Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rose Kanj. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rose, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I have worked on has been “Loving Me,” my one-woman show that I wrote, produced, and starred in. In “Loving Me,” I share my personal journey with self-love, through life stories and songs. I have been developing “Loving Me” since the summer of 2023 in two different Off-Off Broadway venues, Theaterlab and The Tank, both spaces that I am incredibly honored to have played in. This past fall is when I brought “Loving Me” to The Tank for a short run, where I got to go deeper into the core of the piece and experience different audiences over multiple nights, which taught me so much about my work as a writer and performer.
I have to say, though, sharing “Loving Me” at Theaterlab for the first time was probably the most proud I have ever felt of myself. I think it’s because I trusted myself even as I was experiencing many roles for the first time—particularly as a playwright and producer—and learned how to ask for and accept help from my beautiful community of artists, notably E.M. Lark as my dramaturge, Clara Tristan as my director, and Wonhee Kim as my stage manager and later producer from Pontifex Productions. While there are a lot of humorous moments in the show, I also share deeply vulnerable stories from my life that many of my audience members reflected back to me, which was and still is so meaningful and gives my work as an artist so much purpose.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a NYC-based actress, vocalist, improviser, and writer. Some of my earliest influences include Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, and The Phantom of the Opera Original Cast Recording. When I was younger, the voices on those albums inspired me to want to be a singer and led me to study music at Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, I decided to minor in drama and took an acting class with Rebecca Perricone that changed the course of my life. After that class I really wanted to hone my skills as an actor, and eventually I earned my MFA from The Actors Studio Drama School, where I met a community of artists that have become my family, and I am very fortunate to collaborate with often. I have trained in improv at Upright Citizens Brigade as well as practice weekly with my own improv team consisting of founders and original members of a sort of underground improv group in NYC called Funny’s Improv. {Side note: I believe everyone should take an improv class at least once in their life—including you, Reader—because you learn so much about listening, playing, and collaboration.}
My career as an actor has included working on a lot of original plays, musicals, and films, all of which teach me so much. Some of my favorite projects have included “Record” by Eduardo Pavez Goye and Rodrigo Muñoz Medina (winner of Best Short Play at the 2024 Downtown Urban Arts Festival) and working on Pontifex Production’s upcoming film, “6 O’Clock.” I want to have a long career in the arts and have very specific goals (long- and short-term) that I want to reach over time, which is why I continue to work even when I’m not “working.” That includes keeping my instrument sharp at The Playground NYLA, where I study scene work and take various workshops with Sayra Player and Javier Molina, two incredible artists in their own rights and generous beings. There is so much inspiration to be found through the act of creating rather than waiting for it to arrive, which has motivated me to continue developing my one-woman show, “Loving Me,” and start writing a short film, and I have plans to record some of my original music this year.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the human connection. This connection exists between myself and the character I am portraying, between me and the cast, crew, and creatives collaborating on the piece, and between me and the audience. I have found that when I am open to these human connections or energies in my work, I am able to be more present, live moment to moment, and have so much fun.
(I also really love curtain calls. And I mean any curtain call. I just always feel so proud of the cast and crew, and it’s exciting to see the audience celebrating their work!)
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I feel like a lot of non-creatives will come and see an artist’s work and think, “I could do that,” or, “Why aren’t they famous yet? If I had their talent, I would have been famous ten years ago.” But any artist will tell you that it isn’t that simple. The industry is constantly shifting, and we are putting in so much work that non-creatives don’t even see in order to create the work we get. Whether it’s writing 150 drafts of the same script, auditioning 99 times to get one call-back, taking a dance class, or working 50 hours a week at our day job to pay for the dance class, we are putting in our hours to become better at what we love every day. And not only that, but “famous” is not the goal for most creatives; it is simply an outcome for some of us. The goal is to create meaningful work and have fun doing what we love; at least it is for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.RoseKanj.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rose.kanj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rose.kanj
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rose-kanj?si=Eym-7De_IIQknWIC
Image Credits
Eduardo Pavez Goye
Jiyeon Kim
Renato F De Araujo
Bob Greco
ASDS Repertory Season