The People in Your Neighborhood 

Hi neighbors. I'm Shannon Musgrave. In this year's VOYEUR, I spend most of my time playing Betsy Ross (whom I love very much) but in this blog, I'm going to talk about my other character, Kate K. 

Kate Kopischke is our Mayor Ralph Becker's special friend. The unofficial first lady of Salt Lake City. 

One of the many things I love about acting in SATURDAY'S VOYEUR is oftentimes you get to portray real life people - people in your own neighborhood - whom you might bump into at the Farmer's Market or the Avenues Liquor Store or say....Backstage with Becker. (That's when you're really trying to bump into them.) 

After our first read-through of the script, I did a little research on Ms. Kopischke. I found this great article in the Trib and thought, "This woman is awesome. I'm so happy I'm playing her. I want to meet her."  

Later that week I received a flier in the mail announcing "Backstage with Becker" - a fundraiser to kickoff the Mayor's campaign for re-election on May 25th. Surely Kate would be there. 

So, my VOYEUR compatriot Alexis Baigue (who plays Mayor Ralph in the show) called to see if he and I might volunteer at the event. As luck would have it, they were in need of two hilarious and charismatic people able to sit at the check-in table and hand out buttons. We were just the two for the job! After rehearsal, Alexis and I hurried over to the Utah Opera Production Studios, proudly pinned on our Becker pins and sat eagerly at the table, checking in everyone who's anyone in Salt Lake City. 

After awhile, she walked through the door. Kate. I got butterflies. She walked up to the check-in table, I put on my biggest smile and said, "Hello." She sweetly asked if she could put her jacket behind the table and I said, "Of course." She did, then walked away. That little interaction was all I thought I'd get. I got to hear her voice, I got to see her in person. Worth it. 

After everyone had checked in, Alexis and I were permitted to listen to the Mayor's speech, nibble on the lovely hors d'oeuvres, listen to the Daniel Day Trio, and mingle with all the Becker supporters. In a few minutes, we found ourselves in the same area as Kate K. Alexis said, "Let's go talk to her." And we did. I'm sure you all know that Alexis Baigue is a Utah celebrity and he has played Mayor Ralph in VOYEURs past. Kate recognized him and said that on her first trip to Utah, Ralph took her to see Donny & Marie at the conference center and the next night to SATURDAY'S VOYEUR at the Salt Lake Acting Company. She then knew that she could call this place home. Alexis and I had the extreme pleasure of standing and chatting with Kate for at least a half hour. As she talked about the issues that Mayor Becker was dealing with and his hopes for the city, I couldn't help but think that Allen Nevins and Nancy Borgenicht are geniuses. The real-life Kate was speaking about the same issues that VOYEUR Kate talked about. My VOYEUR script described Kate K. as "extremely earnest, fit, and 'green'" - check, check, check. By the end of the conversation, as Kate was saying, "I hope we can see the show this year," I couldn't help but blurt out, "I'M PLAYING YOU!!!" 

Cut to: Opening Night. Mayor Ralph and Kate Kopischke sat on the second row, surrounded by 15 or so of their close friends and supporters. Alexis finished singing "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," and introduced himself: "Hi neighbors, I'm Mayor Ralph." "And I'm Mayor Ralph's...neighbor...Kate," I said. They laughed and cheered. They watched us satirize and parody their day-to-day lives and they were complete sports about it. And onstage I sat in lotus position thinking, "I have the coolest job in the world."

I'm proud to be a Salt Lake Citizen. I'm proud to be a part of SATURDAY'S VOYEUR. And I love that Mayor Becker and Ms. Kopischke have such great senses of humor. They're a pair of classy neighbors and I'm glad they're in my 'hood. 

 SATURDAY'S VOYEUR  runs throughout the summer. Tickets available online or by calling the Box Office: 801.363.7522.