Interview: Karole Coleman of SANTA ZADDY in Los Angeles & San Diego

Karole Foreman was born in Morocco, Africa into a military family, with her family moving every two years until a teenager.  Karole settled in San Diego, CA where she spent her  formative education years.   After High School graduation, she sang and danced around the United States with the renowned  Up With People where was lucky tour  throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.  When she returned to the states she was bestowed a full scholarship to study dance at US International University in San Diego.  It wasn't long though, before she was impatient to pursue further a career towards an acting..

Karole dropped out and ran off to L.A. with only $50, one suitcase and her parents' car. She decided enroll in an intensive Musical Theatre  night program at the Los Angeles Music Center.  She delivered lunches to stock traders in L.A. in the morning just  to pay for rent then attended classes in the evening. At the culmination of the intensive  program, a casting director saw me.  I auditioned for and landed my first L.A. gig in a  professional production of "Little Shop of Horrors" at La Mirada Theatre earning my Actor's Equity card.  A year later I joined AFTRA, then eventually SAG so could start auditioning for Television commercials and series. Karole has since co-starred  in 18 television series both broadcast tv and streaming television series for 11 different networks and distributors. She has also appeared in two national touring companies (1776, MAMA MIA), 13 AEA regional theatrical productions and 7 feature films. 

Karole has an incredible working career  as a professional Los Angeles/San Diego actor, singer, and dancer. She returned to university in 2014 to complete her MFA in teaching acting and directing at Cal State University, Long Beach and proudly graduated with honors.

However, she confesses her  most rewarding experience to date was traveling to Bangladesh with my husband, visual artist Peter Zokosky, to teach a summer arts program at The Asian University for Women.  She taught an introduction to acting and directed a meaningful production of Medea.  Karole sat down to answer TEN QUESTIONS IN TEN MINUTES for Broadway World Los Angeles to pull back the curtain to one of the hardest actors in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. 

What star formation was in the skies where did you arrive into the world? 

I was born November 27th in Morocco, Africa, where my family was stationed at a military base at the time.  And according to my mom, I was born with a head full of hair, two front teeth, and crying at the top of my lungs with tears streaming down my face. As a military kid we moved every two years until I was 14 and my family settled in San Diego, CA.

 Can you share your earliest remembrance of seeing your first live performance and who brought you there? 

The first live show I saw was THE WIZ at The Fox Theatre in San Diego.  I was about 15 years old and there was a contest on a local radio station.  I called in and I won a "Wiz Pack" they were offering which included two tickets to the show, the album from the movie, along with a disco version LP of "Ease on Down The Road".  I even remember what I wore to that show.  I had a horrible flu but insisted that my dad take me anyway.  I hung over the balcony, watching, completely mesmerized by the performance.  Fun fact, two people who were in that touring company became dear friends later in life and their son was my ring bearing in my wedding to my first husband.

When did your parents recognize you had yearnings for the live performance world? What was your first paid gig and when did you realize you could sustain yourself as a live performer? 

My folks always knew I was different, but never really supported my creative interests.  They were hopeful that it was something I would outgrow. I was pretty much met with resistance every step of the way.  It got to the point when I was about 19 or 20, I decided to drop out of college and move to Los Angeles to enroll in a Musical Theater program. At the time I was doing a production of "Little Shop of Horrors" at the San Diego Rep and it was my first time working with professional actors.  I thought, "Can I actually do this for a living?"  The possibility never occured to me.  Of course I pestered every actor in the company about it.  One of my castmates told me that if I was really serious about it, I should consider this training program that she did in Los Angeles.  So I went up, auditioned and got in.  Then I decided to drop out of college to do it. That led to a big fight with my mother.  She said, "If you go, you won't get any support from us!" Mind you, I was getting a full ride at this university and they really didn't have any money to send me to school.  But, I was unhappy there.  So, my dad gave me his car and I left with my suitcase and $50 in my bank account and moved in with another performer who was enrolled in the program.  He was very patient with my paying rent.  I worked delivering lunches to day traders in downtown L.A. and would do the program at night.  I was paid in cash, so I would give my roomate money at the end of each week for rent and I would do the training program at night.  At the end of it, there was a showcase, I got called in by a casting director for another production of "Little Shop of Horrors" at La Mirada Theatre. I got cast as one of the Urchins and that got me my Equity card in 1989. And that began my professional journey.

How supportive was the home-life of the stars in your eyes?

In the beginning there was a lot of conflict around me being a performer.  Whenever things got tough, I was told to give it up.  Move back home or "You're wasting your time doing this acting thing. You need to come home. " or "Get married and let a man support you."  Things didn't really change until I wrote a musical called "The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea".  It won a lot of awards and was getting me a lot of attention at the time.  My parents' attitude changed.  I think they understood writing as maybe a more viable career.  It was then when they started to ask more questions about what I was doing.

Are you classically trained or ran away and joined the circus?

Yes, I fell in love with Shakespeare when I was about 13 or 14. I had an acting teacher in high school who had us studying and performing Shakespeare. She would also take us to Shakespeare competitions and we always did well.  Then when I was 15 she recommended me to a summer youth training program through The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.  They were doing a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"  and I got cast as Puck. Our director, Eric Christmas, changed my young life. He was the first person to pull me aside and tell me that I was good.  That I was really good and that I should believe in my talent. And the way he taught the Bard's language, it was like another door had been opened in my brain and I couldn't get enough.  I asked for a copy of the Complete Works for Christmas from my family and just devoured it. I also went on to study independently with teachers and did the summer intensive training at The Royal National Theater in London.  I was also a member of The Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, and worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Who are some of the actors who came out of your class at the San Diego repertory college; United States International University's Theater in Old Town? 

In Hollywood: Jamie Foxx (RAY), John Barrowman (TORCHWOD), Walter Jones (Zack, POWER RANGERS), Cristina Pronzati (AGE OF INNOCENCE)  On Broadway: Jamie Dan Gangi (TITANIC), Susie Mosher (HAIRSPRAY! & 3X Manhattan Area Best Cabaret Award), Kate Miller (MOON OVER BUFFALO), Alan Ariano (M. BUTTERFLY), Michael Berry (LES MISERABLES!) numerous actors who have starred in regional theaters; Fernando Vega (San Diego), Tracy Michelle Hughes, (Seattle), Tamiko Washington (South Coast Repertory), Brandy Snyder (Las Cruces), Beata Pilch (Chicago), Sean Marlow (Atlanta), Sean Brown (Portland), Brenda O'Brien (Sierra Repertory), Ron Christopher Jones (San Diego/LA) and Howard Bickel (Salem, OR).

You have made quite a name for yourself in both Los Angeles and San Diego Counties but how do you maintain a demanding career in two major coastal areas?

Well, living in Long Beach and loving to drive and travel helps! It is challenging.  And I have to be careful to manage my physical energy.  So, I am finding myself saying 'no" to more things.  That's a hard thing to do as a performer, because our work and income can be so unpredictable.  I have had to learn more about operating as a business and managing my money so that I can afford myself more time and stability when work is slow. I have been very fortunate that my work has been constant and varied. I have learned that I do not need to function in survival mode.  And I have been intentional in making that possible for myself. My husband is also incredibly supportive and understanding. He also taught me how to invest for which I am incredibly grateful. I also try not to take gigs that are going to take me away from home for more than four months. I also have a great team of massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, my spiritual community, and a good therapist- all of whom take great care of me.

LADY DAY AT EMERSON BAR AND GRILL by Lanie Robertson capsulizing a moment in time of the great Billie Holiday was a huge undertaking but it put you on the map as a leading live performer.  How did you find each other and what was the most difficult and easiest part to step into those iconic shoes?

Oh, man.  Performing Lady Day has been such a great highlight of my career. I was called in by casting director Michael Donovan to have a meeting with director Wren T. Brown (by the way, Wren and I both came through the same musical theatre training program that I spoke of earlier). Our paths have overlapped, but we had never really worked together.  And it wasn't really an audition, which surprised me.  We sat down and talked about the show. About Billie Holiday.  About his connection to the show, which if you know Wren, the breadth of his knowledge and experience with this era in music and history is extraordinary.  We discussed the importance of her story and it just clicked.  I can't explain how meaningful that meeting was.  I kept expecting to read, sing or something, but by the end of our conversation, he offered me the role.  I nearly fell out of my seat.  God, I hope I had some composure. And the work, the trust, the mutual respect.  The knowledge that we were honoring an important ancestor/artist/human being like Billie Holiday we knew was special and a responsibility that we both took very seriously.  It felt like a very sacred experience. And it was the most I had ever felt valued as an artist.

In your professional opinion, how do you feel about pop stars popping in to replace leading performers in Broadway roles while popping off on the final notes to make the songs all their own? Do you prefer fronting a live orchestra or augmented music tracks?  Is cabaret here to stay? Is there a difference in Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego cabaret audiences? 

If an artist is right for the role, their celebrity shouldn't matter.  If they are cast for their celebrity alone and bring nothing of craft or substance to the part, it is a huge disservice to the show, the people who work so tirelessly on the production, and to our profession.  As for "popping off", I mean, it depends.  Is it self-indulgent? Showing off? Or does it serve the story, character, what is happening in the moment?   Cabaret is here to stay. I love the intimacy of cabaret shows.  I used to love seeing  Andrea Marcovicci at The Gardenia Room in L.A. back in the day. One of my fav cabaret artists.  I can't speak to the other audiences in Long Beach or San Diego because I haven't been to a show in a long time.

To your other question, I prefer live music.  I wanna breathe and sweat with a band.  I wanna feel another human being's energy in the space and create something with them.  Performance is ritual and human energy and emotion is important.  A musician is lending their heart and emotions in a live performance and that connects immediately with people in that space.  I understand that recordings of musicians  can carry that, but it's not the same and you can't have an organic response in the moment to tracks with an audience.  Because the audience may also need something different at that moment and there is no opportunity to accommodate that.

You have played so many live theater venues all around the United States but are there any West Coast venues on your bucket list to return or to show up on their marquee? (Hollywood Bowl, Vibrato, Pantages, Ahmanson, Balboa or San Diego Civic Theater?

If the right opportunity comes along and it feels right then absolutely.  I would love to perform with a big band. Me, and musicians Damon Carter and Karl Vincent just released a big band version of our song Santa Zaddy.  The opportunity to perform that at any of these venues would be incredible!  But, genuinely, I really enjoy being surprised and open to possibilities even better than I could imagine.