Personality Snapshot du Jour

photo by Shannon Sturgis

Meet Kelsie: The Comedienne 


We first discovered Kelsie Craig when we went to watch a friend perform with her improv troop. Let's pause there. Do you realize how hard improv is? Mallory found out when said improv friend pulled her up on stage during a show to be the "audience member inspiration" for a skit. It went something like this:
Improv Guy- "So, what do you do?"
Mallory- "Uhm...? I... Channel 4"
Improv Guy- "Oh, you work at Channel 4. What do you do there?"
Mallory- "I... uhm?"
You know who would have had ridiculously witty answers to those mundane questions, and probably would have delivered them in an awesome accent? Kelsie Craig. This Little Rocker (who's about to become a Nashvillian) spends her time hosting the Channel 5 Kids Club, teaching children at the Arkansas Arts Center and getting laughs in the Little Rock Improv Troupe. Um, isn't that how Sarah Silverman got her start...?
Anyway, Kelsie is staring in a film premiering at this year's Little Rock Film Festival.  Kelsie is one of the leads in Cotton County Boys a film we spoke about recently in this post.

Have You Been There?: What inspires you the most?
Kelsie Craig: Teachers. I love watching the transformation of young and old alike. Without teachers no one would ever learn anything. Think about it.

HYBT: Do you have a mentor? Who?
KC: Not one person specifically, but there are lots of talented people that I look up to and who have helped me. I look up to most of my friends. I have a lot of talented hardworking friends. There are also some comedians that I would like to emulate but they all have taken out restraining orders against me.

HYBT: Where is the most interesting place you've traveled to?
KC: Lots of places come to mind. But the one place that is currently got a hold of me is Nashville, Tennessee. I came to Nashville with my friends Amy and Graham to visit my boyfriend, Will, and stayed a week. It was that week that I knew I wanted to be there in Nashville. Have you ever been someplace and it was just easy to breathe? It's easy to breathe in Nashville.

HYBT: What is your favorite piece of art, be it a film, music, painting, etc.?
KC: This is a hard question. I'm in love with William Wordsworth. The Romantic Poets. Romanticism.

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

HYBT: What effect do you think the place you grew up had on you and your work?
KC: I grew in up in Rogers, Arkansas. Born in Stamps, Arkansas. Born and raised in Arkansas. I love Arkansas. I was encouraged to laugh and be silly and mimicked any voice I found amusing. I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself or to fail. It's scary sometimes but growing up around a supportive family really helps at the end of the day when no one laughs at your joke or you don't get a call back. Arkansas is a melting pot and makes for great character study.

HYBT: What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
KC: I FEEL very different. I think about other people's feelings and thoughts a lot. I think I probably do lots of things differently. I probably worry too much about other peoples feelings. Nah. I love people.

HYBT: What's something you'd like to learn to do?
KC: PLAY THE BANJO!!!!

HYBT: What's something about you that would surprise people?
KC: I have filmed over 100 episodes of a show you've probably never seen unless you live or lived in Conway, Arkansas between 2008 and whenever they stop showing the Channel 5 Kids Club. AND had Conway Corporation cable.

HYBT: Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
KC: Working with kids at the Art Center. Especially the Junior Arts Academy: kids 6-9 years old doing theatre. They start out really shy and by the end of the session they are screaming their lines. Maybe that's creativity becoming insanity...
Also most Improv Little Rock shows and rehearsals are insane AND creative. Always wanting more afterwards!

HYBT: Who's your favorite television or movie character?
KC: Karl Childers from Sling Blade. I love any actor that becomes the character. Billy Bob became Karl. Amazing film. and TV. Right now I'm really into Parks and Recreation.

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