Daniel Does DFW Theater
Take a listen as Daniel interviews local DFW Theater artists on... Daniel Does DFW Theater! Watch this Vodcast at: www.youtube.com/@danieldoesdfw
Daniel Does DFW Theater
Mimosas, Missteps, and Making It in NYC (with Kae Styron)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Ever wondered how a mimosa brunch could reveal more than just a good time? This episode of Daniel Does brings you a heartwarming reunion with Kae Styron, where we reminisce about our decade-long friendship and the vibrant DFW theater community. From the emotional highs of Ashley Blaine's "Ghost" performance to the hilarity of discovering Kae's histamine intolerance over brunch, our conversation is filled with laughter, nostalgia, and the shared love for performing arts.
Join us as we explore the allure and challenges of city living for artists, particularly in the Big Apple. Kae's dreams of making it in New York City, karaoke nights filled with Broadway tunes, and a memorable rendition of "Santa Fe" from "Newsies" provide a mix of aspiration and reality. We also recount humorous stage mishaps and reflect on past performances, weaving a tapestry of memories that highlight both the glamour and grit of pursuing a career in the arts.
Finally, we pull back the curtain on the technical side of theater, revealing the magic that happens behind the scenes. From troubleshooting a tricky PVC gate during a "Newsies" performance to the journey from set building to production management, we discuss the importance of teamwork and resourcefulness. Don't miss our fun segment "Tool Time," where Kae tests my tool knowledge, leading to plenty of laughs and witty exchanges. This episode is a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and the authenticity that fuels our passion for theater.
If you want to catch all the action, you can watch the full episode video at YouTube.com/@DanielDoesDFW. Follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok: @DanielDoesDFW
Hi guys and welcome to Daniel Does, a DFW Theater where we talk about everything theater. I feel like we've done so many of these. Should we end them now? Oh, they should. This should probably be the last one, no kidding, so excited to have an amazing guest with us today. Like I said, we've been adding more creatives onto the show to showcase them as well and spotlight them as much as possible. So today we have a wonderful creative in our area and a very close friend of mine, the wonderful Kay hey. Thanks for coming to the show. Um, give us your full name, please.
Speaker 2Uh, my name is Kay Styron.
Speaker 1And your pronouns.
Speaker 2Uh, they them. He, not she. No, she's bitch, Bitch.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, iconic. All of the above, um wonderful. Yeah, thanks for joining us. I know that, uh, we haven't. I haven't talked to you in how long?
Speaker 2goodness, like two weeks I saw you like two weeks ago was I blacked out? At the time, no where did?
Speaker 1was it a boat?
Speaker 4yes, yes, I saw you at remember shout out boat. Yeah, shout out to boat.
Speaker 1Um, except that I never remember when I go to boat, was it? It's all coming back. It's all coming back to me now. Um, yes, uh, I literally did say you too soon. No, but, um, I will randomly see you at a boat every once in a while, but we are both beyond recognition. Yeah.
Speaker 4You look so good.
Speaker 1So good, so good. Um, yeah, no, so I have known, kay. You just did the math. I didn't realize it had been this long 10 years.
Speaker 2I know, isn't that wild. I know, I can't believe I've known you since elementary school.
Speaker 1Since I was in elementary school.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 1I am younger than Kay. It's not true, it's kind of true, it's not true. So we met through a mutual friend of ours, the wonderful, the beautiful Ashley Lane, the love of my life, the mother of my children. You have kids, yeah, with her. Oh, my god, congrats. Thank you so much. Yeah, I'm straight. Um, so we met. I couldn't even tell you like what it was or what event it was or where we met. I just remember, at one point, all of a sudden, like the four of us because it was you and me, ashley, blaine and Skylar, the four of us were hanging out and just like having girls night, like the sleepover at Ashley's house. Do you remember that? Where we sat up and we cried when we watched her performance of Ghost? Do you remember that? Where we, we sat up and we cried what we watched her performance of ghost? Do you remember that? I remember bawling my eyes out.
Speaker 3So she has a video. Was it at Granbury opera house? Where did she do it? Yeah, it was in Granbury.
Speaker 1Yeah, she has that old video of her doing, uh, the lead role in ghost and I just remember crying, crying. I was drunk, so drunk don't drink kids um, so drunk in my pjs, like. And she she's like do y'all wanna? Because she was also white girl, wasted. She's like don't watch me, do gust and me, yes, I just remember us all in her bed and just bawling our eyes out. She's like I picked up your shirts this morning.
Speaker 2I don't know why my favorite part of that, though, was the direction there, I felt like personally, and she did a great job.
Speaker 2She was fantastic like personally, uh, and she did a great job. She was fantastic. Um, but the laundry basket with the shirts. I feel like I picked up your shirts this morning, I don't know why. I don't know why. Uh, mr blah blah said to say hello. I feel like he owns the cleaners. So picking up your shirt out of the laundry basket I don't think was the intention of the lyric but they took it so literal yes and
Speaker 2like I think ashley brought that up to the director too, and he was like no, I want you to do this and, like god, rest his soul. But like I think, I think he may have been wrong literally, but yeah, I remember those moments.
Speaker 1And then my favorite and I will bring this up because it's my favorite K moment we went to brunch at this is so embarrassing.
Speaker 1It's my favorite thing we went to brunch at. I don't even remember what that place was called. It's like in West 7th downtown Fort Worth. This is old K. We probably had like 7 to 8 carafts of mimosas. It was plenty. We should have stopped at like three, two and we were just passing them around filling them up. Like ashley's mom was there, nancy was drinking with us. Love me some, nancy. And next thing I know we're at skylar's house and you're like I just need a nap and you pass out like cold and like the night goes on. We leave and you text me the next day and you're like what happened?
Speaker 2like well, because a y'all left me at someone's house and I knew it was skylar's house, but still I had never been there before. I was like y'all just fucking left me there. It's like 7 pm when we left. That actually led me to find out. It helped me find out that I actually have a histamine intolerance, which is 90 percent or not 90, but it's like the histamine in champagne is higher. So I was like I poisoned myself that day because I didn't drink that much I mean we did drink a lot, but there were like 14 people there, yeah and I couldn't figure it out for the longest time.
Speaker 2But no, I have an allergy, so like I can do alcohol, but I can't like do it.
Speaker 1Wow, you heard it here, yeah intolerance which means you could get alcohol poisoning at brunch that is so horrible that we were just like throwing it back. I remember that like you had those sunglasses, that like we lost at some point, like I did, that was, that was a wild, a wild brunch, but I feel like most of our brunches were wild at that point. Um, and again, that was 10 years ago.
Speaker 2Well, that was more like eight years ago. That was more recent than anything. Oh my gosh, that was still wild.
Speaker 1Okay, but, like I said, I really I don't know your theater side, which is wild to me because you have done so much in the DFW theater area. And to know, now that you know you have this role and position and um have done things, it's so crazy to think what a small world we live in. Um, so you are not originally from this area well, I'm from.
Speaker 2I'm from cleburne, uh, so like two and a half hours southwest of here, so I call it the armpit of texas, but like I love cleburne, but you know um, it's cleburne it's cleburne but you moved to the area like 21 old were you
Speaker 2I was. I moved here when I was 23 but I started working here when I was about 20, um, so I like getting into theater. I got into theater in cleburne and at plaza theater company back when they were on main street we had they were just in that tiny little theater I went to the camps. I was like 13 years old, just like found, found my place in that space and I love plaza, love plaza. Um, carnegie then went out to cranberry that's where I was when I met you. Yes, so then cranberry, I went to new york randomly when I was 19 and, uh, then came back because that's hard, because I I moved just six $600 in my pocket and was like all right let's go.
Speaker 4I had no idea that you did that.
Speaker 3Got robbed.
Speaker 2Not like physically, but he took my money and I paid this guy a down payment on rent and he took it in that rigging keys.
Speaker 1Oh, my God.
Speaker 3So you got the whole New york experience uh you could uh, yeah
Speaker 2yeah, I just walked around all the time. The guy I was staying with the time, um, worked at sleep, no more, so I didn't have a key to the sublet. So I would just walk around new york all day and night because he didn't get out of there until like 4 30. So, like I got into some shit stuff. Can I curse here? Okay, um, but I got into some shit.
Speaker 2I like hitched a ride with my friends, uh, sesame ford and polly cock I, because they were visiting new york at the time and I was there, found out they were there and I was like, oh my god, we had to get back to their friend's place in Harlem and then we had to go through like Central Park to get there and I was like, guys, we're not, this is not a good idea, we don't know. We were so lost and I like flagged down an NYPD car and we got a ride with the cops, but like ACAP, but, like you know, at the time there were no taxis around, no anything. And then the cop, the cop kissed me on the cheek when they dropped me off, which I didn't like that very much. I was like, thank you so much, that was a good cop thing for you to do. Why'd you have to do that, dude? Because they were so nice. And then he was like all right, sweeties, see you later. I was like, oh, this got weird. So yeah, don't do that, what the hell what the hell.
Speaker 1That is I like, and I knew you after that. I had none of that, like I knew none of that at all. That is wild. I had no idea that you had even moved out there for a little bit and tried. Do you think you would ever go back?
Speaker 2oh yeah, yeah, if work called yeah. I would. I don't think there's like I'm a little country mouse in my heart, um, and I'm always gonna be that. So I just remember coming back from new york and, uh, just really seeing a texas sunset for the first time, like sunset for the first time, like not for the first time, but Back yeah.
Speaker 2I went other people don't have this Like in the city, you just never see the sky and I'm like I don't know if I could be permanently in the city like that, but maybe adjacent, because I do love it. I love how crazy it is, I love the there's always something, what was?
Speaker 3your reason for wanting to move out there.
Speaker 1Was it for uh acting or work, or was it just to get away?
Speaker 2I think deep down it was really just to get away because, like you know, I've been performing and acting since I was 12 and then, you know, 19. I was like I can go and get a job out there you can not necessarily an acting job, but I can move to new york. People do it all the time. My grandmother did it, you know. Yeah, so it's like that was kind of what I was going for, the, the nyc start to be kind of thing. You, you know, but that's not. I think that's kind of not me, you know, I think I move at the beat of my own drum too much to march in the line of a sidewalk of a city. I don't know what that means.
Speaker 1but no, it makes sense. No, I think so. So with that, with your singing that you've already shown us already, we're going to take our first break and scoot over to the piano so you can show us, maybe, what you moved to New York with and auditioned with. If you did, we'll see. I auditioned zero times.
Speaker 2Well they should have taken this on.
Speaker 4I couldn't get a job.
Speaker 2I had no skills. I have skills now, but Stop Back then.
Speaker 4I didn't do any tech stuff Really.
Speaker 2No, I didn't, I was just. I was like don't give me a drill.
Speaker 1Goodness. Okay, we're going to go take a break and get over to the piano and we'll be right back. So the first time I met you, I think you were singing. What Was it not at karaoke? Oh, it was definitely at karaoke, right yeah, where we were both blacked out drunk.
Speaker 2Those were the days One of us was yeah, but if you remember, because I don't remember the first time.
Speaker 1I can't remember either, but this song, I love this song so much, and so when you said you knew it, I was like, yeah, we have to do it. So tell people what we're singing.
Speaker 2Hi, I'm Jet Kelly and I'm going on strike. I'm going on strike.
Speaker 4And I'm gone.
Speaker 4And I'm gone and I'm done. No more running, no more lying, no more fattening, denying me my day. Just the moon. So big and yellow. It turns night right Into day. Dreams come true. So big and yellow. It turns night right into day. Dreams come true. Yeah, they do. In Santa Fe. Where does it say you gotta live and die here? Where does it say a guy can't catch a break? Why should you only take what you're given? Why should you spend your whole life living trapped, like there ain't no future, even at 17,? Breaking your back for someone else's sake If the life don't seem to suit ya? How about a change of scene, far from the lousy headlines and the bread lines in between? Salve, my old friend. I can't spend my whole life dreaming, though I know that's all I seem inclined to do. I ain't getting any younger and it's fun to start brand new. I need space and fresh air. Let them laugh in my face.
Speaker 3I don't care save my place.
Speaker 4I'll be there. Just be real. That's all I'm asking, not some pain in my head, cause I'm dead If I can't count on you today.
Speaker 3I got nothing if I ain't got Sarah.
Speaker 1Faye, yeah. So, like I said, I'm used to you screamo-emo-ing karaoke songs.
Speaker 4Oh yeah.
Speaker 1I feel like that's what we typically will do yeah, not at all it's a boy band.
Speaker 2Uh-huh, daniel, that's you're doing well no um yeah, screamo emo was like me in like sixth grade so last year yeah yeah, no, we used to go to that.
Speaker 1What was that one place over there by where ashley lived? Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2I have no idea.
Speaker 1What is it called?
Speaker 4Which one.
Speaker 1That karaoke place. It was like in front of that shopping center. It's like a tiny, horrible spot. I can't remember.
Speaker 2You know what, daniel, you got me there you got me there the one time.
Speaker 1The one time you got me that one time the one time Drink up? I actually don't, because I don't want to alcohol poison you again, you bitch. Don't don't want to kill you with your histamine. Um, okay, so amazing job. Love, santa fe, love. Would you ever want to play jack kelly? Absolutely have. You ever want to play Jack Kelly? Absolutely have you ever no, have you been in a Newsies.
Behind the Scenes
Speaker 2No, I got stuck on stage one time in a kid's production of Newsies because the gate got stuck on stage and we had these big doors Like in the theater. We had these big doors that opened and we had a pvc gate, which was the first problem because it was on wheels and it just did this. It just wasn't and so we had to open the gate we have. We have 60 kids going on and off the stage, okay, and me and my good friend erica were running crew and, um, I got stuck because the gate had gotten stuck in the door frame and the door would no longer shut, so the gate was preventing me from getting into the open door. It was not happening and I was standing there in a little newsy cap because that's what I had on, holding the door while they started doing King of New York. So I guess I've been in newsies for 10 seconds so you have been in it.
Speaker 1Uh see, I knew it. I could just read it on you I do give that vibe, so um away from acting. You have done a lot of technical stuff. How did you get into that?
Speaker 2Well, I started helping around, strike this, that and the other, and then I figured out that you could actually get paid to use a drill sometimes. Um, if you could, if you were good at it. And, like my dad, my dad's a tradesman. So I grew up, you know, knowing how to use a drill, but not ever thinking that it would benefit me in theater in any way. I'd be like what you want me to do, what with the light. But I, you know, I found out that building sets was fun and it also you could get paid for it if you were good at it. So I decided to get good at it and then I ended up getting a job, um, just working in the shop at water tower. Uh, and my first day I built something so incorrectly that they actually had to talk their higher up out of telling me that I had to go Stop. Well, and like to be fair, the guy who assigned me this thing to do, he handed it to me and I said I don't know how to read this and he said figure it out. So you know, it was kind of one of those things where it's like I set up to fail on that one because I didn't know what I was doing, but it taught me, like if somebody it's better to like say you don't know how to do something so that someone can show you how to do it correctly. Because I learned through doing this pretty much consistently in water tower, because I worked my my way up. Uh, eventually they kept me around, obviously, but eventually I worked up to the assistant technical director. Then COVID hit, so I was able to miraculously, very, very blessed to be able to retain a job throughout the pandemic and really figure out, kind of from the ground up, how to run a company that has do not work notices issued all over the place and you're not allowed to be with and didn't be with each other. So that kind of you know.
Speaker 2Eventually I worked my way up into being the director of production. So I'm over the entire technical side and some of the artistic elements and you know I do a lot of making the entire production come together. So I've always said that I want to be like a production designer, eventually, like a, like a. So a director of production is one of those things that we it's a title that we don't really have in theater, but they have it more in film, but it encompasses what I do better than a technical director, if that makes sense, um.
Speaker 2But as far as set design, I kind of just fell into doing that because I do know how to build Um and it's something that's always a learning process, uh, like learning what is proper design and what is like guerrilla design, what is, you know, when you have the budget to do. You know you always have to know how to do things on a budget and that's been one of the skills that, like, is really, really useful because I'm able to say, hey, that's a little big for this situation. Hey, that's a little big for this situation. So maybe we can pare that down and use some reclaimed materials, maybe we can take some things, borrow some things. You know, it's so much a theater I've found is just is is borrowing and helping each other out and um, I, I think that that's how, that's how I've been able to do.
Speaker 2Anything is through the help of other people, and it's so important to just have that team around you because you can't do anything alone. The pandemic showed me so much that you cannot do things alone. Because I would try so hard to do I mean, I kind of had to during that time to if you were hustling during the pandemic. But people who were hustling at that point know that you have to hop. Yeah, and if you can't see or talk to anyone it's kind of hard to get you know.
Speaker 1Help with things, yeah how great that you were able to keep a job, though, and I am in theater.
Speaker 2I am shocked and blessed. I count my blessings every single day, like I. Just I know how untrue that was for, honestly, most people and there was a time like we didn't even know that we were going to be able to open the doors again.
Speaker 2You know there were times where we're like, is this going to shutter? But? And there was a time where there were three people on staff and you know my coworkers and my bosses. I really have to praise them for what they did during that time, through all of the heartache and hardships. But you know, it's so, it's so standing in it and it didn't. There was a time where it didn't look like it was going to be.
Speaker 1So I'm really proud of what our company has done so you said director of production, can you kind of walk me through a production you know, and what your process is a little bit, and what you do?
Speaker 2Well, if I'm the scenic designer for the show, I start out by designing the show, talking with the director, doing the entire design process, the sketches, Is that like through a computer system that you do it, or are you like I? Use SketchUp I sometimes I sketch a lot.
Speaker 1Yeah, I'm not real good at it, but you know, I know what it means but no one else has to know until I put it in a computer.
Speaker 2I'm getting better at SketchUp, but if it's someone else designing the set, then they do all that like. With this current one I'm not designing mary poppins. The miraculous, amazing bob lavalier is doing that and I love working with bob. Absolutely, incredible designer, incredible human, incredible artist. Just love that guy, um, but so I. He has got me all of the cad files, all the drawings, um. Then I have a crew in the shop, um, who I give things to.
Speaker 2They build it, I build it, we build it, um, and then we load in to our space, uh, at the addison Center, and I get the light plot, I get the sound plot. I don't do any of the programming. That's usually the designer, the engineers, but we hang the lights. I have to know where everything's going, get everything, all the lights, into their dimmers, get everything on the sound side ready dimmers. Get everything on the sound side ready, because we have to re redo the sound system every time we do a show, all of it, the entire thing, like cables, everything. We have to rerun it sound 90 of the time because it's just, it's not hung, it's not in a certain place because we're in a big black box. So, if your audience, like for satchmo, we had audience on one on two different planes so we couldn't have three array speakers pointed at the house so we had to move speakers all over the you know. So it's a lot more involved than I, than things that are already installed it's a weird place.
Speaker 3One show I did want to ask you about, because water tower partnered with um.
Speaker 1I believe it was stage west for uh, the plane that goes wrong. Did you help with that, because that is so technically like it has to be perfect? Um, were you part of that design as well, or?
Speaker 2I did not design that, brian, uh, brian, yeah, yeah, he, he, he designed that. Uh, we built part of it, they built part of it.
Speaker 1Um, how was the build for that? Was it just?
Speaker 2uh, our side was was fairly easy. We really only got the the wall part, um, and a few other little things. The biggest thing because they loaded the stuff that they had built at Stage West over at Water Tower, because we were doing the show first in the Cobra and then we took everything to Stage West.
Speaker 1So the loadout- was crazy, well, and I didn't get to see it, but I heard it's coming back it's coming back um, but was there a second level and everything.
Speaker 1Yeah, well, and I mean because I saw that in london when I went goodness, five years ago now and just the technicality behind it and like everything timed and the magnets and everything else that has to be part of that set, I can't even imagine um, so there was a night where the magnets I don't remember what Something happened with the magnets one night and I think somebody unplugged it or something.
Speaker 2Yes, I don't remember, like don't quote me on it, but like I don't remember what happened. But something happened with the magnets, it just wasn't working. Yeah, no, yeah, that's just like I said, I I'm in awe of that show and I can't wait.
Speaker 1It was just sold out every single night.
Speaker 2So even for um, the new run is the new run, it's get tickets oh, get tickets now, I'll get them yeah, please do, yes, please do.
Tool Time
Speaker 1Um, but speaking of building sets and all that good stuff, we're gonna play a small little game together that I'm very nervous about, so we're going to head on over to. We're actually going to stay right here and play the game, so I don't know where I'm heading to, I don't know where I'm heading to live, so we'll be back. We're going to play a game. See you in a bit. Hey y'all, and welcome back to Daniel Does DFW. And here we are for Tool Time. I'm Daniel the Toolman, taylor, with my friend Kay, here we are here to tool around with some tools.
Speaker 3I'm so fucking nervous because I, like my dad was not a tool person. No, my dad was a tool person dad was not a tool person.
Speaker 1No, my dad was a tool person. I was not a tool person. My dad has so many tools well, had he's dead tools. So so here's the game. Kay has brought some tools for me today that they use as they make. They use as they make sets or as they do things in their technical life I don't know in the bedroom. I didn't bring that, no strap-ons today. So they have brought. They have brought some stuff to show us that is acceptable for the podcast and I have to tell everyone.
Speaker 1My pride flag made it in here we are the members of the all American team. We come from cities near and far.
Speaker 4We've got gays gays, there are gays.
Speaker 1Who would have thought so. Kay will be pulling out some tools out of their box, and I have to guess what that tool is. Good luck to me.
Speaker 2You have to give it a name.
Speaker 1I have to give it a name. Okay, here we go. I'm ready for the first tool.
Speaker 2We're gonna start really easy okay, what's this?
Speaker 1I mean, it's a ruler you're fucking kidding me it's a swanson speed square point one for daniel I legit. That's what's called, like I should have put tape on all of these. It's fine, I won't look at all of them. I was like is it a corner hugger? It's not a corner hugger. Um, this is called a scrapple. I actually don't know what you do with it. It's nope. It doesn't say it on there. Stanley Steamer makes your. It's a chisel.
Speaker 4That's what I said.
Speaker 2a chisel no you didn't say that.
Speaker 1But a scrapple Give me that. Oh, okay, be careful. Okay, I think I use this on the bottom of my feet.
Speaker 4Ew.
Speaker 2It's a Technically, yeah, it's. Use this on the bottom of my feet.
Speaker 1It's a um. Technically, yeah, it's a um.
Speaker 2It makes wood curlies it makes wood curlies.
Speaker 1I what is it called when you do it on the bottom of your feet? What's it called pet egg? Um, it's a pet. Is it a pet egg? Did I get it right?
Speaker 2it's a planer, it's a rasp. Actually it's a rasp. That's not a planer. A planer is something completely different, because a planer creates planes that are even and flat. That's a rasp.
Speaker 1It takes off things or not you know it's crazy in spanish we make raspas by shaving ice, and so that's what you make them with a rasp you learn something.
Speaker 2You actually make them with a planer that is just like the yeah, I know what it is so.
Speaker 1That's why they're called raspas.
Speaker 2Raspas.
Speaker 1Yeah, okay, what's this this is a mini saw.
Speaker 2You're so fucking right.
Speaker 1For small people is it a mini saw.
Speaker 4It's a mini saw. I don't know why it's so small.
Speaker 2I just didn't want to bring a big hacksaw because that's scary to carry around Hacksaw. I don't know if it's actually had some. I don't know. There are so many different kinds of saws, but this is a little saw.
Speaker 1See, I got it right. Point one for Daniel. Amanda put point one up at point one. Thank you, insert. Insert that here, okay what?
Speaker 2else you got.
Speaker 1Okay, I want to say butt plug, but well, it's the same amount of syllables. What do you do with this? Like do I put this at the end of my boat To like? I mean you could With an anchor.
Speaker 2That's called. Are you ready for this?
Speaker 4Yeah, it's called a plumb bob.
Speaker 1I know a guy who used a plumb bob.
Speaker 2No, ow, that just whacked the shit out of my whiskey. Um, okay.
Speaker 1Oh, I know this. I have to think which one it is. This is an Allen wrench.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 1Oh crap, it's a wrench.
Speaker 2Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1A plumber wrench.
Speaker 2Well, I mean, yeah, technically what kind of wrench. I think it's technically a monkey wrench.
Speaker 1Monkey wrench.
Speaker 2But um, now that I'm thinking about it, it might not be.
Speaker 1Oh, this is uh.
Speaker 2It's 14 inches, but yes that is the wrench that you need for plumbing things. No, um, okay, what's this?
Speaker 1Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, um a clamp thingy, but it's um, it's called a uh, what's it look like? A vice? No, no Read.
Speaker 2China no A.
Speaker 1C-clamp Yay, oh, c-clamp China.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 1A sea clamp, yay Sea clamp, sticking in these pockets.
Speaker 2It's got a funny name.
Speaker 1It just makes me like Needle point, a screwy top thing in the jig. Don't talk.
Speaker 2You shouldn't talk about people that way, especially when they're sitting right in front of you.
Speaker 1A screwy top, messy, messy. Just give me your best guess. This feels like I'm in the adams family. What's that?
Speaker 4I've been put in a new day what is it? It's a turnbuckle a turnbuckle.
Speaker 1Yeah, I'm, I'm a fan. Okay, what's that? Oh, obviously a U-clamp.
Speaker 2No, no, that's a shackle.
Speaker 1Not used to them looking like this Shit.
Speaker 4Okay, what's this?
Speaker 1Oh, obviously it's a hammer.
Speaker 2What kind of hammer?
Speaker 3A round hammer. What kind of hammer? A round?
Speaker 1A bull bull, a bullby hammer.
Speaker 4It's called a ball peen hammer.
Speaker 1Here is where we become rated R A ball peen, hammer. We just don't call stuff like that, huh. So people be careful. We're just gonna a ball peen, it's called a ball peen hammer because this is.
Speaker 2It doesn't mar the surface the ball and this is the peen I don't know, maybe it's reverse, I'm not sure this might be the peen, who knows? Maybe it's that.
Speaker 4I don't know why it's called this, it just is.
Speaker 1There was something in here that I was like what is this? Oh, this is a thingamabob, it's a drill bit, or a drill bit is what I meant.
Speaker 4It's a drill bit.
Speaker 2Okay, okay, make sure it doesn't stay on here. Okay, okay, make sure it doesn't stay on here.
Speaker 1Why do I feel like this is what they use at like breeze?
Speaker 2at where yeah I agree.
Speaker 1Okay. Um, it's called a pincher. What are you pinching with that? I don't know what are you supposed to do? Oh, does it cut? No, it's a. A. Um, I don't know, hold on, I'm gonna go.
Speaker 2No, I got this toenail clipper oh, your toenails must be real bad girl. Um, these are actually. Um, these are called dykes, but they don't like it when you talk about them that way anymore. I'm just kidding. Um, that's what they call them, but the technical, technical name for them it's like Latin. You know in scientific names, you know how we call lions lions, but their name isn't actually lions. They're called bullnose pliers, because I don't know why.
Speaker 1What do you use them for? Do you like pull out nails with them?
Speaker 2I do, yeah, you pull things out of there with them, so bullnose dikes, bullnose dykes.
Speaker 1Well, I'm glad you brought this dyke on today. I had to bring my pair of dykes so that we could chat about it and I could learn more about tools. I hope you learned a lot about tools today too.
Speaker 3Wait, we're not done.
Speaker 1Oh shit, okay, Okay.
Speaker 4What's that?
Speaker 1This is obviously a A um Like a corner saw.
Speaker 2What's this?
Speaker 1Those are called die cuts.
Speaker 2No, these are biscuits Like to eat. Yeah, like the English. English biscuits are like cookies, right.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2These are wood biscuits.
Speaker 1What do you do with wood biscuits? You eat them? No, you do not.
Speaker 2They're good for you. I'll eat one if you eat them. No, you do not. They're good for you. I'll eat one if you eat one. I dropped it, but I'll eat one if you eat one. Daniel, I can't believe you'd do that.
Speaker 1Don't eat a wood biscuit.
Speaker 2Why the fuck would you put that in your mouth? Daniel, I trusted you. This is a biscuit joiner, so that cuts the hole for your biscuit and what do you do with the? Biscuits, you put the biscuit in the biscuit hole. I've actually never used this. I've never had to what are biscuits for? Um, so when you put two pieces of wood together, sometimes you need something to hold them together internally as opposed to externally. So this is like a way to do that. So you just kind of like that makes sense, it's joinery that was a good word.
Speaker 1I get that now, so like when you put like a table together and it has like those biscuits that are like delicious wood biscuits. They fit together because the table eats the biscuits yeah, this is so interesting to um.
Speaker 2I hope a lot of you well, neighbor.
Speaker 1I hope you learned a lot today. We've been here With our friend Kay. Yeah, remember to play nice with your tools. And eat your wood biscuits and to not be a tool.
Speaker 2That would be a tool to the trench.
Speaker 1Good shot, thank you. Thank you, and we'll see you next time. What a nice set of tools. Yeah, there's so many more. Thank you so much for bringing those in, because I I feel like I could now build a set. Okay, I feel like I have all the tools necessary.
Speaker 3Do you want?
Speaker 1to come work for me, no, can you imagine that would?
Speaker 3be no I can't.
Speaker 1I can't even do strike, like on a show, like because the theaters that I work at, like you, have to do strike because we don't have technical people like you that do them yourself. So, yeah, it's stupid.
Speaker 2Yeah, don't trust me with a drill. I would trust you with, maybe, a screwdriver.
Speaker 1Valid. I know I did recently have to hang my mom's blinds and I was like trying to get it into the wall and I was like reading the instructions. It was like trying to get it into the wall and I was like reading the instruction. It was like drill pilot hole. I was like, oh, you have to drill a hole for your pilot, so just for those of you that need to know drill a pilot hole.
Speaker 4Always drill your pilot holes.
Speaker 1You'll split your wood drill a hole before you split. What'd you say? Drill the hole before you split the spit? What'd you say?
Speaker 2drill the hole before you split your wood drill the hole before you split your wood hopefully you're not splitting any wood, because that's bad I may have split some wood.
Speaker 1I'm not even. I probably did, I'm not even alive. So if those blinds fall off, my mom's house, just her big picture. Okay, so you were telling me that current projects, you are going to help with the production of Mary Poppins at Water Tower, which that opens when.
Speaker 2July 17th is when that goes up Nice. So soon, very soon.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 2And then after that I am designing Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe Fun, directed by Ashley Puckett Gonzalez.
Speaker 2So that's going to be really fun, because that's kind of I really like designing plays more than musicals, I think, because musicals you have to have space for everybody dancing on stage, you know, and if you have a small stage it's kind of everything has to come on and off, you know, but a play you really like, I like creating worlds, you know, and really tying everything in because it's the first thing the audience sees, you know they walk in, and unless you've got a, the audience sees, you know they walk in, and unless you've got a curtain there, you know that's what they're looking at for 30 minutes while they're listening to the house music. You know, like you, you establish, you're able to establish so much with set and setting that, I think, is. I didn't realize how, just how important. I had an appreciation for it, um, but I don't think I really understood the kind of artistic you can. You kind of don't have any limits aside from what the director tells you that they want, and so I think creating that world was really fun for me.
Speaker 1How much of that is research that you put in on your own Like. Do you research other productions of it?
Speaker 2Yes, a lot of it is research. There's an element, there's a point in time where the research becomes ingrained in the imagining of the world. So, like Raisin in the Sun was probably one of my most heavily researched projects and I actually I mapped out the we were still in tennis court and still not able. We were skipping every second seat. It was so spread out it was crazy, but that was the only way we could do it. But the actual shape of the stage was, um, the red line district of chicago, um, like to was.
Speaker 2It was based off of that shape of redlining and when you would watch the show and it was kind of this happy accident, but one side of the audience it looked more like you were looking into the house and then one side it felt like you were inside the house. So the audience was able to walk away with a different viewpoint of that story, depending on where they sat. And like she cooked eggs on the stove and you could smell them. You know, like I'm really into getting that immersive sensory, like meow wolfy, like you walk through the art and the art is around you, kind of thing Like that's, that's where I I can really like that's my powerhouse, I think.
Speaker 1That's so interesting, and I don't think theaters push that limit enough, right? I think that they want to. They want to do a set that is familiar to people, that looks just like a tour or looks just like the original production, and I like that you're willing to push that line a little bit.
Speaker 2I I think it's the only way I know how to do anything. It's like I don't know how to follow. I don't know how to color in the lines. I always want to add a new line, um, but yeah, it's just they don't. Theater has not gone far enough yet as a whole, but I think it's getting there, because I think people want an experience that's more than just sitting and watching Like they want to feel like they're a part of something, and I think that's really it's important for building community one. But I think it's really really it's also really important to I don't know can like. Art teaches so many lessons. If you're not pushing your boundaries with art, then where are you pushing your boundaries at all?
Speaker 2Because art is something that, at the end of the day, it matters so much, because there's no stake. Your art doesn't have to be good to be good. It can just be art and you can just have fun with it. It's not that serious, and that's what makes good. Art is authenticity, and I'm just so I don't know. I'm really passionate about people being authentically who they are and creating art from an authentic place, because that's the only way it's ever good. If you look at these great performers, these great musicians, these great, any great artists, they are only they. The only reason they are great is because they were authentic and the work that they put out reflected that. And that's what I'm about. I am about authenticity. I'm about being yourself, because, at the end of the day, that's the best version of you do you think a lot of theaters play it safe oh, every single theater plays it safe, but they have to.
Speaker 2And the reason they don't necessarily, it's not that they have to. It's the smart thing to do right now. Why, right now, people aren't? At the end of the day, what keeps a theater open is people buying tickets. Audiences aren't taking enough risks. I don't think it's necessarily the theater's fault. I think audiences like what they like. Audiences are the ones buying tickets. They say what they want to see, so theaters listen. Say what they want to see, so theaters listen. Um, and I as much as any other theater person is like why can't we take more risks? Why can't any of these theaters anywhere in the us right now I haven't seen a single one take a risk that I'm like huh, that's gonna go somewhere.
Embracing Authenticity in Art
Speaker 2That's something different in the way of it's not being different just to be different. It's being different because it's telling a story you know, and something that's never been done before. It's. The other thing is people think that theater is up, down, down, flying left, right. It's not. Theater is just as much what we're doing right now as anything, you know. Like we have lights up, we have cameras rolling, we're in a film, you know, stand-up comedy is theater. Rupaul said that like we're all born naked, the rest is drag. Well, we walk through life in a costume, so the whole world is a stage. We're all the players. Like Shakespeare got it right, so I don't even remember your question no, you're fine, yeah, my answer is yes.
Speaker 2I do think theaters play it too safe, but I think it needs to not all be on the theaters, it needs to be on. How do we get audiences to take more chances? Because I think a lot of theaters do want to take more risks, but I think that that evil element of money, yeah, is underlying everything and that's unfortunate, because there's so much, there are so many great ideas that I fuck it. I have, or I hear other people have, and they're like I just wish I could get somebody to fund it.
Speaker 1It's like, okay, that's a great thing that you have, but me too, you know, and I think, out of everyone, though water tower sometimes will take those steps, like the shows that I've seen, like hand to god, which you know, I can't see another theater really doing that.
Speaker 2Well, um, oh really, another theater's gonna do it, no oh no, not that at all, it's just like well, the price was paid for that.
Speaker 1You know I'm I mean the night that I went.
Speaker 2There weren't a lot of people there I mean it all like that's the price was paid for that really, and I mean, and what's sad is that that was one of my favorite shows the price was paid for it, wow and then curious case like that was my first set design.
Speaker 1That I felt was also another show that you can't really be done at other theaters, and so they're taking Chaplin, a show that not a lot of, because it was a premiere and it was a choice. It was a choice, I saw that and, yeah, they took a chance on it. You know, again, something that I think they are willing to take a risk sometimes with their choice in shows that I think other theaters aren't willing to take, even as far as a play goes wrong.
Speaker 1I think that that's technically difficult, that some theaters wouldn't want to do that and they may not have the space for it because it is a two floors, you know, and it has to be a strong cast. You have to have that timing.
Speaker 2Yeah, the cast has to be right well, my biggest thing about this past year is all of the one person shows that we've been doing and I actually it's given me a lot of um space to kind of draw turg a little bit, because that's like I want to direct and I want to make movies and I want to like I want to do every single thing you can do to make a piece of art at some point in my life. You know, like I want to do it all and it's so hard to just pinpoint one thing that I want to do because I really do want to. What's that saying about the hands and the pies?
Speaker 4I, I don't get it, but it's what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 1I don't know about the hands and the pies when you have a lot of hands and a lot of pies.
Speaker 2It's something about having your hands and pies anyway. Eat pies, eat cake, um, but I just I want to do it all. I want to make art. I want to foster a community that feels safe to be their authentic selves and one that isn't picking on each other, um, and I mean and I'm not talking about dfw specifically, but I feel like people are really quick, you know, with social media and tiktok and all this stuff, to to really bully other people, um, for really nothing. And I kind of had to step away and pull myself back from social media, and it still gives me a lot of anxiety to even post anything now which I'm like, okay, what you know. But, um, I think that a lot of people don't know that it's okay to just be yourself, um, and I think it's important that people know that it's hard to live right now, it's hard to be alive, and if we can't make art, then what the fuck are we living for?
Speaker 1you know, I completely agree with that.
Speaker 2Love each other, be kind, make your art, be yourself.
Speaker 1Those are the only rules that's the reason we do it right. Yeah is because it makes us happy.
Speaker 2Yeah, it pulls out the best part of us yeah and parts that like I was super nervous to get up there and sing that song with you because it's a song. That song in particular has made me nervous in the past, but I did it once, it was, I did it twice, it was better. So like you have to be huh to get better and I just want people to know that it's okay to have a space where you can be blah at something, even if you don't want anyone to see it. You know you can do that People aren't looking at. That's not your value. You know, like your value is in what you learn and your value is in how, where your soul comes from. Like I'm getting real hippy dipping in this right now.
Speaker 2But yeah, I just I want people to know that it's okay, there's, there's no front that you gotta. You don't have to put up an artist front to be an artist. You don't have to put up an actor front to be an actor. You can just be, cause that's so much. It's so much of art is just being and existing in a world that you create.
Speaker 1Cheers to that.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 3I make rosters cheers to that no.
Speaker 1I meant rosters no, so I want to thank you for being on the show. We are just about out of time, so I loved having you on. Oh my gosh, I feel like we had some really good conversation. You got to tell us all about the things that I didn't really know at all, which is wild to me. Knowing you for 10 years, you know some of that stuff that yeah, mysterious person. Okay, um, okay, uh, so tell us um. I know you said you don't do social media.
Speaker 1I do but do you have an Instagram or anything that you want to share? Uh?
Speaker 4yeah, it's um anything that you want to share.
Speaker 1Uh, yeah it's um how do I pronounce?
Artistic Social Media Presence
Speaker 2it kk stir or you could follow k makes. K makes is my other one. It's not very active. I'm trying to get back into it, um, and set up my website and everything, so I'll have a whole thing soon.
Speaker 1So if you just follow K-Makes, so follow K-Makes on Instagram or K-K-Ster or K-K-Ster, but no, thank you so much for being on today. Have a blast, a nice kiki with you drinking some vino, etc. Again, remember, you can follow us on our social media at DanielDoesDFW, that's on Facebook, instagram or on YouTube as well, where you can watch it, or you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Again, give it a big hand for Kay joining us today and hopefully you know more about tools. Again, I don't think I remember any of what they said. Maybe maybe one, maybe maybe rasp. I learned something, all right, so we'll catch you next time. Thank you, bye.
