Well, things are a little bit crazy right now. Work is really picking up and on top of that we start tech week for "Oliver!" on Monday. Suffice it to say, I have had little free-time for writing reviews. I hope to get something done this weekend as I will be seeing "The Tempest" at Wichita Center for the Arts on Sunday.
Since I feel bad for letting this blog fester away until my schedule clears up long enough for me to actually fulfill its purpose, I thought I would post one of my recent assignments from my Writing for Mass Audiences class. We had to interview a fellow classmate and then write a feature news piece on them for a print publication. I ended up with a 100% on my article and I'm very pleased with how it came out.
~Katie Doornbos
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Imagine a beautiful beachside sunset, the waning rays of light sparkling on the surface of the ocean. A woman is sitting on the porch of an ocean-adjacent home, typing furiously on her laptop.
While the setting may be a fantasy, the woman is Jennifer Grant, and she loves to write. She is majoring in strategic communications, but Grant has been writing for years.
"As a kid, I would put together mini-stories and give them to friends and family as gifts," Grant said.
Grant often turned to reading and writing to escape difficult situations at home. Grant's mother was married twice and struggled financially. Although times were tough, Grant was able to find solace in simple pleasures.
"My grandma would give me books to read and I would read them by candlelight," she said. "It was a way of coping with all the bad things that were going on at the time."
Although writing is important to her, Grant's desire for a family inspired her current goal of working in either human resources or public relations. She says that her own childhood has made her family oriented.
"I can manage, market, write, or do all of it within the confines of a 9 to 5 job," said Grant. "I want to have children and focus on being a great mom, which is something I didn't really have growing up."
Although Grant may never have her beach-side house and idyllic fantasy lifestyle, she remains proud of what she has achieved and hopes she can inspire others to do the same.
"Here I am. I worked my way through school, I'm the first person in my family to go to college, and I own a home and live a pretty good life. Anyone can do that, anyone can overcome anything."
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Katie's Theatre Resume
As promised (semi-egotistically) in the note before, here is a brief rundown of my current list of theatre credits. No, it is not my actual resume; that's saved somewhere on my home computer. I just thought it might be helpful to list my prior experience as a way of showing my qualifications in this subject area. Although, to be honest, much of my Insane Fount of Broadway Trivia comes from other means. They didn't used to call me Miss Broadway.com for nothing ;)
Notable Roles
Notable Roles
- Nancy, "Oliver!" (Encompass, 2009)
- Ghost of Christmas Past, "Scrooge!" (Encompass, 2008)
- Mollie Ralston, "The Mousetrap" (Encompass, 2008)
- Little Red Ridinghood, "Into the Woods" (Friends University, 2008)
- Mrs. Stephenson, "Sorry, Wrong Number" (Friends University, 2007)
- Lucy Van Pelt, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (Wichita Children's Theatre and Dance Center, 2006)
- Lowbutt, "Honk!" (Friends University, 2006)
- Jane Cratchitt/Young Belle, "A Marley County Christmas" (Stage One, 2005)
- Lenya Zubritsky, "Fools" (Friends University, 2005)
- Robin, "Godspell" (Wichita Children's Theatre and Dance Center, 2005)
- Featured Soloist ("Storybook"), MTW Teen Choir (Music Theatre of Wichita, 2003)
- Featured Soloist ("On My Own"), Words and Music: 2003 Tony Awards (Stage One, 2003)
- Whore 1, "Les Miserables" (Music Theatre for Young People, 2003)
- Bickle, "Footloose" (East High School, 2002)
I have done additional shows at Music Theatre of Wichita, Stage One, Music Theatre for Young People, and while in school at both Friends University and East High. I've also been in choirs since I was "knee-high to a pig's eye." Notable choral groups include Singing Quaker Alumni Choir, Singing Quakers, 2003 KMEA State Honor Choir, District 6 Honor Choir (2001-2003), All City Honor Choir (2002), and Wichita Children's Community Choir.
So there you have it...not the most impressive resume in the world, but it at least shows that I have at least a little bit of first-hand knowledge about how the theatre scene in Wichita works.
~Katie Doornbos
Welcome to My Blog
Well, it's been months of throwing out hypothetical ideas combined with weeks of whining to my friends and digging through my brain to come up with a suitable title, but I'm finally here! Finally in my own little corner of the blogosphere, ready to dazzle the masses with my sparkling wit and thoughtfully obsessive analysis. Or something like that.
Honestly though, I couldn't be more thrilled. Since everyone and their dog (and/or cat) has a blog these days, I thought I would take this opportunity to explain just why I started mine and what I hope to achieve through it. And maybe to offer up a little bit of insight into the crazy girl whose posts you will soon (hopefully) be turning to for information.
As most of you (being my friends and/or family) probably already know, my name is Katie Doornbos and I am a complete theatre nut. An amazing accomplishment being located in Wichita, KS and approximately24 hours away from Broadway (as the car via Google Maps drives). I graduated this past May from Friends University with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Drama (English Emphasis) and am currently working as a Senior Administrative Assistant in the Financial Aid Office at Wichita State University. My goal is to (hopefully) apply to the Master of Arts in Theatre Studies program at KU within the next few years (once the economy dies down, of course). Why KU? Because aside from being a Jayhawk fan (RockChalk!), they also provide a Masters program that offers emphasis in criticism instead of just performance/stage work. And that is the ultimate point of this blog: I, Kathryn Elizabeth Doornbos, want to be a theatre critic.
Hence, the blog. Living in Wichita, I obviously have limited opportunities for career advancement in this field (especially given the recent economic impact on newspapers). So what better way to get practice and get my name out there than by starting my very own blog? I plan to use this site as a forum to express my ideas/feelings about theatre in general as well as to post reviews of local productions that I see. In writing, the best way to find your voice is to practice and this blog is a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Being a performer myself (and yes, I do plan to post my theatre resume shortly), I understand the politics that go on backstage and also how hurtful a mean spirited review can be. Negative reviews can also be hurtful, but I personally believe that artistic integrity is the name of the game. In the interest of not stepping on toes, I will only be posting reviews for professional or semi-professional productions in the area. Although I do see a number of shows at Friends University, Wichita State, and area high schools, it is unfair to post reviews of these shows for a number of reasons. For one, these are students who are just learning how to explore their craft. On a more personal level, I tend to have a large number of friends in these productions and I would really like to avoid the drama that would be caused if I were to write a negative review.
I promise that my actual reviews will be far less verbose than this initial post, but they will hopefully be every bit as reasoned and articulated. PLEASE feel free to leave comments for me critiquing my...critiques. The whole reason behind my drive to be a critic is my firm belief that it is only by exploring our mistakes and making the necessary corrections that we can grow, both as performers and people. Being new at this, I know that a number of mistakes on my part will be inevitable.
One last thing--you're probably wondering about the name of the blog. "I Am Not Dorothy" was an idea submitted to me by my friend Clay. Although he originally read the quote in an article "slamming a show by Dorothy Parker," he pointed out (and I agree) that it is also a great way to address the stereotypes inherent in being a woman from Kansas. As any of my fellow Kansas will know, it is BEYOND irritating to have people ask you about Toto any time you are own vacation. So the title is my tongue-in-cheek way of pointing out that not all Kansas worship the Wizard of Oz while also having "the great benefit of actually being an insiderish theatre thing." All quotes are attributable to Clay, btw.
So there you have it folks. The blog is up and running, I will hopefully start cranking out some reviews shortly, and I am thrilled to be dipping my toes into the waters of my future. I leave you with the words of the incomparable Stephen Sondheim:
Here she is boys! Here she is world! Here's Katie!
Or something like that.
~Katie Doornbos
Honestly though, I couldn't be more thrilled. Since everyone and their dog (and/or cat) has a blog these days, I thought I would take this opportunity to explain just why I started mine and what I hope to achieve through it. And maybe to offer up a little bit of insight into the crazy girl whose posts you will soon (hopefully) be turning to for information.
As most of you (being my friends and/or family) probably already know, my name is Katie Doornbos and I am a complete theatre nut. An amazing accomplishment being located in Wichita, KS and approximately24 hours away from Broadway (as the car via Google Maps drives). I graduated this past May from Friends University with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Drama (English Emphasis) and am currently working as a Senior Administrative Assistant in the Financial Aid Office at Wichita State University. My goal is to (hopefully) apply to the Master of Arts in Theatre Studies program at KU within the next few years (once the economy dies down, of course). Why KU? Because aside from being a Jayhawk fan (RockChalk!), they also provide a Masters program that offers emphasis in criticism instead of just performance/stage work. And that is the ultimate point of this blog: I, Kathryn Elizabeth Doornbos, want to be a theatre critic.
Hence, the blog. Living in Wichita, I obviously have limited opportunities for career advancement in this field (especially given the recent economic impact on newspapers). So what better way to get practice and get my name out there than by starting my very own blog? I plan to use this site as a forum to express my ideas/feelings about theatre in general as well as to post reviews of local productions that I see. In writing, the best way to find your voice is to practice and this blog is a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Being a performer myself (and yes, I do plan to post my theatre resume shortly), I understand the politics that go on backstage and also how hurtful a mean spirited review can be. Negative reviews can also be hurtful, but I personally believe that artistic integrity is the name of the game. In the interest of not stepping on toes, I will only be posting reviews for professional or semi-professional productions in the area. Although I do see a number of shows at Friends University, Wichita State, and area high schools, it is unfair to post reviews of these shows for a number of reasons. For one, these are students who are just learning how to explore their craft. On a more personal level, I tend to have a large number of friends in these productions and I would really like to avoid the drama that would be caused if I were to write a negative review.
I promise that my actual reviews will be far less verbose than this initial post, but they will hopefully be every bit as reasoned and articulated. PLEASE feel free to leave comments for me critiquing my...critiques. The whole reason behind my drive to be a critic is my firm belief that it is only by exploring our mistakes and making the necessary corrections that we can grow, both as performers and people. Being new at this, I know that a number of mistakes on my part will be inevitable.
One last thing--you're probably wondering about the name of the blog. "I Am Not Dorothy" was an idea submitted to me by my friend Clay. Although he originally read the quote in an article "slamming a show by Dorothy Parker," he pointed out (and I agree) that it is also a great way to address the stereotypes inherent in being a woman from Kansas. As any of my fellow Kansas will know, it is BEYOND irritating to have people ask you about Toto any time you are own vacation. So the title is my tongue-in-cheek way of pointing out that not all Kansas worship the Wizard of Oz while also having "the great benefit of actually being an insiderish theatre thing." All quotes are attributable to Clay, btw.
So there you have it folks. The blog is up and running, I will hopefully start cranking out some reviews shortly, and I am thrilled to be dipping my toes into the waters of my future. I leave you with the words of the incomparable Stephen Sondheim:
Here she is boys! Here she is world! Here's Katie!
Or something like that.
~Katie Doornbos
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