Today we’d like to introduce you to Arielle Kaplan.
Arielle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been an actor through most of my life, starting in preschool playing The Asteroid Belt in “The Solar System.” The next year, I was promoted to Venus. I grew up in New Hampshire where I performed in musicals through most of my childhood and eventually attended Brandeis University where I focused on acting, movement, and stage combat. In the years since graduation, I’ve worked extensively as a violence designer in southern NH and the Boston area for such groups as Company One, The Chameleon’s Dish, MCTP, and Intramersive.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a career in theatre is never an easy road, there’s hundreds of people with a similar dream, and the longer you stay in, the more incredibly talented people you meet, who all want to succeed. Our work is often undervalued and underpaid and it’s a struggle to make a living doing this work. But we persevere, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to have an amazing partner who supports this crazy adventure and I’ve been able to use my diverse interests in history, theatre, violence, and the crossroads of all three to build a workable life.
Violence Designer/Actor – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I work quite a bit with fringe groups who are looking to have moments of violence in their work which are more specialized than a slap or a punch (though I do quite a bit of that as well!). I teach from a background of safety and understanding how to tell a story through a fight onstage, almost like it’s a piece of text or a dance. I’ve been lucky enough to work with groups who want to push boundaries, such as having characters have a fencing battle on a spaceship, while an android strangles another character, or use playground equipment almost as a partner for an actor to work with as she leaps and flies across the stage kicking ass.
I’ve worked with a lot of early-career actors, many doing their first moments of violence in shows I’m designing, and I think I’ve gotten skilled at creating an environment for them which is constructive, safe, and a great deal of fun.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think bringing someone who has never fought onstage before to a place where she is comfortable and looks great doing her work is a great moment for me. It always helps to have such enthusiastic and willing participants, but working with someone from the very beginning of their journey up to four shows in has been such an honor and a joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: ariellekaplan,weebly.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/inevitablebetrayal
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Arielle.F.Kaplan
Image Credit:
Joey Phoenix Photography, Chez Photo Photography
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