We were lucky to catch up with Katie Royse Ginther recently and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
It definitely hasn’t always been easy to stay optimistic, but I’ve always figured out a way to spin a situation on its head. For example, after being a barista for nine years and seeing a lot of stressful situations over time and over different coffee shops I’ve boiled it down to: we’re just doing coffee. Sure, you could argue that we’re doing so much more than that, but that’s the “cheat code” my different coworkers and I have all always said to ourselves to lower the stakes and create a calmer environment for ourselves.
In theatre, unfortunately I can’t say “it’s just theatre,” because anyone who works in any aspect of theatre will tell you that it takes an insane amount of time, money, effort, and a village to make it happen. My roommate and artistic partner, Izy Taylor, and I have both always worked to find a way to boil down situations in theatre that felt bigger and scarier than they really were to sound more simple. “We get to be silly for two hours!” “We get to sing hilarious songs onstage!” “We get to make art with our friends!” “We get to meet new SUPER COOL people!”
As artistic director of a theatre company, I would definitely say stress is something I’m used to. Every now and then I’ll joke to colleagues saying things like “oh I want to light myself on fire” but I always follow it with “but bringing people’s dreams to life is worth it” every time. If I let all the difficulties that come in theatre, especially INDIE theatre, get to me, let alone the challenges that come with being a leader get to me, then I won’t make it far. I know by staying optimistic and supporting the folks around me is the only way to be successful, ESPECIALLY in an industry like this.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Katie Royse Ginther and I am the founding Artistic Director of Kitchen Sink Theatre Company. I’ve lived all over the country including Minnesota, Iowa, Texas, and Washington state before finally settling in New York City. I have two bachelor’s degrees from Western Washington University; one in Theatre for production and performance and one in Psychology for social and abnormal psychology. Both of these degrees have proved to pair super well over the years and I’ll always treasure my education in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
I started Kitchen Sink in 2021 when I wanted to put on a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. My friend Audrey and I had barely any money, but we knew we wanted to do this. We rallied the community at Western Washington University and in the greater Bellingham area together to create one of the most spectacular and special productions I’ve ever put on in my life. Everything was hand made or donated, and working with everyone on the team was truly such a joy. Since then, I wanted to create experiences just like that over and over again. I made Kitchen Sink to be about creating theatre for the community, by the community. If you’ve got a love of the performing arts and you just want to make something absolutely fantastic, I wanted to create the space where that could happen!
I moved to NYC in June 2022 a week after I graduated college, as it had been mine and Izy’s dream to move to NYC together and do theatre since we were in high school. Since then, I’ve gotten to meet some of the most incredible and thoughtful theatre makers the world has to offer! NYC truly has the most incredible community of indie, and specifically queer indie, theatre makers and to get to say I’m a part of it is still something I can’t believe! I’ve had the luck, since moving to New York, of producing two shows at 54 Below, three fully-realized productions, a 48-hour play festival, and five readings with more to come. I’ve directed one of these readings, as well as one of the fully realized productions and both 54 Below Shows alongside Izy Taylor, Asher Muldoon, and Jake Sinsky. I’ve also performed in three 54 Below shows (one of them being the one I produced because it was the music from Hazbin Hotel and I love that show), one reading, a few different productions of Rocky Horror, and three variety shows!
Kitchen Sink currently has a reading of Clown Lung by Steven San Luis coming to The Rat NYC on August 3rd, as well as a reading of Caroline Ullman’s Role Models at the same venue (tickets on sale now on the Rat NYC’s website!). Later in the year we’ll be producing a fully realized production of Clown Lung at Brooklyn Art Haus on September 5th, 7th, and 8th, as well as a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Brooklyn Art Haus October 25th-31st! We have another amazing production of Cory Sapienza’s Pillow Talk coming in November as well with details to follow.
It is absolutely not easy, and there is so much trial and error, but I’ve found people and places to cultivate my own peace in times of stress that remind me of why I’m doing this in the first place. New York is always an uphill battle, but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Something I’m still working on, but is incredible advice, is living without attachment. I used to really let what people said or thought about me get to me, but I’m recognizing that it really doesn’t matter in the long run how anyone thinks/feels about me, what matters is how I feel about me. I went through a period where I really felt detached from myself and all I could hear was the negative noise in my head. People would address me by my name and I would feel like they were talking about a stranger. It was a really scary time. As soon as I began my journey of living without attachment, I was able to regain my sense of self and decide who I was and not let anyone else decide for me.
It also really takes nothing to put positivity out into the world. There is so much hate and so much awful awful stuff going around world wide that can make existing difficult, but taking time to make new connections with folks, to offer support that can go as far as a simple “hope you’re doing well,” or just tipping your barista at your coffee shop really does a lot. Don’t get me wrong, it can be fun to complain about certain silly things with your friend group, but I don’t want to ever actively put negativity out into the world. Sure, you can’t control how people perceive you, but if your intentions are kind and uplifting then that’s enough for your soul to keep you moving forward.
I’d finally say if you’re in the early stages of a rigorous career, like theatre, make sure to make time for yourself and listen to your needs. At the end of the day, you’re what you got. If you compromise your mental health for art or for your passion, you’ll lose your love of it. I have been a lot better since Kitchen Sink picked up momentum at making time with friends and doing things to rebalance myself. I have found that being outside is most healing for me, so I’ve definitely traded the subway for walking in as many situations as I can, just to breathe in the fresh air and feel my body move. Life can be hard no matter what you’re doing with your life, so making time for peace is a huge deal that we all seem to forget about.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Kitchen Sink is always looking for people to be a part of our community! We’ll post on our socials about work opportunities with us such as casting, play submissions, and designing opportunities. In general, we’re always looking for people who love theatre and want to join a fun community of folks! We love meeting people at our shows (listed in a previous question, as well as on our website kitchensinktheatrecompany.com !
We threw a big party at Rubulad during pride, and we’re planning another one for 9/27 that we’re inviting everyone to! If you’re ever also just looking to grab a coffee and talk about theatre or just life, I love meeting new people! You can find Kitchen Sink on Instagram and Facebook at @kitchensinktheatrecompany and you can find me on Instagram at @katieroyseginther ! If you ever want to bounce ideas off of me, I’m your guy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kitchensinktheatrecompany.com
- Instagram: @katieroyseginther
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-ginther-34901a1a5?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@katieginther4628?si=FsLw8N1_k-rSfNZU
Image Credits
Ian McQueen for most, the drag photo and Nic Cage photo are by Emily Akers!
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
