Hi everybody! I am back with a brand new blog. Things have been crazy for me lately, which is why I haven’t been able to post much. I changed my major heading into my senior year of college. Also, adapting to all the changes being made for school has been crazy, I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. I am SO excited for you to meet Caitlin! She is SO sweet and inspiring. I loved getting to interview her. Seriously, Caitlin is a true inspiration!
What is your name? How old are you? Where are you from?
My name is Caitlin Grace Rose and I just turned 23 in July (yes, I know I look 5 years younger). I’m from the Central Valley of California.
How long have you been doing dance and theatre?
Dance and theatre have been my loves and passions my whole life. I did dance for 15 years (ages 5 – 20) and have been doing theatre consistently for 5 years. I was in two shows, a musical middle school where I was the genie in Aladdin Jr. and Carly in Makin’ It which was a show my Drama II class put on during 10th grade. For 9th, 10th and 12th grade I was on a competition team where I studied ballet, contemporary, jazz, modern and lyrical. I won first overall at four national competitions. In 10th and 11th grade I was dancing at a pre-professional ballet school where I did The Nutcracker twice with The Sacramento Ballet and Snow White with The State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara. I was an angel my first year of The Nutcracker, and a Candy Cane during my second year. I also helped choreograph an original ballet called Secret of the Seasons with CDAT. I also originated the role of Odessa, The Mother Nature Fairy in that ballet (childhood dream come true).
Because of all the dance I was doing, I never got a chance to do theatre seriously until I left dance altogether in 2016. I’ve done a few original plays with roles written for me or with me in mind. I was Rosa in Beauty & The Buccaneer with SPCA, FIT (Fairy In Training) in Framed! A Fairytale Mystery also with SPCA. Both shows were written by the amazingly talented Heather Sconce. I also played Reagan in Camping (written by the brilliant Jesse Parr) for his senior thesis.
You mainly are versed in ballet. What made you choose that style?
Ballet was just what I was best at. I didn’t choose ballet, ballet chose me. When I was in high school I did want to dance professionally but I decided to go to college instead of trying to pursue a career in dance. Breaking my ankle when I was 19 also sealed the deal on not trying to do ballet professionally.
What has it been like studying theatre during a global pandemic?
Studying theatre during a global pandemic has been crazy. All my theatre classes at college were changed to being on Zoom which was hard. It was really hard to feed off the energy from the audience (aka my classmates) since we were all at home and behind a screen. I have been doing a lot of monologues to keep up my practice but I’ve only shared one online. I’ve also bought more scripts to read and I have been singing a LOT more than I used to. I’m not the best at singing but I like to anyway so I do, mostly in the privacy of my bedroom.
What advice would you give to other kids your age who are interested in dance/theatre but maybe don’t know where to start or are maybe too nervous?
One thing that I cannot stress enough is to pay attention to the studio environment. The thing I hated the most at the studio I did competitions at was how cliquey they were. If you weren’t part of the team, you were 100% invisible, which was very upsetting for me in the beginning. I would also pay attention to how you are being treated by other studio members. Are they mean to you? Does the teacher make her critiques personal/threaten you? Those are major red flags and definitely not the right place for you to be dancing at. You want to be in a positive learning environment where you will be challenged as a dancer but will grow and make good friendships. My other advice is to be a sponge and really absorb everything you are learning, not just what is said to you. You can learn so much from other people so pay attention to them too. There are tons of fabulous online resources too such as Kathryn Morgan on YouTube or the Actor Aesthetic Podcast. Lastly, never ever listen to people telling you that “you aren’t good enough”, “you should just quit”, “you’ll never make it”. Use those comments to push you forward to prove them wrong. And don’t you yourself think any less of yourself. Be humble but know that you are talented, smart, beautiful, kind etc.
You have Type One diabetes. Can you tell me more about your journey with type one and how it affects you as a performer?
I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 15 (8 years on September 7th). I started showing the symptoms gradually probably starting in July of 2012 but all of the symptoms I showed (increased thirst/hunger, using the toilet more often and being tired) made sense to me because I was dancing at two different summer intensives for about 30 hours a week. I wasn’t diagnosed until after I got back from a trip to NJ/NYC/NH.
During my time as a dancer I was on multiple daily injections because I found that easier than wearing an insulin pump which I can only take off for an hour. With rehearsals being 5+ hours, it just didn’t make sense to me.
I was very secretive of my diabetes in high school. I think only a handful of people knew. Even some T1D’s I was friends with didn’t know that I had it too (I still think one of them doesn’t know). I just didn’t want people to think that I wasn’t capable of doing all that I was achieving and I didn’t want to be labeled as “the sick girl.” I wasn’t open about my diabetes until 2018 when I discovered Caitlin Kinnunen (more on her later). Seeing her be so open about her diabetes while being an actor on Broadway, really encouraged me to be open about it too.
I use an insulin pump for my diabetes management now. I first was using a Medtronic 530g and now I use a Medtronic 670g (not closed loop).
What are some of your dream roles?
Even though I’m not a singer, my dream role is either Percy in The Spitfire Grill, Jerusha Abbot in Daddy Long Legs or Emma Nolan in The Prom. With Percy I like her character arc from being freshly out of prison and thinking that she is a bad person for what happened to finally coming to a place of self-love and acceptance. With Jerusha I love the whole concept of that musical. Of loving someone you don’t even know. The musical has so many ups and downs for Jerusha and I can really relate to some of the songs she sings. With Emma Nolan I can related to being openly gay (as I am openly gay) in a community that is not accepting of it. I wasn’t in high school when I came out so I didn’t experience some of the things she did but I did experience the not nice comments people would say to me about my sexuality. I’ve lost friendships because they don’t agree with being gay. But I am openly and authentically myself, just like Emma Nolan.
As for plays, (something more attainable for me), my dream roles would probably be Hedda Gabler in Hedda Gabler or Victoria in Cats since that role is primarily all ballet.
I know this isn’t that big but I was cast as an extra in The Prom Movie which comes out on Netflix sometime this year. That was the best day of my life, when I got the message about being cast, even though I was an extra. It was my first paid acting job so that makes it kinda special no matter what it is.
What are some of your favorite things to do besides theatre?
Honestly, theatre is my whole life. I am majoring in Child Development as well as Theatre. My goal is to be a Child Life Specialist and pursue theatre on the side. I would love to move to Seattle and do theatre there as well as work at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
I also have my own blog called It’s Caitlin Again where I talk about lifestyle tips, college, theatre, dance. I also create videos on my IGTV channel and I love modeling for my younger sister when she’s in town. (You can check out Caitlin’s blog, here!)
What have you been doing to stay busy and have fun during the pandemic?
Due to other health issues I decided to make my Child Development major online where it has been since July of last year. Before the pandemic I was volunteering with a T-K class at the elementary school I went to. Those hours will count as my prerequisite hours that I need before I can apply for a Child Life Internship. So I’ve mainly been doing school, working a side job and writing for my blog. I take lots of naps and drink way too much coffee (having an espresso machine and a cold brew machine doesn’t help, haha). I also hang out with my best friend a lot (safely of course). We watch lots of Netflix and play a card game called Chocolate Milk (I’m still winning with 30 wins to 25).
Who is a woman who you look up to the theatre community and why?
As I mentioned before, I really look up to Caitlin Kinnuen. I “discovered” her when she did a takeover for Beyond Type 1 when The Prom was in previews. I quickly became her ultimate fan (if you aren’t, you should be) because I loved how authentical she was. She’s sweet and outspoken and also has diabetes. I love seeing her do what I want to do and that is great motivation and inspiration for me too. I traveled to NJ/NYC on my own in March of 2019 solely so I could see The Prom. I cried… a lot but sadly didn’t get a chance to meet Caitlin. I did send her a letter and got an autographed program back. I also have an Unruly Heart tattoo on my thigh.
Thank you so much Caitlin! I loved getting to interview you! I can’t wait to continue to follow your journey. I know you are going to do amazing things! Everyone go give Caitlin some love on her Instagram which you can find here!
Until Next Time,
Marisa