The University of Kansas’ theatre department has several performances each semester, as well as during the summer. One of the last shows of the 2013-2014 school year is Much Ado About Nothing, a comedic play written by William Shakespeare. Sara Kennedy (@SaraCKenn), senior theatre major from Topeka, is one of the leads for Much Ado About Nothing playing the role of Beatrice.
Kennedy started her acting career at the age of nine. She participated in home videos recorded by her mother, who decided that theatre would be a good fit for Kennedy. Since her time at KU, Kennedy has been in seven different productions, her favorites include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Noah’s Art, The Maderati, and her current show, Much Ado About Nothing.Along with being involved with KU’s theatre department, Kennedy also participates at Topeka Civic Theater in Topeka. Rehearsing for shows, especially during tech week, can take a lot of time and patience for actors, but Kennedy keeps a positive outlook on things and reminds herself why she loves to do what she does. “My favorite aspect about acting is the way that you, as an actor, can be anyone you want to be. You get to try on different characters, you get to take a break from everyday life and live someone else’s,” said Kennedy.
Wearing her lucky Hakuna Matata ring, Kennedy prepares for auditions by spending time the week before going through monologues and timing everything out, in order to get rid of any extra nerves during auditions. When it comes to balancing classes and theatre, Kennedy notes it is a challenge but has worked a way to get through the busy weeks. “It’s hard to come home at 10 PM and get started on homework when all you want to do is sleep, but in general I balance it by making my schedules fit to my rehearsal. I organize my classes in a way that I have one to two hours between each where I can work on homework if need be,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy hopes to be remembered as a student who participated extensively in her department and to gain recognition for her hard work. After graduation, Kennedy plans on staying in the Kansas City area for a year to build up her resume with professional theatre. After that year, she hopes to move to New York.Much Ado About Nothing premieres February 28th and runs through March 9th, with dates and times available on the KU Theatre Department website.
Tickets for the public are $18, Senior Citizens and KU Faculty/Staff $17, and students $10.For more information visit: http://www.kutheatre.com/13-14_season/MuchAdoAboutNothing.shtml