In a Midwestern state of mind

Think the theatrical world begins and ends in either New York or Los Angeles?
The fine folks at The Purple Rose Theatre Company beg to differ.
The Chelsea, Mich.-based company gives Midwestern actors, playwrights and theatrical managers the “chance to develop and use their craft,” says Michigan native Kelly Anne Vieau.
The 30-year-old recently began a one-year apprenticeship with the theatre, created in 1991 by Jeff Daniels (“Terms of Endearment,” “The Lookout”).
“I never thought that I would be sitting here, talking about how I work in a professional theater, in Michigan!,” she says via e-mail.
Vieau dabbled in theater throughout elementary and high school, chiefly as an actress.
She wanted a career in the dramatic arts, but she says she wasn’t taken seriously as a Saginaw, Mich. resident.
She considered attending Michigan State’s theater program, but financial concerns made her reconsider. She would keep busy with community theater, later graduating with honors from Saginaw Valley State University‘s theater department.
But what’s a Midwestern drama lover to do after that?
Enter The Purple Rose Theatre Company, named after one of Daniels‘ better known films, Woody Allen‘s “The Purple Rose of Cairo.”
Vieau’s apprenticeship began earlier this month.
“We are there to learn every possible aspect of working in a professional theater. That includes lights, sound, box office, stage management, working in the shop, administration, front of the house and so much more,” she says.
She hopes to become an equity stage manager at some point.
“I always thought that I was going to be this famous actress with my name in lights,“ she says. As she grew older, and learned more about what makes a show tick, she changed her focus to behind the scenes.
Her fellow theater mates hail primarily from Michigan, more specifically Kalamazoo and Detroit, and a few call Ohio home.
Vieau isn’t averse to working in New York one day.
“I don't think that I want to spend the rest of my life there,” she says. “My family is here and I like the area that I am living in - southeastern Michigan. In a perfect world, I just want to work in the theater!”

(Photo: Kelly Anne Vieau)