen those areas. Script analysis, scene study, improv, Alexander technique, Shakespeare, and even clowning classes following my conservatory training have really helped to shape and reinforce my acting. As an actor, you’re never truly done learning. There really are no shortcuts in this industry, especially with training. It’s something you have to commit to for the long haul. In terms of obstacles, the biggest hurdle is always cost- whether this be time or funds. When I was at AADA, there was a point in which I was working 4 jobs just to stay afloat and pay rent and my tuition. Most days during that time, I was getting anywhere between 3-5 hours of sleep every night because I had to ensure I made time to rehearse and complete any homework I had. That level of stress wears you down after a while. Overall I think any tools that you can use to really expand and grow your artistry are worth learning. The recent class that surprised me was actually the clowning class. I took it as a 3 day workshop with Justine Wolf Williams of Yale University and it was one of the most difficult and rewarding classes I have taken. It really forces you to commit to your choices and explore fearlessly.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Like many actors, my background is in community theatre. I started off in as ensemble in a community production of The Music Man. We had a minimal set and a massive cast. It was something I chose to do on a whim because I was terrified of the idea of being on stage and at the time I was determined to work through some of my fears. It was at The Melon Patch Playhouse in Leesburg, Florida. After I was cast, I realized – ‘Oh my god, what did I do? I don’t know how to act!’ and sort of went on a desperate google search to look up how to be an actor. I came up with all these articles on what to do, created a backstory for my character. Answered Uta Hagen’s nine questions from an article I’d found in The Guardian- it was complete overkill but I was determined to not sink the show by being the newbie in the cast. At a rehearsal, one of my fellow cast members noticed the amount of work I was putting in and asked if I had a coach and when I said no, he gave me his coach’s information and that was how I met my first acting coach – Scott ‘Sharky’ Hodges. Sharky, as he’s often called, was the first person to tell me that I could pursue this if I wanted to. I had never thought about it before. While working with him, I started auditioning for other plays, then taking group classes at a studio in Orlando, and working on independent film projects. I knew that if I wanted to do this professionally- I really had to think about moving to one of the major cities- LA or New York.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The foundation of theatre is an exploration of human nature. I am curious by nature on the human experience and how we relate to one another and engage with the world around us. Acting is a means of making sense of and relating to the plights of people who have lived very different lives and finding similarities in that which is perceived as different at the onset. It’s through this medium of storytelling that I feel we can expand and grow in a way that fosters a bridge of closeness and understanding in a way that touches at the heart of what it means to be a complex, raw, and flawed human being. That’s the foundational core to me of what I do and finding ways of exploring and cultivating empathy is the driving force behind my pursuit of this as a career.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Several years ago, I was struggling to manage life and school and I went to a trusted teacher to ask their advice and I was told that they’d never met anyone who genuinely wants to do this that feels burnt out. I carried that with me through my schooling at AADA and it’s been a difficult sentiment to unlearn. Burning out does not make you any less of an actor or an artist and it is a completely normal thing to go through, especially if you are pushing yourself to your limits. I still struggle with this sometimes, feeling that I am not enough or not good enough if I am not being productive or committing to my career 100% all of the time, but it just isn’t realistic. You need space to experience and live your life and have a full life outside of acting or the blows that the industry inevitably dells out will completely crush you. It’s okay to take breaks. It’s okay to have periods where it’s overwhelming and you need to take a step back and breathe for a second and it doesn’t mean you are not enough or that you aren’t committed or that you don’t really want to do this. It just makes you human.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/katkemmet

Image Credits

Eric Keitel, Tom Proctor, Mikaela Duffy