Get to Know Your Violet Actors: An Interview With Michele Curry
Michele Curry (Ensemble) is a native Columbian, who started appearing on local stages as a Hickman High student in 2004. She moved into the “community theatre circuit” in 2007, and since then, has appeared in community, professional, and educational stages all over Columbia, including with the University of Missouri, Columbia Entertainment Company—for which she is currently also the Secretary of the Board and Development Director—Maplewood Barn Theatre, and Fifth Wall Productions. Here at Talking Horse, you may have seen Michele wear many hats as a performer, an assistant director, a fundraiser…starting all the way back in 2013, in the very first production on St. James Street, The Man with the Plastic Sandwich.
Michele is an active member of the Columbia community in “real life.” She is a commercial banker at Commerce Bank specializing in electronic payment systems, and the treasurer-elect of The Women's Network, a division of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Michele is also in the 2017 graduating class of the Leadership Columbia.
Michele is incredibly thoughtful about her work and her process. She sat down to give us some insights into her world.
1. What is your favorite thing about the rehearsal process for Violet?
I like the rehearsal process of Violet the most when the cast gets to bond. We have the pleasure of seeing each other every single day, and we get along well. I keep a log of the funny quotes we've laughed about in our time together.
2. What do you hope the audience comes away from this play thinking about, talking about, or asking themselves? (What will they talk about in the parking lot and on the ride home?)
The audience will take away what the true meaning of beauty is as well as a warm feeling in their hearts about how love goes deeper than the surface. They will be blown away by the amount of talent on one stage, and how cohesive the cast was to put on a production that keeps moving from start to finish.
3. What do you want the audience to know about the arts community in CoMo?
The community needs to know how much the arts need their support. Especially after the detrimental budget cuts to the arts at the state level, the arts need funding and advocacy in whatever way people can give. There are many ways to give back, whether through fundraisers or by volunteering your time. Each organization has a list of ways to help, and I encourage the members of our community to reach out and explore how they can support the arts.
4. What is your #1 karaoke song?
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness
