Kim Gordon
Growing up in the north Jersey suburbs meant regular bus trips into NYC for theater with my best friend. I loved it all: musicals, naturally, but also dark dramas, edgy comedies, elaborately costumed classics and even a few operas at the Met from top balcony seats. Theater tickets were the only gift I ever wanted. Friends and relatives complied.
A busy drama schedule in my teen years and subsequent college theater courses covered acting basics. I sang with several classical music groups, studied dance, and played leads in standard musicals like “My Fair Lady” and the Neil Simon/Alan Ayckbourn favorites. But any skills I have were really forged through many summer seasons of genuine rolling repertory at The Theater at Monmouth in central Maine. Switching daily between Shakespeare, Shaw, Sheridan and Moliere required flexibility, clear choices, accurate memory and incredible teamwork – and let me work opposite talented actors like Boston’s Jeremiah Kissel. On-camera work began when a theater patron hired me to represent a drugstore chain in TV commercials. Soon my credits included a national Chitisol infomercial that matched ratings with the Ginzo Knife and the George Foreman Grill. I continued to do theater, commercials, voiceovers and occasional film work while teaching theater programs for young people as well as London-based theater classes for Colby College. (Being paid to attend theater productions in London and discuss them with students may be the best job anyone ever invented.) I was particularly proud to play a homophobic, closeted camp director in simultaneous film (Fawn Yacker, director) and stage productions of Carolyn Gage’s “Ugly Ducklings,” as part of a national campaign to support LGBTQ youth.
Among favorite medical projects was modeling best practices in dealing with suspected spousal and elder abuse in a series of teaching videos produced by Cathy Plourde (AddVerb Productions.) The series has been presented at the College of Medicine at the University of New England, the Maine Public Health Association and The Global Alliance for Arts and Health and is now open-source available on YouTube.
A few years ago, roles in Mark Lewis’ warmly reviewed (48 so far) comedy WILD GIRL WALTZ and Bill Miller’s drama COWBOY SPIRIT coincided with a more flexible life schedule and convinced me to make stronger professional connections in Massachusetts. Lucky choices in student film projects introduced me to additional vibrant actors. I was Marshall Berenson’s annoying neighbor in GOOD TASTE a quirky BU short that’s become a festival favorite. In John Bickford’s ADVENT, an Emerson thesis film that will be shown at Cannes in the Creative Minds Program, I worked with Kate Jurdi, Wayne Shore, Harry Aspinwall, and charming young Charlie Tacker, who seems to be the busiest actor in the Boston area.
My favorite film role to date was the juicy starring role of feisty DA Constance Smith in Mark Lund’s feature JUSTICE IS MIND, which the IMDB named the 8th most highly rated indie film of 2013. The large cast featured Paul Lussier, Robin Rapaport, Mary Wexler and Carlyne Fournier. Boston actors know how things can build from a few connections. Carlyne offered me a small role in THEORY OF CONFLICT, starring Eddie Frateschi. I didn’t meet Eddie on the set, but he cast me in the trailer for his intriguing series focusing on cultural and religious theories about what happens after death, BEYOND THIS. When I arrived to work on Mark Battle’s film THE CONVICT, Wayne Shore was also in the scene and Robin had already filmed. Through the Emerson grapevine I was offered a central role in Emily Deering’s thesis film PINE.
My Boston transition was also aided by sound advice from Becki Dennis Buchman, who brought me work with Butler Hospital in Providence, addressing addictions treatment patients in two sets of videos funded by the NIH. At one of her Talent Tools workshops I met Andrew Wilson and was happy to gain representation by Model Club Inc. Talent Tools also keeps my reels updated and linked me to Dina K for headshots
It’s a challenge to live in central Maine and work in the New England market. A three-minute audition at an agency in Boston is a gamble that means hours of driving and outlay for gas and tolls. A shoot in Providence may require crashing overnight with friends in Norwood. Luckily, I share the car and life with an understanding actor/ director husband, Richard Sewell. A joint project is both fun and an economic bonus.
Kim can be reached at [email protected].
