October 18, 2019

Student Spotlight: Kimi Brown

My name is Kimi Brown and I am from Sunnyvale, CA. I am a senior completing her BFA in Musical Theatre, Spring 2020.

Right now, I am the Assistant Director for Salt Lake Acting Company’s World Premiere of Charly Evon Simpson’s Form of a Girl Unknown. I am working with a fantastic cast and the most amazing artistic team. I work mostly with Melissa Crespo, a New York Based director who has worked on multiple readings and workshops of this show and countless other projects. This project has been  incredible because it is the most diverse project I’ve worked on, with a majority of the cast being either people of color, women, or both. I’ve learned so much about working professionally as a member of the artistic team while still enriching my skills and knowledge as a performer. This show is incredible because it is such a specific story that touches on so many important and necessary topics that we as a society need to be talking about, and at the same time, making us laugh, and cry, and reflect on what it means to be a human in our world today.

I chose the U’s Department of Theatre because I wanted a conservatory style training while still maintaining the full college experience by continuing to challenge myself in other subjects.

There have been so many meaningful things I have learned throughout my time at the U. I have learned how to truly be myself and create art that I am passionate about. There are a million other artists in the world, and rather than condemning myself for not being like them, I need to value and celebrate the things that make me unique and learn how to make myself the most effective artist I can be. When we spend more time challenging ourselves in objective ways, rather than pining to be like someone else, that allows us to celebrate ourselves and other artists on their journey so we can focus on creating and collaborating. This concept encourages me to push myself, while also never forgetting why I do this in the first place. I love theater, and I want to do it always.

Also, be kind to yourself and to others. And let kindness evolve in different ways depending on what you need. Listen to your gut, and go towards what scares you and excites you.