Get to know the versatile Emily Kleimo!
Actress Emily Kleimo
Philadelphia actress Emily Kleimo, who makes her Arden debut in Gypsy, introduces us to her many talents on stage and off!
You’re a voice actor, too. Tell us a little about that job. How are voice acting and acting on the stage different/the same?
EK: Yes, I am! I have done a few commercials, a series of PBS Kids promotions and narrate audiobooks. With voice acting, it is all about nuance. When your audience can’t read your facial expressions or body language, you have to bring those elements through with your voice. That being said, when recording it helps to move your face and body as you might on stage to keep your actions and reactions natural. Believe it or not, this authenticity comes through in the voice when recording. I also really enjoy creating different characters voices for various projects, particularly audiobooks. Similarly, I love manipulating my voice on stage when it is appropriate whether that be a dialect, affect etc…
What excited you about being involved in this production?
EK: I have really enjoyed the work that I have seen on stage at the Arden and have wanted to be a part of it for a long time. Gypsy was actually a show that I did not know very well but knew that it was a classic and was interested in working on something that was new to me.
Gypsy_13 – Emily Kleimo as Agnes and Paige Smallwood as Marjorie May in Arden Theatre Company’s production of Gypsy. Photo by Mark Garvin.
Tell us a little about your character.
EK: Agnes is a bit of a poor soul who wants to be an actress and wants very much to do well. She is curious but naive. She becomes easily attached and can be sensitive at times.
Best advice you’ve ever received as an actor?
EK: This is a hard question! A piece of advice that has really made a great impact over the last few years was to slow down and “stay in my lane.” By that I mean slowing down in life (when I can) in order to focus my energy in specific areas in terms of what I really want to be doing as an actor.
When you have a five-minute break during rehearsal, what do you spend that time doing?
Emily’s artwork.
EK: I write cards, answer emails, check Instagram or hang out with cast mates. Sometimes I draw.
If you had a magic wand, what show would you do next?
EK: Hmmmm, something totally different just to switch things up… maybe Avenue Q or Urinetown.
What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage / the curtain goes up?
EK: Take a deep breath, center myself and soak up that burst of excited energy.
Emily (C) in the dressing room with Paige Smallwood (L) and Rachel Camp (R).
EMILY KLEIMO (Agnes, Renée) Arden debut! Regional: Sylvia Carol in The Carols (1812 Productions); Alexi Darling/Ensemble in RENT (11th Hour Theatre Co.); U/S Eileen-Dance Captain in I Love A Piano (Walnut Street Theatre). Film/Television: Weis-To-Go Commercial, Smirnoff Ice, PBS Kids Promo. Training: Drexel University. Love and thanks to Ms. Holly, JKK and Jon. www.emilykleimo.com and for her voice over work, www.thevoicesofemilyk.com.
Gypsy
A Musical Fable
Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Suggested by memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
On the F. Otto Haas Stage
Playing now thru June 25, 2017