Photo credit: Max Lipka. Kelsea Baker above with Ryan Guess.
This weeks Campus Celebrity is Kelsea Baker who will be playing the part of Emily Webb in the Connecticut Repertory Theaters upcoming production of Our Town.
Name: Kelsea Baker
Year: Senior
Major: Acting
Hometown: Easton, CT
What role are you playing in Connecticut Repertory Theaters upcoming production of Our Town?
I will playing Emily Webb.
In what ways do you feel you relate to and differ from Emily?
Well, I think Emily Webb was written to be a very relatable character. However, the audience quickly learns that Emily is somewhat of a bookworm. This is probably the biggest difference between Emily and I. When we start to see Emily as a nervous school girl and adolescent transitioning into adulthood, those are the moments that are familiar to me.
So far, what has been the most exciting aspect of the rehearsal process?
Seeing a play come to life, or “on it’s feet,” is always exciting. The first day, when we all sat down to have a read- through of the script, was especially exciting. I was thinking, “I can’t believe this is happening!” As these rehearsal days quickly slip away, things become less exciting and instead more fulfilling. I feel that this play has so much to offer. Honestly, this play blows my mind every rehearsal.
Have you participated in other CRT productions, if so, which ones?
Well, aside from my marvelous “run-crew” assignments for CRT my freshman and sophomore year, last semester I was Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and before that, I was Eugenie in this farce called A Flea In Her Ear. I was also a proud member of the Ensemble in last year’s Othello.
What would your dream role be?
Hah. Well I actually (almost!) landed my dream role as “Little Sally” in CRT’s production of Urinetown last year. Unfortunately, I grew a hemorrhagic polyp on one of my vocal cords, and wasn’t able to be part of the production. Such a bummer. Despite that, I still have very high hopes of playing “Little Sally” someday! That- and Logainne Schwartzandgrubienerre in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
After UConn, where do you hope to see yourself over the next ten years?
Getting by as a working actor would be wonderful. The cherry on top would be working with creative, innovative people who also want to tell important stories through theater. I’m also pretty interested in comedy. I took my first class at the Upright Citizens Brigade this summer so I’d love to explore more in improvisation and sketch comedy.