Prof. KO is no stranger to accolades. They were nominated for a Drama Desk Award for their star turn in the now canonical “In the Heights” and received a Tony Award for their portrayal of Anita in the 2009 revival of “West Side Story.” They also received a Tony nomination in 2020 for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for portraying Satine in “Moulin Rouge!”
After the pandemic, they posted on social media about harmful experiences working on Broadway and condemned the commercial theatre industry for its extractive influence on actors. Now, they are an Associate Professor and Donald G. Robertson Director of Music Theatre in the School of Communication at Northwestern. Read about their journey to NU and exit from a Broadway career.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
The Daily: There are so many amazing university theatre programs. What drew you to Northwestern and the Midwest?
Prof. KO: When I was opening the Chicago company of “Hamilton,” I was approached by a former director that was then working at NU who asked me if I would like to come and teach for a quarter while I was in the show.
The Daily: When you arrived here, what was your first-glance perspective on the theatre program?
Prof. KO: When I applied for the position, I met with lots of students. I did a job talk. I did a lot of research about NU — so I understood the scope of what the University is. It kind of seemed to me like NU just does a lot. It does more than it sometimes can hold. It’s trying to hold a lot of things and a lot of things are spilling over the top.
The Daily: You serve as the Director of Music Theatre here. Could you share a bit about this role?
Prof. KO: Musical theatre is a nine-credit certificate program, and it lives inside the theatre department, which lives inside the School of Communication. It’s a program that a student would audition for in the winter of their sophomore year after they’ve dabbled in the arts a little bit. I was brought here to reimagine it.
The Daily: Were there any areas of the theatre department or the musical theatre program that you felt needed improvement when you joined NU?
Prof. KO: I think it was completely siloed, and it was a little bit in the dark ages. It doesn’t really speak to the way that we make art or that we can make art, and it only looked at theatre from a capitalistic lens. But I think the Chicago theatre scene is a perfect example of storefront theatre, ensemble theatre, theatre that really has to do with making art. I really wanted to gear the certificate to sort of model what the city of Chicago does so well, which is like, “Let’s build artists first. And then if they happen to go into the commercial field, wonderful.” But that’s what Chicagoland is all about.
The Daily: You won a Tony Award for your portrayal of Anita in the 2009 revival of “West Side Story.” What did that moment feel like?
Prof. KO: It felt really surreal because I did not think that I would win. Strangely enough, I went to the Tony Awards not thinking about the Tony itself. I was so afraid of the dancing part because we performed “Dance at the Gym,” and that was the hardest number. Once I performed and didn’t fall, I got into my frock, and I sat down and then they announced the thing. I was like, “What? Oh, that’s happening too.”
The Daily: After originating the role of Satine in 2019, you exited commercial theatre. Your frankness about some of the realities that working Broadway actors face helped ignite a movement to protect performing artists. What are some of the ways that Broadway fails to protect actors?
Prof. KO: It does not prioritize health. I think that there’s the scarcity mentality, and there’s no sense of boundaries when it comes to the body.
The Daily: What do you mean by “scarcity mentality?”
Prof. KO: The industry promotes this idea that there’s a million more people waiting to take your spot, that you’re replaceable. The things that people are being asked to do with their bodies in these shows are absolutely ridiculous choreography-wise and singing-wise.
Those who do it know it’s ridiculous, but it’s in the same way that NU students wear a badge of honor if they stay up till 3 a.m. writing a paper and then wake up and go to class.
The Daily: Did you set out to leave this kind of legacy on Broadway?
Prof. KO: No. I didn’t set out to do it, I was speaking my own truth. I’d had enough people look up to me and say, “I got into this because I see you, and I want to do what you do.” I kind of feel like I owe it to people to be honest about what it actually is.
Email: gabehawkins2028@u.northwestern.edu
X : @gabe19violin
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