7QUESTIONS+PLUS

Laura Larson, the president of Lakeside Players and a Kenosha actress. This week, Larson dispels some of the misconceptions about the Lakeside Players and tells us the Rhode Theater is here to stay. And while she argues that more and more people are heading to local theaters, she holds out hope that one day she’ll be able to set Mark Ruffalo straight about Kenosha ...

Laura Larson will now take your questions ...

How did you get interested in theater? I wanted to be a professional actress and started taking classes in Chicago, and started doing theater to beef up my resume. Originally, I thought that theater was a means to an end. Then I realized, theater is really the place to be if you are an actor. There’s nothing like performing in front of a live audience.

What is your role as Lakeside Players President? Is it paid or voluntary? We are an all-volunteer organization. We don’t have any paid staff, which is pretty rare these days. I have worked on everything from grant-writing to publicity to building maintenance. It has been a great learning experience. I used to be just an actor on stage, but now I can see the whole picture. A lot of work goes into keeping a theater going, and it takes a lot of people. Our volunteers are great. Some of them have been with Lakeside for over 20 years. I think that’s pretty amazing.

How involved are the Lakeside Players in the upkeep of the Rhode Theater? Lakeside Players is responsible for all of the upkeep. We own the Rhode. A lot of people don’t realize that we own the building. It’s not easy to run a theater company and maintain a historic theater, especially when we don’t have any paid staff. We work very hard and I am very proud of what we have accomplished.

What are your thoughts about the future of the Lakeside Players? Will the group continue to perform at the Rhode? The future for Lakeside is very bright! We have gained a lot of momentum over the past year. We recently received city funding that made a huge difference to us, and we are now debt-free. We have also been working very hard to bring more people in the door, and it’s really working. All of our numbers are up, and our last show had the best attendance we have had in many years. We will definitely continue to perform at the Rhode. We are proud to own this historic theater and we love it here. It’s our home. Lakeside Players is here to stay.

The Rhode is a gem that needs a lot of polishing. What plans are in place to renovate the facility? The City of Kenosha recently gave us funding to be applied toward paying off our debt and renovating the building. The majority of this funding has been put toward the heating and air-conditioning. Our old system was horribly inadequate, and desperately needed to be updated. We have also repaired the roof recently and are working on the restrooms next. We have done a lot to the building over the last six months, and are in the process of planning a capital campaign to do more. The new HVAC system was so huge for us, because now we are finally able to use our second auditorium for comedy, music, and children’s theater. We have a lot of plans in the works.

How do you become a part of the Players? Are there any openings for children or older people? We have all sorts of volunteer positions available, both on stage and off. Give us a call at 675-PLAY. We usually work with adults, ages 18 and up. For children, I suggest Actor’s Craft. They teach in our building and have great classes for kids.

What is one play you would like to see Lakeside Players perform? I’d love to do “Betrayal” by Harold Pinter. I like to see shows that push the envelope and make you think. Our audience prefers to see comedies and musicals, but as an actor sometimes I really want to branch out and do something different. A group of us have a concept that we have been thinking about for quite a while. It would involve doing shows produced by “The Darkside of Lakeside.” where we would perform extra bonus shows, by some really good playwrights who aren’t quite so commercial.

How does Lakeside Players decide on the plays they perform? We have a season-planning committee. We accept play submissions from various sources — directors, actors, audience members. We are always open to suggestions and do our best to select a season that will appeal to our audience. It’s really the biggest decision we make all year.

Besides a Lakeside Players show, of course, what is your favorite place to see a show in our region? I always enjoy the shows at Sixth Street in Racine. They really push the envelope, and I love that.
If you could have lunch with any actor, who would it be and why? Mark Ruffalo, because he’s from Kenosha, and I’d like to hear how he made it into the business. He also said in an interview once that Kenosha doesn’t have any theater. I’d like the opportunity to set him straight on that comment.
What is a movie that, if you saw it on TV, you would drop everything to watch? Pulp Fiction. Of course, if they showed it on TV, they’d probably cut out all of the good stuff.

As an art form, do you think the attraction to theater is diminishing or growing? Competing with movies, TV and the Internet is not easy, that’s for sure. However, I think the attraction to theater is growing. Who wants to sit home all the time and watch TV? It’s so fun to dress up, go to dinner and see a show. More and more people are discovering our theater and that’s pretty exciting.
How would you rate the talent of actors in our area? Actors in this area are very talented. A lot of our actors have theater degrees and/or extensive theatrical backgrounds. We cast actors from all over Southeast Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

What’s the best commercial you’ve ever done? I did a commercial for Val-Pak that ran internationally. That was neat because my entire family saw it, and the residuals were quite nice because it played a lot.

How tough, or easy, is it to make a living as an actor? It’s very tough. The hardest part was trying to act professionally while living in Kenosha. I used to spend two to three hours in the car driving to Chicago, in rush hour traffic, for a five-minute audition and then come right back home. Your entire day is gone and then you probably don’t even get the job. I always found that it was much more fun to do theater for free, than it was to do an acting job that paid. It’s a totally different thing.