Meet Dinah!
South Pacific Spotlight: Katie Carlson returns to Summer Place Theatre for a second straight summer
Katie Carlson returns to the Summer Place Theatre stage after making her debut last summer in Sugar. An elementary music teacher who can play several instruments herself, Katie has previously appeared in Cabaret and Once Upon a Mattress.
Katie joins a talented and exciting ensemble in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Broadway opening of South Pacific, playing Ensign Dinah Murphy. She shared her earliest musical influences, her theater career highlights and goals, as well as her thoughts on bringing this American musical theater classic to life.
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QUESTION: Who or what inspired you to start doing theater?
KATIE CARLSON: My parents always have supported the arts and encouraged me to always be a part of all things musical including musical theatre.
Q: What was the musical that had you fall in love with musicals?
KC: There are so many musicals that I love! One of my early favorites though was "Guys and Dolls”.
Q: What is the favorite role(s) you've ever played?
KC: I LOVED playing Erma in "Anything Goes", it's a role I'd love to play again!
Q: What is the dream role you still want to play?
KC: One of my current dream roles is Fiona in "Shrek the Musical", although that changes all the time!
Q: What is the most challenging part about brining South Pacific to life?
KC: I think the most challenging part is feeling the character's back story. Understanding who they are and why they are doing what they are doing.
Q: Do you have any performance superstitions?
KC: No superstitions, but I just like to be focused and take some deep breaths before going on stage.
Q: If someone was going to make your life into a movie, who would you want to play you?
KC: I would want Mandy Moore to play me in a movie. Of course it would be a movie MUSICAL so I would love her singing voice to be a part of my “life story.”
Q: What do you do when you’re not doing theater?
KC: I am an elementary music teacher, and I love to cook, do yoga, and run! You can also find me hanging out with my dog Milo!
Q: Which character from South Pacific would you most like to have dinner with and why?
KC: I would like to have dinner with Nellie because I think she just seems like someone who I'd be able to laugh with!
Q: Why should people come see this production of South Pacific?
KC: People should come see this production because of all of the wonderful characters. Our cast has truly taken their characters and brought them to life. You can really see everybody's back story in all of the subtle choices everyone has made.
Come see Katie and the rest of this talented cast when South Pacific opens on June 7.
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