Meet Kelly Criss | Actor, Producer, Teaching Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Criss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance is headed in the right direction, after many years of me leaning heavily on the WORK end and neglecting the LIFE side a bit. By that I mostly mean overscheduling and overcommitting myself without leaving time for decompression and self-care. I’ve learned to value rest and not to judge it as laziness. It’s rest. Plus, if I consider myself a storyteller, living a full life will only enhance that. Work pays the bills and can certainly be very fulfilling. But if it isn’t balanced with life, then the stories I have to tell will all be about workaholics.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been an actor ever since I got my first audience reaction. Granted, it took a while longer before I got paid to do it, but the craft was there early… I fell in love with being onstage when I took dance classes and eventually learned I connected to the acting part of dance much more strongly than the dancing part. That led to acting classes and camps and studying theatre in college. College led to accepting an apprenticeship at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company. I’m proud of that move because I chose that opportunity specifically because Shakespeare intimidated me- I hadn’t had much exposure to it. Then another source of pride came out of the friendships made at the Shakespeare Tavern- myself and four other women artists started a theater company, The Weird Sisters Theatre Project, with our first show in 2011. The fact that we’re still kicking around and people are asking us what’s next is really awesome.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Assuming the friend is up for anything and there are no financial or scheduling limitations… I think we’d hike with my rescue pup, Betty White, up Arabia Mountain. Then we would relax with a puppy yoga class at Atlanta Humane Society. Maybe reward ourselves with a drink on the roof at Hotel Clermont. I’d share the exhibits at the High Museum, MODA, and SCAD FASH and let my friend pick which one(s) they’d like to see.
We would also luck out and the Plaza Theatre would be having a Rocky Horror or other theme night, so we’d have to dress up and go to the movies.
Probably have to walk the dog again at this point, so we’d go to Doll’s Head Trail at Constitution Lakes Park. All that hiking would make us hungry enough for Daddy D’z BBQ.
I’d love to take them to an Atlanta United game at Mercedes Benz. Atlanta would win and we’d meet a lot of friends on the train.
And of course we’d be seeing live performances when we can- dance, theatre, Improv.
Then rest.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am so very fortunate and privileged to have had the support of so many along my path. I want to take this space to shout out my mom. She has always been incredibly supportive of my creativity and made sacrifices to allow me to take the dance classes and go to art camp and turn the living room into a soundstage. I know I would not be who I am and where I am today without my mom.

Website: www.theweirdsisters.org

Image Credits
Headshot by Casey Gardner Ford Photography. All other photos were taken by personal friends.