Mi Kang (Communication ’22) has always had a passion for theatre, but she never expected to work in the entertainment industry. Now, Kang is playing Hornbeck, a reporter, in Goodman Theatre’s production of the 1960 drama film “Inherit the Wind.”
“I’ve always had an appreciation for art, and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to make it my career,” Kang said.
As a child of immigrant parents, Kang said she was introduced to the creative arts by her parents through piano lessons. At 13, Kang acted in her first show, which was a community theater production of the 1980 musical film “Fame.”
But Kang put her passion for the fine arts on the backburner shortly after.
“When I was entering undergrad, my parents very strongly suggested that I get a degree that’s, in their eyes, stable career-wise,” she said.
Kang graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Finance, Financial Markets and Banking.
Even though she wanted to honor her parents’ sacrifices, Kang said she felt like she wasn’t having a good experience in the tech industry.
“I’m very fortunate to have parents who love and support me. So, I think they saw me in the tech world and saw how unhappy I was,” Kang said.
After changing career paths while living in Seattle, she thought her acting days were over due to how time-consuming and demanding the industry is. Yet, Kang got involved in her local theatre scene, and her passion resparked.
Kang then applied to graduate programs and found herself at Northwestern pursuing theatre full-time.
As a part of her first class at NU, Kang said she soon found the community she had long craved among her peers and professors. She said she found the connections needed to pursue theatre outside of her education, specifically Communication prof. Henry Godinez.
“Northwestern did a great job at connecting us with active players in the industry,” Kang said. “I think those connections were important.”
Kang said she believes NU gave her the building blocks to succeed in the industry. Once she received the key lessons and skills, she was proactive in launching her career.
Directing “Inherit the Wind” was always an aspiration for Godinez. He said he appreciated its political themes between science and religion, especially during an election year.
“The arts and theatre, in particular, can affect people in profound ways, making them think about the world in which we live and spur that thinking into action,” Godinez said.
Godinez said that it is crucial to take action to maintain the “freedoms we cherish,” such as the right to think and speak our minds and voting. He said that’s what “the heart of what this play is all about.”
Actress Tyler Meredith said she thought Kang was “brilliant” since she first saw her role in “Villette” as Lucy Snowe at the Lookingglass Theatre.
Meredith said Kang’s dedication to theatre has taught her about effective storytelling, especially during their two-person scene where Meredith’s character, Rachel Brown, and Hornbeck talk about how people experience the world differently compared to her Christian roots.
“I’m incredibly grateful to get to be in this process with her and to get to share the same character every night,” Meredith said.
Email: [email protected]
X: @alexbespeakin
Related Stories:
— ‘1619: The Journey of A People’ takes audience through intense, beautiful journey of African Americans
— ‘Previously on Big Brother:’ Reality TV meets NU theatre community
— Q&A: NU alum Hamid Dehghani talks immigrant experience, new play ‘English’
