Leading ladies bring years of experience to world premiere of The Sweet Potato Queens at TUTS Underground

The world premiere of The Sweet Potato Queens is making its debut with TUTS Underground from March 17-27, 2016 giving Houston audiences another chance to view new and emerging works.

spq2This new musical is brought to the stage in partnership with writer Rupert Holmes (Tony® Award winner for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Music and Lyrics for The Mysteries of Edwin Drood), Grammy® Award-winning composer Melissa Manchester, and Oscar-nominated lyricist Sharon Vaughn.

Based on The New York Times best-selling series (with a cult following), The Sweet Potato Queens ® by author Jill Connor Browne, the musical version is loosely based on Browne’s life – showcasing the juxtaposition between her life before creating the larger-than-life character of a Sweet Potato Queen, and after.

Bringing The Sweet Potato Queens to life are a cast of devoted actresses committed to Browne’s story.

The cast includes Susan Koozin stars as Queen Jill with Kathryn Porterfield in the role of Jackson Jill. Her friends – all named Tammy – are Christina Stroup as Floozie Tammy, Julia Krohn as Flower Tammy and, new to the TUTS Underground stage, Kerissa Arrington as Too Much Tammy. The rest of the cast includes Dylan Godwin as George, Adam Gibbs as Tyler, Theresa Nelson as Mama and Kevin Cooney as Daddy.

Meet actresses, Susan Koozin and Kathryn Porterfield,  and see what drives their performances:

susan_koozin1SUSAN KOOZIN as Queen Jill

  • What brought you into acting?  I started acting and singing at a very young age. My dad is a singer and performer, so I was born into a family where music and the arts were a big part of our lives. I performed and studied music and theatre throughout school and went to college and graduate school for acting.
  • What do you like about this particular show?  What I most enjoy about doing this show is the philosophy behind the SPQ’s. It encourages us all to have more fun, not take life too seriously and to cherish our friends and loved ones.
  • Talk about your favorite aspect of acting? My favorite aspect of acting is the opportunity to create different characters, finding a way to use my own life experiences and find truth no matter the character’s circumstances.  I also love the family that develops while working on a production. There’s no other bond quite like these unique relationships.  In many ways, theatre has been my life. In other aspects of my life I am a wife, mother, daughter, a teacher and director.

KATHRYN PORTERFIELD as Jackson Jill: KATPORSPQ

  • What brought you into acting?  I began singing from an extremely young age. I got involved with choir and voice lessons during elementary school, as soon as it became available. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school, when my choir director persuaded me to try out for the musical that I began acting. Since that first rehearsal, I’ve been hooked! Which lead me to Sam Houston State University where I earned my BFA in Musical Theatre, and then here to Houston!
  • What do you like about this particular show?  What I love most about The Sweet Potato Queens how strong the women in the show become. Each Queen in the show has her own journey; her own obstacle she must overcome, and I think that’s what makes this piece so special. Through the friendship these women have with one another and their own inner strength, they are able to find the joy in life that they deserve. Not only is The Sweet Potato Queens message so important, the music is so refreshing and catchy. Melissa and Sharron have created magic and I think audiences are going to really enjoy themselves,and find themselves humming this music for a long time!
  • Talk about your favorite aspect of acting?  My favorite aspect of acting is the creative escape I have while on stage. For a few hours a night, I get to become someone else- normally someone in very pivotal and exciting moments of their lives. It’s incredibly therapeutic and always very rewarding. I also feel so thankful to do something that I love for a living, and that it not only makes me happy, but that I can share that with audiences and bring them the same joy, or impact them in some way.

Tickets are available online at www.TUTSUnderground.com or by phone at (713) 558-TUTS (8887).

featured photo: http://ev9.evenue.net 

SPQ photo credit: broadwayworld.com

Headshots courtesy of actresses

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