Rising Stars: Meet Kat Kemmet

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Kemmet

Kat, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
I first got started in community theatre. I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly decided I wanted to work through my fears, one of those being the absolute terror of speaking or singing in front of people, so I auditioned for The Music Man at The Melon Patch Playhouse in Leesburg, FL. When I was cast (as ensemble), I suddenly became acutely aware that I had no idea what I was doing, and I started researching “How to act in a play” and came up with all of these articles. I wrote a whole backstory for my character, gave her a name, went through Uta Hagen’s 9 questions. It was overkill, but one of my fellow cast members noticed and offered to introduce me to his coach. I met him, started working with him regularly, and he sort of gave me permission to really consider acting as a career. We talked about art, about the power of theatre and performance; he introduced me to Stanislavski and Peter Brook, and after, I just started auditioning for everything. I took a Meisner-based class for 2 years so I could be in a collaborative class environment instead of just doing individual coaching, and after that, I auditioned for AADA. I knew I needed to get out of Florida if I wanted to pursue acting seriously, and I really wanted a well-rounded theatre education that included movement, voicework, different acting techniques, and stage combat. I got in, moved to LA, and booked a feature film immediately after graduation. When the WGA/SAG strike started, I jumped back into theatre full-time and this past year I earned my Equity card. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. Acting is a really tough industry, as pretty much anyone will tell you. There are any number of things that can really start to get in your head. The silence when you aren’t booking is deafening. But as much as the rejections are tough, the trickiest part for me has been balancing life commitments and industry commitments. I still work a day job, and balancing that with auditions has gotten a little easier since self-tapes became the standard, but it’s still really difficult to manage. When I was in school, my financial aid didn’t cover my living expenses or even fully cover tuition. My second year, I was working 4 jobs outside of school to try and cover my costs- add to that rehearsals for dance routines, for stage combat routines, for plays, and monologue work- I was completely overwhelmed, and I burnt out pretty quickly. That was a rough point for me. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an actor/producer/writer. These days, you pretty much have to be a multi-hyphenate. I’ve produced and directed a few short films that went to festivals. A couple of years ago, I coproduced one of the last shows put up at The Complex in Hollywood, and that was a good learning experience and a lot of work. 

I’m currently co-producing a short with Ashley Bowers, my costar from the feature film ‘Guilt.’ It’s slated to shoot this October. She wrote the screenplay, and it just won Best Dystopian Short Screenplay at The Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival. I’m really excited to work with her again, and it’s always a good feeling getting to partner with friends and get your projects off the ground. 

One of my proudest moments as an actor came last year- I played the lead in the Revolutionists at Theatre40 in Beverly Hills. My character was a playwright and there was a moment in the play that I grabbed all of my writing, and I threw it in the trash and went to light it on fire, then stopped and pulled it all out and cried. A man came up to me after one of the shows and told me that he was a writer and wrote historical pieces and that moment really struck him and had him in tears and made him want to write again. I think moments like that are when I am the most proud of what I do. 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
You absolutely have to take risks. Everything I have is because I took a risk. Auditioning for that first play even though I was terrified of it and knew I had no experience and would probably not be very good- that was a major risk. Quitting my jobs and moving 3000 miles away from home to a major city where I didn’t know anyone- that was a major risk. Producing my first play was a risk. Writing and directing my first short with almost zero budget was a risk. You learn about yourself in the moments. You learn who you are, what you hold valuable, what you want to do and accomplish, and why. I’ve always had this philosophy of the necessity of being in environments where you are a bit out of your depth. It helps you grow. The second you stop taking risks and challenging yourself, you stagnate. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7944302/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katkemmet/

Image Credits
Eric Keitel
Dana Patrick
Devin Collins
Tom Proctor
Doug Engalla