Plays and films reflect life (for the most part). They tell stories of the human experience, of how we think and the choices we make, of relationships, of the world, of the minutiae of daily life, of things important and things trivial that we can all recognise and identify with.
Kate Brown
Actress, teacher of Speech & Drama and Examiner for LAMDA.
Q & A
Basic Questions:
1. What’s your name?
Kate Brown
2. Where are you from and where are you currently?
I was born in London where I was adopted by my parents. I was raised in South Africa where my father took up a professorship but left after I got married (for political reasons) and lived in France, Austria, and various parts of the UK. Today, I live in Kent and have done so for 23 years.
3. What do you do?
Most important of all, I'm a wife, a mother and a very proud grandmother too! I am also an actress, a teacher of Speech & Drama and an Examiner for LAMDA.
Specific Questions:
1. What do you think is the relationship between plays & films and the human mind? Why are we so drawn to it?
Plays and films reflect life (for the most part). They tell stories of the human experience, of how we think and the choices we make, of relationships, of the world, of the minutiae of daily life, of things important and things trivial that we can all recognise and identify with. They are, therefore, to my mind, part real and part imaginative. We need this creativity to expand our understanding of the human condition and we are drawn to these stories because our curiosity about others and the world we live in is a constant source of fascination and discovery. We also want to be touched deeply and plays and films (in fact music and art in any form) do that.
2. What role do you think plays and films play within society and culture?
Remember I said that I stole shamelessly...well here are some of my favourites...
Michelle Obama (former First Lady of the United States of America): "The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or one can afford it, rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history to future generations."
Peter Brook (theatre practitioner and director): “Drama is exposure: it is confrontation, it is contradiction and it leads to analysis, construction, recognition and eventually to an awakening of understanding."
Oscar Wilde (playwright): “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being."
3. What challenges have you faced so far in your career?
- Working in the arts is a precarious business with an unstable income and an unpredictable outcome.
- It is often an anti-social business because of the unusual hours.
- It is difficult to be a performer and raise a family.
- You go to where the work is, so there is a lot of travel/time away.
- For most actresses, the work dries up considerably once you're 'older' (this is not the case for men) so you need to have more than one string to your bow.
However, having said all of that, it is a business full of creative people who seek solutions to follow their passion and, therefore, a wonderfully inspiring industry to be part of.
4. What was your dream as a child and what is your dream now? Has it changed?
My dream as a teenager was to be an actress or a teacher. I didn't know that I could be both, but here I am. The dream hasn't changed (it has been moulded, added to and sometimes it has had to be flexible) but I realise with enormous gratitude that my work is not only my purpose, but also my pleasure. It never feels like work!
5. Who is your biggest role model?
I can truly say that I do not have one - I have many, many, many. I 'steal' shamelessly from those I admire in all walks of life and like a magpie I collect nuggets from everyone (including my pupils). My parents were a tremendously important influence and thereafter teachers, friends, colleagues, writers, actors, children, the great and the small have all played their part.
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hate this question!! The answer is 'I have no idea'. It is way too far ahead, The joy of life for me has always been to have a basic plan of action (at most a rough 3-year plan) and then allow myself to be happily diverted or inspired along the way (I went back to university in my 50s to do a Masters, which surprised even me!). As long as I am growing, curious and purposeful then whatever direction I follow will be useful and enriching.
4. What challenges have you faced as a woman in your career?
- As a younger actress, I've had some dodgy auditions with men I didn't feel was professional.
- There are fewer protagonist roles for women than there are for men once women get older. Somehow the stories of middle-aged women are not written about and so most of the roles available are supporting roles to male protagonists. There's a big drive to change this and there's certainly more awareness now.
- It can be very challenging to raise a family and be a performer. Auditions for films and commercials are given with very little notice, it is almost impossible to plan so you often do not know what life holds from one month to the next. If you're doing a show, you are an absent parent in the afternoons/evenings and on weekends when your family most need you.
- Sometimes agents can pressurise you into feeling guilty (and this is mostly true for women) if you do not or cannot attend every audition offered.
For me, at a certain point, all these issues prompted a change of direction in my career (into teaching/examining instead of performing) because I wanted to be involved in raising my children while continuing to use my skills.
5. Do you think being a male writer/ actor or a female writer/actor matters? Does your gender impact how your work is perceived?
In my experience, my gender hasn't noticeably impacted the way in which my work is perceived as a performer or teacher - the outcome is what is judged. I do know, however, that female directors and artistic directors have often not felt the playing field is equal.
6. How can plays/ films be used as a tool to elevate movements such as feminism?
- They can draw attention to and inform, educate, and broaden our political, religious, social, or personal views about issues through imaginative storytelling. They can draw us into the lives and feelings of others (across cultural divides). They can raise and/or reflect on complex and tricky questions. This is, I think, one of the most important functions of art.
- They reach a wide audience and can bind us in a common idea of what it is to be human and of our shared responsibility to humanity. Hopefully, they make us think!
- They are quantifiable i.e. they form part of a body of statistics, of facts and figures which highlight the status quo (e.g. the number of films produced/directed by women; or the number of scripts written by women etc) and help to show where positive and constructive change is needed (e.g. increasing opportunities or challenging the status quo).
- Actors (especially those who are famous or have celebrity status) have a platform to keep issues in focus in interviews, on their social media and during publicity exposure. They have great power to persuade.