Category: Member Spotlights

Everyone who has worked at Conejo Players the last few years knows Kristin Krause and her wonderful family. Kristin, Joe, Belle, and Hunter work on almost every show, helping with sound and lights, working backstage and doing everything to make every show run smooth. We talked with Kristin about her experience, her interests and plans.

Which Job is more interesting for you and why?
That is difficult to choose as each show brings its fun and challenges.

As a producer I get the opportunity to make more connections with the cast and crew as I tend to be hands-on, going to a lot of rehearsals and really trying to be that liaison between actor and director.

Which production was a real challenge for you?
From a backstage standpoint, Velveteen Rabbit was a challenge, from helping design the toy costumes, implementing ideas, and then designing all the faces.  That was the first time having to do stage make-up for an actual show.  From a producer perspective, I would have to say Sleeping Beauty as we had understudies to balance rehearsal, last minute cast changes, and illness.  I enjoy the challenges though as they push me to expand my theatre knowledge and talents.  I have learned how to do more than I thought I could.

Is the production of Lend Me a Tenor different from others and why?  
Many aspects of being a producer on this show are the same as other shows. This show was different for me because I do not have any real knowledge of Opera music. Trying to make sure the music you are going to use is in the key the actors learned it, when you are not familiar with that style of music, can be tough.  The other challenge on this production was time. I had to teach and work with the make-up artists (they did awesome!) to make sure they could get the clown face on and off in the allotted time, which was not much and making sure the mic stayed clean. Trying different ideas to save time was difficult.

Each job has been a learning experience and will continue to be. I seem to keep finding new ways to do things, whether it is simply better organization or making rigging to be able to better hide mics. My most favorite thing is that we get to do all this as a family.

What else does this season bring you?  
I will be doing light design for Anne of Green Gables, produce Ave Q, and help run sound for Beetlejuice Jr.

We are so happy to have such great people in our theatre! Best wishes to Kristin and her family! CPT is a lucky theatre having so many wonderful families, which generation after generation, are bringing their beautiful art to the community!

In less than two weeks, Conejo Players will proudly present A Chorus Line and we all are very excited about this show. Everyone who is involved is super busy now, but we were lucky to get some time with Tanner Redman who plays Zach. Tanner is a talented and creative actor and director at CPT. Through the years he has played so many different roles and directed two amazing shows, helping our beloved theatre to thrive.

Here are some thoughts and comments from him:

(Tanner Redman in A Chorus Line)

What do you enjoy most about being a part of A Chorus Line?
The energy is explosive from the top of the show and really doesn’t let up. It’s funny, touching, serious and real. There is just enough silliness to bring us out of some of the dark moments that exist in the relationships and character of the show. There is no intermission in the show, so it really is one of those rollercoaster kind of shows where you really never get a break until the curtain falls.

What drew you to this particular role?
Zach is a jerk but he also cares a lot and so it’s really fun to play both sides. He gets to open the show and also sit in the audience and watch the action unfold and then come back and be part of the action near the end which is fun.

Can you share with us the most exciting moment(s) during your rehearsals?
Since my character sits in the house for half of the show, I’ve gotten to see each of the individual numbers grow in a way that you cannot see when you are actually up there and so that’s been special. Each one of the performers really brings their best and has somehow incorporated small snippets of themselves to really make the characters special and unique.

Can you describe your collaboration with the director and other actors?
I’ve known most of the members of the production team for quite a while and have worked with them in some capacity at CPT before. They are really wonderful people who put their best into the productions. The actors are equally as passionate and we all get along very well.

What do you hope audiences take away from your performance?
I just hope that audiences remember that thing that they love to do in life, and to go out and do it for as long as they can!

(Tanner Redman with Dana Marley-Kolb in The Glass Menagerie)

Singing has been my passion since I did my first musical theater role in Middle School. Although I thought I wanted to sing professionally, practicality prevailed, and I ultimately pursued a career in Information Technology. Early in my professional life in Los Angeles there was little time for singing, and after four years of singing only in the car or the shower, I found my way back into voice lessons and performing. When I moved to Ventura County in the ‘90s I was happy to find many performing opportunities through Ventura College, the Moorpark Melodrama, and Camarillo Community Theatre. In 2000 I found my way to CPT and performed the role of “Edward Rutledge” in 1776. It was a great introduction to CPT in a juicy little role that included a pivotal song – “Molasses to Rum”. I’m no triple threat. At that time, I could sing. That was it. Supporting roles with a song or two were what I aimed for.

Something changed in 2001. I auditioned for a Simi Valley production of The Secret Garden and was cast in the role of Archibald Craven. It was both thrilling and terrifying. I had done leading roles in small-town Iowa but had not ventured into bigger acting roles since moving to Southern California. I loved the show and the role, and I always have wanted to revisit it with a bit more experience under my belt.

I am absolutely beyond elated to have that opportunity here and now in CPT’s upcoming production. This time around, the role feels a bit more manageable and a bit less terrifying than last time, but the challenges it presents are what made me want another crack at the part. The pathos present in the character, his physicality as a hunchback, numerous difficult songs, and the British accent are all challenging elements, and mastering each one doesn’t necessarily mean that the character has been fully realized, which is my aim. One thing I’ve learned in the past 20 years is to enjoy the process, and our talented and dedicated creative team with Dana Kolb at the helm make the process a pleasure.

I’m grateful to have gained much of my theatrical experience right here at CPT, performing roles like Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, Anatoly in Chess, and a personal favorite, Percy in The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was also here at CPT where I got many opportunities to serve as musical director and conductor in shows like Joseph…Dreamcoat, Singin’ in the Rain, and The Wiz, Jr., in which my wife, Lissa, killed it (and frightened the Munchkins) as Evilene.

I was asked whether I have a favorite, funny, or scary memory from my time at CPT. My experience in directing Guys and Dolls in 2018 qualifies as scary, to be sure. We had a nearly perfect cast for that production, and it ultimately came out well, but we had epic challenges.

The trouble with casting great people is that they are busy with other projects, and we had an insane number of conflicts. Then there was the rehearsal that we had to cancel because an airplane had landed on the 101 freeway, preventing anyone from getting there. One night as we were starting to leave rehearsal, we learned of the horrific Borderline shooting that was in progress across the street. We all went back into the theatre and stayed until it was safe to depart in the wee hours of the morning. During what should have been tech week, wildfires struck much of Ventura County resulting in the evacuation of the area and the cancellation of several tech rehearsals. Scenery wasn’t painted, light cues weren’t set, and the orchestra hadn’t really rehearsed with the cast. Through the dedication of cast and crew alike, we miraculously managed to open just one day late. We dubbed ourselves “The Little Show That Could” after the train in the children’s story of a similar name. In the grand scheme of things, our struggles were trivial, and I hope that our show was a bright spot for someone in our community who may have been suffering during that dark time.

All these opportunities introduced me to some of my best friends. I will be forever grateful to those friends for propping me up during personally challenging times and to CPT for bringing us together in the first place. Regardless of whether you like to perform, work behind the scenes, or sit in the audience, CPT is a great place for local theatre lovers to be, and I feel so fortunate to have found it.