Kay Min may just possibly be one of the most optimistic people I have ever met. A current U2 student, she is the finance director of McGill’s Players Theatre and an active member of the Arts Undergraduate Society’s Fine Arts Council. These are two incredibly important and time-consuming positions, yet she is incredibly charismatic as we meet for coffee on a busy Friday afternoon.
The Players Theatre is currently presenting their October production of Oh, What a Lovely War! (running October 15-25 at the Players Theatre in the SSMU building), and they are preparing for their November show as well: naturally, it is a very busy time for Kay, but she is willing to put in all the hard work for the benefit of the greater McGill community.
“If I think of it as an obligation to the student body, then I feel that it is my responsibility to complete it,” Kay said.
Her commitment to providing McGill with some excellent theatre is evidently outstanding and remarkable.
Kay has been an active member of the Players Theatre since her first year at McGill. While growing up in Calgary, she had several encounters with high school and middle school theatre, and she even participated in a Royal Conservatory of Music, Speech Arts and Drama program in grade twelve. When inquiring about the club at Activities Night, she found that the Players Theatre provided a very welcoming environment. When she first decided to audition, the Players team “made the experience [of auditioning] as unintimidating as possible.” After her first production with the Players, MacBeth, was such a positive experience for her, she applied to be an executive for the following year. She has been the finance director ever since.
Kay oversees the budgets of each individual production as well as the entire Players Theatre. She also recently initiated the creation of a season pass for the four main theatre societies of McGill, including Players, McGill Savoy Society, TNC theatre and the Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society. Kay explained that the pass encourages McGill students to explore all aspects of McGill theatre at an affordable price.
“The theatre community [at McGill] is very interconnected, and we want to encourage students to branch out,” she said.
While many students may be intimidated with the notion of joining a club or society at McGill, Kay advised that it is definitely possible to successfully commit to a club while pursuing your university studies. The key is finding a balance between school work and activity commitments. She insists on prioritizing her work, but she also makes sure she has some down time, whether its hanging out with friends or watching Netflix with some pizza.
Kay truly believes that going out to see a McGill theatre production is worthwhile for the student body.
“When we watch theatre, you are seeing a part of yourself; [you’re seeing] all those messy things you feel as a human being in a pure, undiluted form,” Kay said.
In fact, without spoiling any plot details, she tells me that audiences will find Oh, What a Lovely War! to be especially profound and relevant for many students.
Kay appreciates that at McGill, “students themselves take the initiative to have a burgeoning arts community,” and she is a prime example of that happening. With her exuberant energy and leadership, Kay Min is happily contributing in bringing us incredible (and thoughtful) entertainment for McGill and the whole Montreal community.
Images obtained from: Kay Min and http://www.playerstheatre.ca/#!gallery/cfvg