KWU Theater’s Semester Look Ahead

KWU Student Media sat down with Associate Professor of Theater Arts Karen Babcock Brassea. She discussed her past in the theater, gave praise to one of her great up-and-coming students, and talked about the plans for the KW theater this semester. 

One Busy Woman

Karen Babcock Brassea is a tenured professor here at Kansas Wesleyan. She has had a long and illustrious career here and around the world. Currently, she is also the presiding officer of the faculty and has enjoyed that job so far and the responsibility it takes. She believes “everyone has their eyes in the right place.”

One of her other classes she teaches includes Exploring humanity through theater, where she compares the theater to a football game. She put it like this: “Is a football game a show? Is there an audience? Is there a common goal?” There are a lot of similarities between theater and sports that many people have never realized.

Brassea also compared the nerves that happen in sports and in the theater. “There are a lot of nerves in preparing and some negative self-talk when performing. We talk about how to present yourself and only control what you can control.”

Another class she teaches is Theater Careers Portfolios. In this class, she goes into the makings of how to begin selling yourself to other people. Students also learn the beginnings of making their own website. 

A Living Legend

When walking the halls of Kansas Wesleyan, people may not know the amount of talent they have around them, and Professor Brassea is no exception. She has worked on Broadway and did tours that traveled around the country and even overseas. 

Brassea worked on the Broadway Tour of America, where she performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She was in A Chorus Line, Chess, and Cats for 6 1/2 years. Then she traveled to Austria and performed it in German. She was in The Wizard of Oz at the Paramount Theater in New York. She also worked with renowned actor Jerry Lewis.

One of her favorite stories was working on The Wizard of Oz. On the set, she overheard legendary actor Mickey Rooney complementing her as being “really talented.”. She called this “a really special moment for me.

Helping Her Students

KW Student Media also spoke with current student and theater major Tammi Houston. She had nothing but high praise for Brassea, saying, “These are legitimately just some of the things she’s been in.”

Brassea also gave high praise to Houston, whom she called “an overachiever who loves everything about the art form of musical theater and spends extra time with her if she asks me.” “She’s about to do her first professional audition at Great Plains Theatre in Abilene.”

Brassea talked about the research and preparation that goes into an audition and monologue, which is totally different than doing a show. “There’s a totally different technique and preparation.”

What’s Next?

For this semester, she is working as a support system for Sweeney Todd but not on the creative team. A link to Theatre Salina can be found here: Theatre Salina

She is part of the programming committee at Theatre Salina, where they are “reading a lot of new plays.” She wants to produce one and help put someone on their feet,” and she “invites people to do that.” 

Also, Barbera Marshall, Professor Brassea, and her husband Bill worked with someone in town who was a caretaker for her husband, who had Alzheimer’s. As part of her healing process, she wrote a play. And they are currently brainstorming ideas. They “will be doing a workshop version of it at Kansas Wesleyan to see what works and what needs work.” This will be during the second eight weeks.

Her aforementioned husband Bill had his own art gallery here at Kansas Wesleyan last semester. An article about that can be found here: New Art Gallery Opening – KWUStudentMedia