apprentice spotlight | kira fondse

Kira is an acting apprentice originally from Winnipeg. She comes to us with piles of musical theatre and opera training, and we're so happy she chose to relocate to Vancouver!

What drew you to the apprenticeship in the first place?

I had toured a show across Canada a while back, and that opportunity made me realize that I wanted to learn more about theatre. Up until that point, most of my performance experience involved musical theatre and opera, but I wanted to explore the realm of straight theatre as well. I began to realized its potential to start conversations and ask questions, and I hadn’t really thought about it in that way before.

I was finishing up my university degree and I thought I’d look for some kind of theatre mentorship or apprenticeship after that. I was also hoping to find one that had a faith-based component and community.

During an evening of searching for opportunities, good ol' Google led me to finding Pacific Theatre's apprenticeship program, and it seemed as though there wasn't anything quite like it anywhere else in Canada.

I had never heard of PT before then!

Had you been to Vancouver before?

My uncle lives here and in that show tour our last stops were in Vancouver and Victoria. It was funny, that summer I thought “When am I ever going to be back here again?” Less than a year later, here I was.

Kira sings her heart out at the Stone's Throw Christmas Fundraiser HARK!

Have you tried anything new this year you’d like to keep exploring?

I’ve tried a lot of new things like assistant stage management- it was a good experience and I learned a lot. I’d never understudied before which was a good challenge for me, and very applicable! (Kira was an understudy and stepped in for a performance of A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY this spring!)

Producing – I’d like to do more producing and I’d never tackled that before!

I wouldn't mind continuing with some box office and front of house work-I’ve really enjoyed it thus far!

The apprenticeship typically culminates in a final, fully produced show. What are you taking on for your final project?

I’m producing and acting in the play WE ARE THE BODY by Canadian playwright Andrew Kooman. It’s a story that speaks to the persecution of people for who they are or what they believe. Unfortunately this is something that is all-too common today, and which people all over the world can relate to. Part of the reason I wanted to do this apprenticeship was to learn how to give a voice to those who have been silenced, and I think this show fulfills that objective in a very real way.

Any words of advice for an incoming apprentice?

Be at PT as much as possible and be open to trying anything! You may surprise yourself when learning what roles and tasks you like and don’t like, and what you're good and not-so-good at. There’s so much to learn during your time here.

Also, don’t stress at the beginning when it feels like you’re overwhelmed and don’t have anything figured out. It will come, just give it time and don't hesitate to ask for help.

What are you working on after the apprenticeship?

I want to continue performing, producing, teaching, learning, and finding ways to tell stories and start conversations.

Keep an eye on the Stone's Throw Facebook and Instagram accounts for more updates about WE ARE THE BODY and the other final apprentice projects! And don't forget, there's still time to apply to the apprenticeship for next season.