Karen Offereins has been working with Theater Pub from year one, but the “Odes of March” will be her first time acting as a guest producer. We’re really excited to have her on-board, and even more excited to share this fun interview with everybody. Enjoy! And don’t forget to come see “Odes of March” at Theater Pub on March 19, at 8 PM at the Cafe Royale in San Francisco!
So how did you come up with this idea?
I was driving home from work and was thinking about how funny actors are in that they eat ANY food out/near them and how it’d be funny to have an Ode written to them. Like, “Ode to the Actor, Oh, Actor, how you manage to find and consume all that lay in front of you…” in some kind of English Ode manner. Then I thought how it’d be fun to write Odes for all Theater folks and pay homage/tease them in a super theatrical and poetic way.
These poems are about all the different hats one can wear in the theater. What hats have you worn?
It’s easier to think of what I haven’t worn! I’ve been a producer, stage manager, actor, director, set designer, props master, costume designer, program designer, poster designer, box office, concessions, usher, house manager, marketing director, casting director, and artistic director. You know, what most people in small, indie theater circles have done.
What’s your favorite theater hat to wear?
That’s easy – Actor.
What’s your least favorite?
Stage Manager. It’s the toughest job.
Is there a hat you’d like to try?
I’d be interested in doing set design for a theater company other than my own. It’s something I’ve always loved doing, and it’d be great to have that job and nothing else for a production someday.
Is there a hat you’d like to avoid at all costs?
Lighting designer. I’m sure I’d end up setting something on fire.
This is your first time producing a night of Theater Pub, but it’s not your first time here. What else have you done at the Pub?
Mostly acting. I’ve been in five TP shows. And I’ve attended every one I’ve been able to. I’m a big fan.
What keeps you coming back?
It’s great to be a part of new work. And it’s great to be a part of classics that are re-imagined for modern audiences. It’s an ideal lab for trying theater out on theater folks and theater patrons. And the challenges of the space always push the boundaries of the traditional theater staging, which I love. And then, there’s the bar.
What’s next for you in the theater world?
I’ll be in acting in BOA XI (Program 2’s ISO Explosive Possibility) in April-May.
What are you looking forward to seeing in San Francisco this theater season?
If I had to pick, I’d have to go with Meg Cohen’s sequel to the Three Little Dumplings BOA piece she did last year and the touring production of Les Miserables this summer.
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