We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patrick Kibbie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Patrick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I created Voodoo Theatre Company three years ago after a successful career as a corporate writer. For 15 years I wrote about everything from what was new and trending in the Salt Lake City community, to vitamins and health products. It was after 15 years that my father was diagnosed and passed away from pancreatic cancer. This event shook me to my core, and left me questioning the choices I’d made throughout my life.
When I was in college I studied two subjects theatre and journalism. When it came time to decide between the two, I made the difficult decision to follow a career in journalism, thinking that a life with a regular paycheck and insurance would be much easier than struggling in a life of theatre. But I kept theatre in my life, using my weekends and evenings to direct and act in productions across the Utah Valley.
It was after my father’s diagnosis that I realized that I wasn’t truly happy being a writer, I could do it, and was good at it, but I didn’t enjoy it, it didn’t fill my heart with happiness when I was doing it. So after my father’s passing, with the blessing of my family, I decided to quit my job as a writer and go back to school to earn an official degree in theatre. It was then that I decided to go to Weber State University and earn a degree in acting and directing. I spent three years learning from the best, acting with Tracey Callahan, Dramaturgy and playwriting from Dr. Jenny Kokai, and Musical theatre from Jim Christian, This only fueled my desire to further my education.
After graduating from Weber, cumma sum laude, I decided to move to London, England and earn my Master’s Degree in Directing from East 15 Acting School in London. In London I was able to work with L. Matthew Llyod, and Gerry McAlpine, and was able graduate with merit.
After I moved home from London, I somehow thought that with my newly earned degree I would be the most sought after director in the Salt Lake Valley, little did I know that is not how it worked. The theatre game is all about who you know and how you can leverage those relationships.
After struggling to find work, I made the decision that if work wasn’t going to come to me, I would create it myself. I woke up one morning and the first words out of my mouth were Voodoo Theatre Company. I’m not sure where the name came from, but I loved it’s connotations of fun and mischief. After that I went about creating a theatre company that would be inclusive, pay actors fairly, and create theatre in Salt Lake that hadn’t been done before.
Creating this company has been healing for my soul. I’ve been able to pay actors, develop new and upcoming directors, and giving chances to crew and designers that may not have had before. I knew Salt Lake was in need of new blood in the theatre scene and I decided to make my company exactly what Utah needed.

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?

My name is Patrick C. Kibbie and I am a stage director located in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve been acting and directing since high school. I was a theatre minor while attending school at Westminster University (they didn’t offer a theatre major). Theatre has always been in my blood and I loved the way it made me feel while I was doing it.
After 15 years as a corporate writer I decided to go back to school and earn the degree I would need to move forward with a life in the theatre. I made the move to Ogden to get my third degree (I have an undergraduate in communications and a master’s degree in print journalism), although this degree would be in theatre.
I graduated from Weber State University with a cumma sum laude degree in acting and directing. And if that wasn’t enough I then flew across the pond and enrolled in East 15 Acting School in London where I graduated with a merit degree in Theatre Directing.
I moved back to Utah and created Voodoo Theatre Company so that I would have the ability to direct and manage a company that would shape the way Utahns would view theatre. My first goal was to become a non-profit, my second goal in developing my theatre company was to pay actors fairly for their work. Up to this point many productions I had been in was volunteer and done just for the love of theatre, but many actors in Utah struggle to make ends meet, working full days at their jobs and attending rehearsals for theatre in their evenings and on weekends. I felt it was important that they were paid fairly for their time and efforts. The third thing I wanted to accomplish was to create a safe space where people could attempt new types of theatre, new ways of acting, and a place where people could just be themselves.
I’m most proud about Voodoo Theatre Company for the work we’ve done in our community, we’ve allowed actors who are new in their careers a chance to be on stage, and director’s without a home a place where they could practice and perfect their talents.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal I have driving my creative journey has changed over time. When I first started the company, to be honest, I just wanted a place to direct and put my degrees to use. But as I went on, I learned that running a theatre company is more than just picking shows and selling tickets. You’re a mentor, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a leader, and a motivator..
As the theatre company has grown and evolved I decided that I wanted to motivate others in our community. I started opening up positions for Assistant Directors who would then get the opportunity to direct their own show in the next season. We’ve given opportunities to young designers who want to try out their trade in the theatre, from lighting designers, sound designers, and prop designers. I want my company to be a safe space for people to grow, learn, and succeed.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The hardest thing I have had to learn in my journey to create a theatre company, is that you can’t control everything. My first production I ran myself crazy trying to control everything thats was happening in my production. After that exhausting experience I finally learned the art of delegation, and learned that people will flourish if given the opportunity. Which is what led me to start offering production roles to people who would grow in the position.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.voodootheatrecompany.com
• Instagram: pckibbie
• Facebook: Patrick Kibbie
• Linkedin: Patrick Kibbie

Image Credits

Kelly Branan
Chealsea Rowe
Trevor Hooper