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Body diversity and Broadway auditions don’t always play nicely together. And yet—everyone deserves to shine in the spotlight for their unique set of talents and gifts! That is exactly what my guest, Katy, and I connected on. Katy Geraghty is a New York-based actor, performer, and teacher. She’s on a mission to take back the power of words and highlight the talent that is within each one of us!
Her Broadway career started just hours after graduating college and has taken her all over the country in a very short span of time! Katy has had sometimes scary, sometimes wonderful acting experiences (like in Groundhog Day) and felt a great responsibility to originate a role as a self-proclaimed fat woman (Bliss). She’s acted alongside star-studded casts (Into the Woods) and played one particular character 6 times (Hairspray)! I know you’re going to enjoy this lively and vulnerable conversation, so press play and enjoy the show, theater friend.
In this episode, we cover:
How Katy accidentally got cast during her first audition
How Katy booked her debut Broadway gig 36 hours after graduating college
What a “typical” musical theater start and career look like
How psychology has interplayed with Katy’s acting career
What it was like to star in Groundhog Day
The one other show that became a community like the Groundhog Day cast
The season where Katy learned how to New York
The incredibly wild acting ride Katy has been on just the last couple of years
What Katy’s noticed and experienced about auditioning and body diversity
How Katy feels about the word “fat” in the world of acting
Why Katy is so passionate about taking back the power of words
If it’s better/easier to create a role from scratch or mold to fit a role
What Katy thought about creating the role in Bliss
How Katy booked her role in Into the Woods
If Katy will play Little Red Riding Hood again in the future
How perfectly-timed Into the Woods always seems to be in society
The differences between performing on Broadway and taking a show on tour
How important it is for Katy to find time to ground and rest
Words of advice Katy has for other actors, particularly with grueling schedules
What was your biggest aha moment from this conversation with Katy? Please find us on social & share with us—we love hearing from you!
More About Katy Geraghty
Katy Geraghty is a New York-based actor, performer and teacher. Katy was last seen as Little Red in “Into the Woods” on Broadway, as well as the national tour. Broadway: “Into The Woods” (Little Red - Bway replacement and national tour), “Groundhog Day” (Original Broadway Cast). Favorite theater credits: “& Juliet” (pre-Broadway Toronto run), “Bliss” (world premiere at 5th Ave), “Hairspray” (Tracy Turnblad, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), “Sister Act” (Sister Mary Patrick, The Muny) and “Shrek” (Gingy, North Shore Music Theatre).
Links & Mentioned Resources
Connect with Katy:
Connect with Kira:
Thanks for joining me on this episode of Inclusive Stages! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help me reach even more theater makers, theater artists, and theater lovers who want to make our industry a better place for everyone.
Thanks to our music composer, Zachary McConnell, and our producer, Leah Bryant.
More about the Inclusive Stages Podcast
Welcome to 'Inclusive Stages' -- the go-to weekly podcast for theater makers, theater artists, and theater lovers who want to make our industry a better place for everyone. We'll chat with actors, directors, designers, scholars, and more about the current landscape of the theater scene and get their thoughts on how we can do better.
Host Kira Troilo will also give you a sneak peek into live EDI coaching sessions and offer actionable tips for creating more equitable, inclusive, and empathetic theater spaces that support and value the diversity of artists and audiences. Join the conversation, and let's collectively shape the future of human-first theater, one stage at a time.
This post may contain affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on my site at no additional cost to you.
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Inclusive Stages podcast follows
Kira Troilo (00:02.908)
Katy, how are you doing? I'm good, thank you. Just talking about how it's a little bit gloomy and I'm ready for it to not be gloomy anymore, but.
Katy Geraghty (00:03.626)
Hey! I'm good, how are you doing?
Katy Geraghty (00:14.366)
I know. I wish it was snow. We like didn't get as much of a winter as I'm used to and like the rain is crappy when it comes to March. Yeah. Man. We are here. I know. Of course. Yeah, I'm thrilled. It's so nice to meet you.
Kira Troilo (00:17.234)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (00:22.188)
Yeah, seriously. But it's okay. We're here. I'm so excited. This is my first time meeting you. So thank you so much for saying yes and joining me. Yes, you too. I know you've been a part of so many exciting projects that I know we'll get into but I'd love to start off first by just asking what you're what you consider to be your theater origin story.
Katy Geraghty (00:44.243)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (00:50.686)
Mine was really funny. I grew up in the Boston area and I was a little kid just in dance and ballet and I was getting ready to audition for The Nutcracker in Boston, like little kid, like seven years old. And my mom just did not want that to be my first audition ever so I went to a regional theater, a North Shore Music Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts, and where I met Our Lovely Mutual Lee.
Kira Troilo (01:05.648)
Love.
Kira Troilo (01:15.707)
Yep.
Katy Geraghty (01:19.846)
um many years later but I got accidentally got cast in that show and that was not the goal but um that happened and I was such a little kid that it's not really like no one makes a life choice at seven but um or I hope that they don't yeah right they should not um and then it just kind of kept happening and like Boston has such a thriving theater scene and was able to work professionally kind of my whole life and then
Kira Troilo (01:34.596)
They shouldn't.
Katy Geraghty (01:45.826)
I ended up at UMass Amherst through a series of unfortunate events, but now looking back it's where I was supposed to end up. I studied a lot of different things besides theater and that was really amazing. And then my Broadway debut was two seconds after graduating and yeah, it's been a wild ride. I worked all over the place and that's the origin though, just like a baby in Boston at the right place at the right time.
Kira Troilo (01:50.455)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (02:12.324)
Baby in Boston, I love it. And what do you mean by like accidentally got cast? Like, okay.
Katy Geraghty (02:13.695)
Yeah.
I just, it wasn't my intention. Like I was just there to learn what an audition was and then they ended up calling and my mom like clarified like three times that they had the right kid. Yeah, no, we know who she is. That's who we actually want. Like, yes. Right.
Kira Troilo (02:31.512)
Yes, and we want her. That's amazing. And you're serious when you say like two seconds. Did I read somewhere that it was 36 hours after you graduated college? Can you tell us about that a little bit?
Katy Geraghty (02:39.658)
It was 36 hours after. Yes, it was. Yeah. Yeah, Groundhog Day was my Broadway debut, which was in 2017. But my initial appointment for that, I think, was in like March of 2016. And I was a senior in college. And I just kind of borrowed a friend's car, drove to Connecticut, took a train, came back, did that all in like eight hours. I must have been going 90 on the highway. Yeah, it was bad. But.
Kira Troilo (02:55.277)
Okay.
Kira Troilo (03:02.721)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (03:06.843)
Wow.
Katy Geraghty (03:09.186)
did that, like didn't think anything of it, and then the casting director calls me and was like, hey, the team is doing Groundhog Day in London, so they only have five days in New York for a series of callbacks, can you be here all five days? I was like, well, that is my finals week, so let me call my professors and I'll call you back. And like, it was super stressful, I don't wish it on anybody, it was not it, but I kind of got back to school on like a Friday evening.
Kira Troilo (03:31.704)
Mm.
Katy Geraghty (03:37.406)
I graduated on Sunday afternoon, I got the call on Tuesday morning. Yeah, it was a crazy town. No, yeah, you got there. I feel like everybody always asks, like, what's a typical and like, you should not ask me because mine is not, has been nothing, nowhere near typical. But yeah, it was crazy.
Kira Troilo (03:41.317)
Wow.
So yeah, not the way you'd want to, but you got there.
Kira Troilo (03:57.624)
And truly, like, what is typical, right? We all end up.
Katy Geraghty (03:59.486)
Right. I mean, there's no real or right way to do this, to be completely honest. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (04:03.544)
Right. Wow. And you obviously went to school, so you were auditioning for Broadway, so did you know like this is what you wanted to do with your life?
Katy Geraghty (04:11.986)
I don't know. I mean, I think UMass, like I did get a BA in theater, but I also studied psychology and education. And I love all of them. I intend to do all of them. I'd really love a PhD someday. But like, it'll just, you know, it'll happen when it happens. And I think towards the end of school, I was kind of looking at all of those options and like
Kira Troilo (04:19.535)
Mmm.
Katy Geraghty (04:35.718)
what is the next step? And honestly, I thought that my next step was gonna be the Peace Corps. And I was like well into that application when Groundhog Day came about. So I feel like my whole life has always been kind of a, I wasn't necessarily aware or like convinced that this is what I wanted to do. I was just aware that it was what I was doing. So with Groundhog Day, even then I was like, well, yeah, I guess we'll just like.
Kira Troilo (04:43.11)
Wow.
Kira Troilo (04:55.425)
Okay.
Katy Geraghty (05:00.514)
go to New York and try and see what happens. And now, you know, I'm still here seven years later with a few more Broadway offers under my belt. So, you know, apparently it's still happening, but it's working for me now. Ha ha.
Kira Troilo (05:07.436)
Yes, it's working for you, yes. I might be jumping the gun here, but like you have an interest in psychology. How has that interacted with your acting career?
Katy Geraghty (05:18.872)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (05:22.962)
It's always really weird because I feel like there's just this extra little, almost like insider info that I feel like I have when I'm reading, you know, a script or seeing people act or whatever it is. Even just like this, this whole industry had like plays such crazy mind games. And I feel like I've been so fortunate to be like just a little ahead of that because I see...
Kira Troilo (05:48.6)
Mmm.
Katy Geraghty (05:50.186)
you know, the textbook psychology that's happening. And that has really, I mean, it's been something that I will never be able to repay just because I feel like I haven't fallen prey to that. And that is, in my opinion, what is usually the downfall. So it's been brilliant, yeah.
Kira Troilo (05:54.212)
Yeah, it is.
Kira Troilo (06:06.68)
Mm-hmm. 100%. Yeah, and that's what I see. It's like just the glaring lack of mental health support and care and awareness. Yeah, so you come in with that. Mm-hmm. That's amazing. What about, I mean, it would be great to hear about your experiences on Groundhog Day and just like getting thrown into Broadway after college.
Katy Geraghty (06:17.514)
that. All of that. Yep. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (06:28.898)
Ugh, getting thrown in. Yeah, it was wild and honestly, it's one of those things that like, I'm really glad that I was, you know, 22, cause now I don't know that I would be game for everything that we went through in that show. It's definitely a trauma bond throughout the cast. Like, we went through a lot together. There were five turntables in that show. Uh-huh, yeah, your face is correct, five. So it just, uh-huh.
Kira Troilo (06:42.788)
Hmm
Kira Troilo (06:49.509)
Hmm.
Kira Troilo (06:57.176)
My mouth is open for listeners, yes.
Katy Geraghty (06:58.59)
a cape, but like it was not, you know, it was beautiful and the staging was amazing, but it was such a difficult show to do. And I had one of the lesser tracks for Quick Changes and I still think I had like 19 or something like that because of course you have to keep starting the day over. For anyone who does not know the movie, that's the plot, he just gets stuck in a time loop. But and if you don't know the movie, then watch the movie, it's a classic. But yeah, one of Bill Murray's best in my opinion, but like
Kira Troilo (07:16.336)
That's right.
Kira Troilo (07:23.148)
Of course, yeah, such a classic.
Katy Geraghty (07:28.102)
It was a really difficult show, but it was also about community and like getting stuck in this town. So if you have to, you know, warmly greet and love the people that are playing your neighbors and people who have known these characters for their entire life in a small town and really warmly greet them and say happy Groundhog Day, like over and over and over again in the show, you become a town. So like we all feel like family. We all feel like neighbors. There's like a weird connection that happened.
Kira Troilo (07:32.726)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (07:49.404)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (07:57.738)
between all of us that I don't think happens in every show. And I know it doesn't, because it hasn't since then, you know? So it was amazing, but it was so, so hard. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (08:02.445)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (08:10.18)
I love that you say that though, we became a town. Like I talked to a friend of mine who was in the Come From Away tour, and it was very similar. He's like, you just, we're coming together.
Katy Geraghty (08:16.734)
Yeah, very similar vibes. And like we've, a lot of those two casts have like discussed how they are, they feel like they're cut from the same cloth. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (08:25.46)
Oh wow, that's so interesting, that's so cool. And you say trauma bond, and it's okay if you can't speak about it, was it the experience itself that was really tough or just a group of people trying to figure it out? That, yeah.
Katy Geraghty (08:29.098)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (08:39.114)
Kind of both. It was just a difficult show to do and our stage stopped in every other performance. So we always had... Right, it was just... Oh my god, exactly. Just any little thing went wrong and then we would have to stop. So it just... Any show, Wiltler, at some point in your career, a show definitely teaches you that perfectionism is not possible.
Kira Troilo (08:47.856)
Hmm, one of the five turntables.
Kira Troilo (09:05.1)
Mm.
Katy Geraghty (09:05.174)
But truly it was Groundhog Day, because I was like, any show where somebody didn't get hurt and the stage didn't stop is a great show. And it just, it was what it was. And our team was a brilliant team, but they're all Brits and they can just be kind of cold. So it was just, you know, especially when the show is all about warmth and you're not really feeling that. So it's just, there was so many reasons for that to be a trauma bond, but to like...
Kira Troilo (09:21.772)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (09:27.856)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (09:33.526)
you know, say the vaguest amount possible. That's, yeah. Yep.
Kira Troilo (09:36.944)
Totally, yep and I think that that's so common in a show that can make an audience feel so warm but behind the scenes you're not experiencing that as an actor, right? Oh wow, five turntables also like how low is a bar when it's a good day when no one gets hurt? I just want to say that, yeah.
Katy Geraghty (09:42.89)
Yes. Exactly. Yep. Oh yeah. Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (09:54.462)
Yep, I mean, low, it is in the basement. And I mean, just myself, I got literally eight black eyes in that show because I'm short, I'm at everybody's elbow height. So the second something goes wrong, I'm just getting like clocked. It just, yeah. Oh no, it's like all of the stagehands have like ice packs near them, kind of just assuming that I would get punched. Like it just, it happened. Yep, delightful, so fun.
Kira Troilo (10:07.173)
same.
Kira Troilo (10:17.792)
Oh.
Kira Troilo (10:23.281)
Yeah, so, why not?
Katy Geraghty (10:23.658)
I had a black eye for the Tonys. You can like see it, like the makeup is perfect, but like one of my cheeks is clearly out further than the other one. And that was Andy Carl's fault, but it was not his fault. It was his hand, but it was not his fault. I know, yeah. One of the many. Yep.
Kira Troilo (10:32.246)
Wow.
Andy Carl... well, right, right. Okay, well, one of the many, one of the many issues we need to tackle. Yeah. Oh gosh. Okay. So, so from there, where did you go in your career? I know you've made stops.
Katy Geraghty (10:47.678)
Yeah. I had kind of like, yeah, I had like a big chunk of time where I didn't work after that. It was like nine or 10 months, but it was also, you know, my like first audition season in the city. Like I came to the city with that contract. So it was kind of like how to learn how to New York in this time. And then I started what I call the season of Hairspray, which was, I did like one regional production.
Kira Troilo (10:56.87)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (11:13.074)
in Long Island that was kind of a normal length, like a two month type of situation. And then right after that with like a short workshop of a show that I've done many times as well, then I did it at Oregon Shakespeare Festival for almost a year. So like I was Tracy for a big chunk of time. After that, and that was also in the middle was when I did the first workshop of a show called Bliss that I've been involved with forever. That's also like a big love of mine as far as like a plus size role that I'm.
Kira Troilo (11:14.245)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (11:41.49)
really, really happy to be a part of growing and making and creating. And then the pandemic hit. Oh, no, Bliss then premiered in Seattle and then the pandemic hit. Yeah, at 5th Ave. It was brilliant. I know, forgot the premiere. And then the pandemic hit and like I went back to Massachusetts, to my parents' house. My mom is a pretty easygoing woman and she was like, come home. Like she was panicking.
Kira Troilo (11:46.149)
Yes.
Kira Troilo (11:50.868)
Oh, okay, you got a premiere.
Kira Troilo (12:08.409)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (12:08.594)
So I went home what I assumed would only be a couple of weeks and I stayed for 18 months. But I ended up homeschooling two kids and like nannying with another family, really using the education. And it was honestly a really fruitful and lovely time in my life, which is, it feels so terrible to say that because awful, awful things happened in the world, but I was actually extremely fortunate. And then I hit the ground running, right. Hit the ground running, came back and did a bunch of different workshops of like,
Kira Troilo (12:13.577)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (12:24.508)
Hmm.
Kira Troilo (12:29.478)
Yes.
Kira Troilo (12:32.856)
Oh, it's refreshing to hear.
Katy Geraghty (12:37.942)
Bliss and then I was involved in Schacht which was just on Broadway last season and kind of did those back to back forever. Then Ann Juliet happened and I was like ready to go to Broadway with them and then Woods captured me in between that so I was able to do Ann Juliet in Toronto then left to go to Into the Woods which was crazy and then signed on to the Woods tour and then immediately after that like two days after that went right to the Muni so it's been it's been a wild couple of years. It's been crazy. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (12:56.344)
Yes.
Kira Troilo (13:04.088)
Yeah, to say the least, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I don't even know where to start. I wanna, I feel like, it is a lot, but also what stands out to me, so you had nine to 10 months where you were actually auditioning in New York, right, before all of this, all of the projects came up. What was that like? And I wonder, and I know that you have been really vocal about just body diversity on Broadway and the lack thereof. And I wonder what that...
Katy Geraghty (13:10.677)
Yeah, that's a lot. It's a lot.
Katy Geraghty (13:18.694)
Mm-hmm. Yep. Yes. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (13:29.387)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Kira Troilo (13:33.585)
if that interacted with your audition process in any way.
Katy Geraghty (13:35.782)
Yeah, I mean, I think it was just weird because like I was known enough because, you know, I had just been on Broadway the season before, so people were aware of that and then having, you know, if the first thing on your resume is a Broadway contract, like people notice, obviously. So I was getting into some really great rooms and that was interesting because, you know, in Groundhog Day, like yes, I am a fat performer, but it's not really a fat track. It doesn't have to be and it hasn't really been since.
Kira Troilo (14:04.055)
Mmm.
Katy Geraghty (14:04.394)
Which I don't really care about like I don't think it has if there's something in the script that says it then like Obviously, please don't deviate from what this character is But like I think it's very bold of us to keep it in a way because then we're sending a message That still isn't a good one So like I don't really agree with keeping it exactly as it was if we're just casting You know in a diverse way then it's like yes You need to look at the numbers of your cast, but you don't need to cast this part this way all the time
Kira Troilo (14:18.948)
Hmm
Kira Troilo (14:33.705)
Right, right, there's flexibility.
Katy Geraghty (14:34.41)
Um, right, exactly. So I'm like, I would hope that there's another plus size female presenting person in the cast, but does she have to be that track? No. Right. So, um, it was, it was nice because like I had already gotten in showing that I didn't have to be what they were going to pigeonhole me as my Broadway debut. So I kind of came in, in this like amazing way where yes, I was getting brought in for the things that we would assume.
Kira Troilo (14:54.469)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (15:02.09)
you know, a plus-size person would go in for, but I was also getting things that I wouldn't necessarily if I hadn't just played that part. And, you know, it was like a pretty heavily featured ensemble track where I was dancing a lot. So I think everybody's, their own perceptions of what I could do had already been kind of knocked down, which was great. But, like, it's just, you know, those, hmm, those darn character descriptions that, like,
Kira Troilo (15:31.166)
Mm-hmm, let's talk about that.
Katy Geraghty (15:31.318)
Some of them, you read them and you're like, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh. Like it just, cause you know some days they roll off your back and some days you're like, I hate this industry. And it just, it doesn't, there's no rhyme or reason to when it bothers you and when it doesn't. But like, it was an interesting couple of months. And then, I mean the hilarious part about all of that is then I like ended up playing like the one famous fat part.
Kira Troilo (15:46.457)
No.
Katy Geraghty (15:56.918)
at the end of all of this work. Because then I ended up playing Tracy.
Kira Troilo (16:01.38)
The one! And I like why was we were chatting a bit before we pressed record about the book I'm obsessed with called Broadway Bodies and he has a whole chapter in there, Ryan Donovan, about hairspray and a whole chapter about dream girls and it's like there are two fat characters in the Broadway canon and one actor can't even play both of them.
Katy Geraghty (16:07.478)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (16:17.015)
Yep.
Katy Geraghty (16:24.214)
Yeah! Oh my god, that's the funniest part about that whole sentence! That's stupid! Oh my god! I didn't even realize that. Wow.
Kira Troilo (16:27.726)
Right?
Kira Troilo (16:32.973)
Yeah, I mean I hadn't until I actually read the words, you know?
Katy Geraghty (16:35.21)
Yeah, but like until you put it that simply you're like, yep, okay, uh-huh.
Kira Troilo (16:38.573)
Yep.
Yeah, so tell me about your Tracy journey. Yeah, because it's just, I've been in hairspray. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (16:45.452)
Like-
Yeah, I mean Tracy is like, I did play her twice in high school into like community theater productions. Um, that were great. Um, and you know, she's always been like a swan song for me, but earnestly, it had everything to do with the fact that I was exactly the right skill set and then that I fit the dress. Cause like, I do have a pop belt. I am funny. I am a dancer.
Kira Troilo (16:55.376)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (17:10.308)
Hmm.
Kira Troilo (17:16.26)
You're a dancer. Yep.
Katy Geraghty (17:16.478)
like all of those things and I mean honestly I think it was the dancer that like pulled me to it first where I was like I finally get to do what I like to do as the lead um which was just why it called to me and then on top of all of that then I was like and I fit the dress um but I've said this to my students so many times where it's just like if you have a coloratura soprano who happens to be fat and you only tell her that she's going to be Tracy
Kira Troilo (17:25.531)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (17:32.112)
Right?
Katy Geraghty (17:43.446)
and then you have the me's of the world, who you are only saying is going to be Tracy. She's never going to get cast because I actually have the skill set. But if you trained her for what she's good at, then she could come in and absolutely kill in an opera. But like, all you're making is a half-baked Tracy when the people who are full-baked, because that's just their skills, are gonna be the ones to get it anyway. And that drives me nuts, but I just, because I'm, I...
Kira Troilo (17:57.081)
Right?
Kira Troilo (18:03.551)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (18:10.814)
I would love to be the exception to the Tracy rule, but I am like exactly the type. Which is hilarious. But I just, I mean, I have such a love hate relationship with it. I don't, you know, I mean, we both said fat so many times already, just like very off the cuff and like, I don't care. I don't, I don't carry any weight, pun intended, with it. I don't, like, it doesn't hurt my feelings. It's just a descriptive word.
Kira Troilo (18:19.248)
Right, right.
Kira Troilo (18:23.492)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (18:39.562)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (18:40.534)
But I will always, always preface that when I say, like, I am sorry for anybody that triggers, but it does not trigger me, so it just kind of flies out of my mouth sometimes. And, you know, taking it back in ownership and all of that. But it's interesting to be in a show where the whole point is for you to get made fun of.
Kira Troilo (18:48.037)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (18:58.658)
Yeah, right.
Katy Geraghty (18:59.15)
Because, you know, some days it's just gonna really sting. And much like I just said with like character descriptions, there's almost no rhyme or reason. And then just one day you just have an earworm and you're like, yeah, no, I've definitely been called that in real life. And it just, it's like a, you know, like a creepy crawly feeling on your skin. But then of course you get to like overcome it at the end of the show. And sometimes that just hits harder.
Kira Troilo (19:16.312)
Yeah, and...
Katy Geraghty (19:28.03)
and sometimes like feels more intense. But I mean, I've always thought of Tracy as like this, I don't agree that she's a doe-eyed bambi. I think that she's a kind of a 16 year old horn dog that's just like John Waters is the part, like that's what's in my head that I just think that, and she's naive, but she's not dumb. So like being able to take some real agency and make this person a person has always helped me.
Kira Troilo (19:42.681)
Yep.
Kira Troilo (19:45.925)
Hmm.
Katy Geraghty (19:54.87)
get away from just feeling that I'm her because I will fit the costume. But that's not true of everyone, that just get kind of pushed into that part because apparently that's all they can play.
Kira Troilo (20:06.5)
or that someone's telling them that because of their body type. So many things, but two main things. I do want to circle back to the...
Katy Geraghty (20:09.246)
Exactly. Right.
Kira Troilo (20:17.168)
The term fat, I have friends, I just have people who think so differently about this and in terms of like the work that I do with equity, diversity and inclusion, I find it with race where it's like is it black or African American? I find it with gender, with queer, you know, like what's the right word? So I wonder if just if you could talk about, yeah, I mean I have a friend who's like call me fat, that's what I am, it's not negative, that's just what it is. So yeah, I mean what are your thoughts there?
Katy Geraghty (20:18.79)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (20:25.687)
Okay.
Yep. Right.
Katy Geraghty (20:42.506)
Yeah, I think you're always going to toe that line between ownership and making people uncomfortable, whether on purpose or not. So like I try to use it as much as I can because as long as I'm using it and like have said that it makes me feel comfortable, then it stops being such a bad word in people's head when they hear me say it with not necessarily a smile on my face, but just not even caring, complete indifference. So I think that there's a lot of power in that, but I mean, it's also...
Kira Troilo (20:48.694)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (21:05.849)
Right.
Katy Geraghty (21:12.79)
This is the hard part about it is that like fat is equated to bad so often. Um, and like I've, I've talked about this so many times, but I just, I hate it. And I'm like actively trying to fight it when people say I feel fat today. Cause I was like, fat is not a feeling. And what that person is asking for in all earnest, like they are waiting for someone to say, no, you're not. And then that means that they are done.
Kira Troilo (21:19.674)
Right.
Kira Troilo (21:32.419)
No.
Katy Geraghty (21:42.774)
Like that conversation is over because they actually said something that they do in fact know that they're not. So then they get somebody else saying, no you're not, because they know that that's obviously the answer because they literally are not. And then they feel better about themselves. So they've created this kind of thing, but then if you're saying that around someone who is fat, then what you're saying is, I feel bad because I feel like I look like you.
Kira Troilo (21:48.58)
Right?
Kira Troilo (22:09.452)
And how awful is that?
Katy Geraghty (22:10.506)
And how awful is that? And honestly, I don't even think that that's on purpose most of the time. It's right, it's just a stupid, stupid thing that we've learned. So it's just, it's silly. And I'm definitely trying to take it back, but like, I know that it holds an enormous amount of trauma for many, many people. So like always trying to be sensitive while trying to take it back, I think is like where we should live. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (22:16.116)
it's society.
Kira Troilo (22:36.26)
Yep, I love that so much and I love that you, yeah, I just, I love that you said that. Like for anyone that this feels this way, but this is what it is for me. And along those lines, I mean, this is also something that I find, you know, across any kind of marginalized identity is when you are portraying something that is you, like you walk out the stage door and...
Katy Geraghty (22:40.454)
Mm-hmm. Right. Yes.
Katy Geraghty (22:51.883)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (22:58.284)
you can't leave that costume at home. So, you know, I've worked with like, you know, black people who have to portray racial trauma on stage and then they go out and they're still black. So yeah, you mentioned, you talked a little bit about how Tracy sometimes felt that way, but I wonder, yeah, did you have like, how did you cope or, you know, what could you have used that you didn't have?
Katy Geraghty (23:07.264)
Yep.
Katy Geraghty (23:12.515)
Oh yeah.
Katy Geraghty (23:19.87)
Right, I think honestly doing Tracy especially at Oregon Shakespeare Festival where they do have such a thriving education program that it was the first time it struck me that I started noticing that whenever there was a school group, which was usually every day, there was always at least one person, they were usually female presenting, who was plus sized and the second I came out of the stage door they were in tears.
And like all I did was just like open my arms up to them, brought them in, I was like, we are safe here, you can come here baby, like I see you and I feel you. And I think, you know, I just, cause teachers are like the ones who say the thing that ruins the kid's life, they just are. And it drives me crazy and I like say this all the time to my students and I'm like, hear me when I say this, an unsafe space is not going to get safer. It's not.
Kira Troilo (24:05.104)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (24:14.234)
Wow.
Katy Geraghty (24:15.954)
and it will only continue to do the things that you think it's gonna do, and a musical is not worth trauma. It's just not. We're singing and dancing, that's dumb. It's a play. We're playing. We're singing and dancing. It's supposed to be fun. So I just, I wanna always make sure that we hold teachers to the responsibility that they have. And I think about this all the time when I teach.
Kira Troilo (24:25.74)
It's a play. I say that all the time. We are playing.
Katy Geraghty (24:44.65)
But I think that I got enormously lucky where I didn't have that until many teachers in. So I had this core group of teachers that built an armor around me that I wasn't even aware I was wearing until the first time something bounced off of it. And I will never be able to repay that, but the only way I figured out that I could was opening up my arms to those kids.
and realizing that as playing Tracy, yes, I'm having fun on stage and I'm singing and dancing and being a clown, but there's a bigger thing that's going on and I have been presented with such an opportunity where I'm not carrying that trauma. And the only way to really repay that is to get up on that horse and do the thing. So I think for me, it was never, it started feeling like this.
Kira Troilo (25:30.51)
Mm-hmm
Katy Geraghty (25:38.614)
like Joan of Arc moment for me where I was like, no, it's actually, I'm supposed to fight. And like that made me stronger because then it wasn't really about me. And that helped.
Kira Troilo (25:41.253)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (25:50.075)
Yeah.
Yeah, I so relate to that and just the fact of you being up there and what that does for other people is amazing. And luckily, you had a strong foundation that you were also able to care for yourself through that, because I feel a lot of times, actors specifically, we just give, give. I'm like, well, it's for the greater good, but, you know, we're just burning ourselves slowly, you know.
Katy Geraghty (25:58.31)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Katy Geraghty (26:17.674)
Right, and it just matters that you're being taken care of, because I always wanna make sure that like, producers or directors or whoever the powers that be are really not allowed to capitalize on our trauma if they're not compensating us for it. And that's the tea of it all. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (26:21.669)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (26:38.29)
Mm.
Kira Troilo (26:41.988)
The tea of it all, I love it.
Katy Geraghty (26:43.894)
That's it. So if you're not being treated well and if you're not being paid enough, then the answer is no. Like, it just is. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (26:49.036)
Yeah. Wow. Okay, what about... I didn't like talk to you all day. What about creating a role? You mentioned that you were part of... Was it Bliss? I don't... I'm not sure if I'm going to ask this question right, but in terms of like having to fill a role that kind of has some stuff around it or creating one from scratch that fits you. Which do you prefer? You know?
Katy Geraghty (26:53.678)
I'm sorry.
Katy Geraghty (27:00.194)
Bless ya.
Katy Geraghty (27:05.144)
Thank you.
Katy Geraghty (27:09.97)
Mm-hmm. Um, I don't know that it, they're just like two different beasts. Like they're not, because I'm, you know, a strong believer that like you are always going to be playing yourself and then you're gonna put some character actor dubetes on top of that, but like you are you first, which is the reason that you got cast. So there's always so much of me in what I do. Um, and I honestly just don't think that I can help it.
Kira Troilo (27:19.767)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (27:28.611)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (27:32.046)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (27:40.166)
I am who I am and that is what happens. But like, yes. But with Bliss, it's, I mean, it's so funny because it's like, it's about these four sisters and they're all just like wonderfully weird. And they, it's been the same four women for most of the time that I've been involved. And there's so much of us in them now. And that, you know, has to do with just like something funny that somebody said in the room a few days ago, like.
Kira Troilo (27:42.54)
And we love that, yes.
Katy Geraghty (28:10.302)
a joke that happened that's now like completely in the room and in the show or like, but you know for me it was kind of a thing just to make sure that if I was actually on the other side of the table, so to speak, getting to have this input on how do we treat like a fat role. Because I'm like if I'm the one responsible for what's going to bring all of these people after me into this experience of being able to play this then we're damn well going to do it right.
Kira Troilo (28:23.143)
Mm-hmm
Kira Troilo (28:29.604)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (28:39.053)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (28:39.722)
I will not stand by it if it's not being done right. Right, and in a big section of it, it actually like, I kinda went to town with the writers who are dear, dear friends and like really collaborative. But the musical centers itself around stereotypical beauty. And I said to them, I was like, you can't put the fat girl on stage in a musical about beauty and not call her a cow. You can't, because everyone's sitting and making the joke in their head anyway.
Kira Troilo (28:42.38)
No, there's a responsibility there, huh?
Kira Troilo (28:57.1)
Mmm.
Katy Geraghty (29:09.706)
And if you say it in the worst possible way and have the audience be so affronted with the fact that they're like, I did laugh at this person, that's how we learn. And I'm like, not everybody is gonna feel great about this, but I'm like, I really stand by this. That like, cause she also like, it's the villain who says it to her. I'm like, he's a bad guy. We know he's a bad guy. He's allowed to be the bad guy. Cause that's, that matters too. But it was just such an interesting.
Kira Troilo (29:20.09)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (29:31.161)
Right.
Kira Troilo (29:36.251)
Right?
Katy Geraghty (29:39.502)
moment and like it's you know in bliss in Hairspray in many shows when you are the person that is supposed to be othered it's difficult because when you are standing up for it you're only standing up for yourself and like that is an annoying stance to take in a room because you feel like you're making a scene about something that only applies to you but
Kira Troilo (30:06.556)
but it doesn't just apply to you, everyone who comes after you.
Katy Geraghty (30:07.634)
It does not just apply to you, exactly. So I'm like, how dare I not think about all of the people who are gonna play this? How dare I not think about all of the people who are in the audience and will have this opinion? Especially now, you know, my following and platform is very small, but like really dedicated and I get messages all the time just about people existing in an easier place because I'm here. So like, how dare I not take that seriously? Yeah.
Kira Troilo (30:35.964)
Absolutely. And also, it just seems to me, go with me here, it's like when we talk about just colorblind casting, where you know, obviously it's one of the things I work on is colorblind versus color conscious and people understanding what that is. But we can't just ignore what we see and ignore the societal things going on, the factors at work, right? To me that's irresponsible.
Katy Geraghty (30:43.462)
Eh?
Katy Geraghty (30:49.388)
Yep.
Katy Geraghty (30:53.422)
Right.
Katy Geraghty (31:05.142)
Yep, I totally agree.
Kira Troilo (31:06.52)
Um, so I, yeah, that's how I feel when you talk about that.
Katy Geraghty (31:09.95)
Yeah, because it's just like, especially with like, with just someone, like if we're only talking about fat, then like you have two options and one is to call it forward and one is to completely ignore it. And like both are effective, but you have to know why you're doing each one. And I did say that to the writer at one point, or the writer is a bliss, I asked why is Carmella fat?
Kira Troilo (31:26.201)
Right.
Kira Troilo (31:36.315)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (31:36.362)
And they were like, oh, well, I mean, she's like, she's kind of like loosely based on a friend. I was like, that is an inspiration. You don't know why. And if you don't, like, you need to find out.
Kira Troilo (31:44.684)
Right, why are you calling her that? Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (31:46.762)
Like, why does it matter that she is? Because I'm like, I know, but I'm putting a lot of my own life in here. So like, if you don't know, figure it out. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (31:52.185)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (31:55.456)
Yeah, if you don't know, figure it out. Put it in the script, put it in writing. Yep, absolutely. I also don't want this to go by without talking about Into the Woods, which is how I know you. Yes, I love your performance. Oh my God. And like the fifth time you played the role, right?
Katy Geraghty (31:59.094)
Yep, yep, it's receipts. Put it down.
Katy Geraghty (32:10.854)
Yay! That devilish little child, oh my God.
Katy Geraghty (32:18.334)
Yep, it was the fifth time. Crazy. No, God, I'm way too old for this. I'm done. Like, I'm like, I am 30 and she is 12. Like, it's not we're done, it's time. I would love to be in Into the Woods again. Like, let me tackle all of these adult women that I'm actually the age of, but like, no, I think it's gonna be, it'll be a minute before I go back to the woods, but it's not gonna be in the cave, no.
Kira Troilo (32:20.92)
Would you play it again? Like, is it just, no. I'm done.
Kira Troilo (32:31.524)
You're done, okay. But was it a good ride? Yeah.
So many.
Kira Troilo (32:48.)
No, there's so many roles, right, that you can tackle. Yep. But yeah, I mean, what was it like? I don't even know where to start with that.
Katy Geraghty (32:49.533)
There's so many roles. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (32:55.006)
Oh, I mean, first of all, like it wasn't something that I was looking for at all. Cause like, I'm so sorry, my neighbors are slamming their doors right now. Great, perfect. But my, I played her so many times growing up and like in weird, like kind of even increments. Like it was like nine, then 12, then 14, then 16. So it was an interesting time and such formative years. And then, you know,
Kira Troilo (33:02.52)
Oh, that's okay, we can edit. Yes.
Katy Geraghty (33:24.39)
I just was like, okay, we're done. She's a kid, I stopped being a kid. I'm not gonna play a kid anymore and then that's my whole career. But like, I was, right, I was in Ann Juliet at the time and like, I loved that show so much and I was not at all thinking about Into the Woods. I like, I knew that it was happening obviously, but I wasn't even in town for it. So I wasn't, you know, I didn't see it at Encore as I only saw it when I was like three days into rehearsal.
Kira Troilo (33:32.565)
I relate to that too.
Kira Troilo (33:51.846)
Mmm.
Katy Geraghty (33:52.37)
So it wasn't even on my purview, and especially with Julia Lester, who's unbelievable. When she got cast, I was like, oh cool, it's a celebrity cast, it was never going to be me anyway, was kind of how I thought about that. But then the email came in from my agent, it was just immediate replacement for Little Red, and I just stared at the email and I was like, oh, I'm going to get that. And I was really bummed because I didn't want to leave Ann Juliet. But um.
Kira Troilo (34:17.868)
And Juliette, yeah.
Katy Geraghty (34:19.786)
I literally knew it when I saw the email. I just like had a gut feeling that I was gonna get it. Um I did a quick self-tape and then I had like a zoom meeting like three days later that lasted 20 minutes and I was cast when I hung up. So it was crazy. Yeah it was nuts. It's just yeah so it was it was wild and like at first there was a start date that um was gonna have to I would have to leave Ann Juliet early.
Kira Troilo (34:24.389)
Wow.
Kira Troilo (34:35.704)
I mean, I'm not surprised, but wow. Yeah, just imagining the process of that.
Kira Troilo (34:49.595)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (34:49.95)
and we were trying to figure out if there was any leeway in that. And then a lot of the cast, because then at first it was just Julia Lester that had put in that she had to leave, and then like four more leads put in, so then they were like great, let's push this a week and have them all do it together. Which meant that I got to finish Ann Juliette, but I like closed Ann Juliette on Sunday in Canada, and I was in the St. James by Friday morning. So it was just a wild time. Right, that's been my career, yeah.
Kira Troilo (35:04.38)
Great.
Kira Troilo (35:16.432)
That's been your career. Just like, let's just go right on into the next thing. Wow.
Katy Geraghty (35:19.582)
I know, it's been crazy. But it just, it was, I mean, it was stepping into shoes that I had quite literally put on before. But you know, it teaches you something different every time. Into the Woods is such a, it's so chock full of like whatever you need to hear. But I mean, playing her as an adult, like a real full-baked adult, was quite an interesting time because there's so much.
that goes on in her head. And honestly, I've always like Act Two has always felt like a kind of weird, like I'm just navigating this, but like this time I thrived in Act Two. But also, you know, it's just kind of the darkish times that we were in and still kind of are like, you know, what's happened the first time right on the heels of the AIDS crisis. And then the first revival was right after 9-11 and now we're here right after COVID. And like, it just comes when the world's a little dark and it's supposed to.
Kira Troilo (35:56.86)
Hmm
Kira Troilo (36:15.022)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (36:17.802)
So I think the weight of all of it, especially the end, you know, like, spoiler alert to anybody who does not know Woods, but there's only, you know, right. There's only four people standing at the end and kind of looking around at each other, just being like, wow, you are not the family that I wanted or even thought that I would have, but you're the one that I have. And like, I think in this time now, especially like.
Kira Troilo (36:25.652)
Yeah, if you don't know Into the Woods by now. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (36:43.762)
recovering from the last couple of years, that's so keenly felt. And I don't know that I would have been able to understand that at 16. But it was cool. It was really cool to step back into it. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (36:52.505)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (36:56.932)
Yeah, that's amazing. And I truly, I mean, I just like choreographed it for a college recently, and we were saying it's kind of hard to get act two as a child. You need that experience of really understanding loss and some of those dark themes. How is it for audiences? Did you feel that from them too, like they needed this? Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (37:01.326)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (37:05.034)
Yes. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (37:09.494)
Yes. Right.
Katy Geraghty (37:17.67)
Yeah, oh yeah. And it was, you know, it was different because like Broadway was a wonderful thing, but Broadway was like with people that knew the show and were coming to see the people that were in the show specifically and like they all had their own stories with knowing it. But it was really once we took it on the road that was an interesting thing because like a lot of people had said like I hadn't even heard of this show before when they come and see it, which is wild, but like I get it, you know, in random places in the world, why would you? But
Kira Troilo (37:44.004)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (37:47.198)
Um, so it was on the road where I feel like I understood and witnessed humanity witnessing it in many different ways. Um, and I was not everybody's cup of tea, for sure. I'm just like, they did not love me the more south we went. But like, she's, you know, kind of like a little like she has a lot of agency for a woman. So first of all, I get that. But also just like she's rude, like this is a rude little kid.
Kira Troilo (37:59.526)
What?
Kira Troilo (38:05.79)
Wow.
Kira Troilo (38:15.544)
Yes, and I love her.
Katy Geraghty (38:15.678)
And I think that was just, you know, if you're thinking like typical Southern belle, like they're not gonna love her. And I definitely felt that. So like the first scene I was like, oh, I was under the impression and I was delightful, but apparently not. So that's fine. I'm gonna get the paycheck regardless. You can laugh at me or not, but there you go.
Kira Troilo (38:21.596)
Okay, okay.
Kira Troilo (38:31.508)
Either way. Yep. I mean that's kind of there we go. Um, what?
Katy Geraghty (38:35.914)
Yeah, they were like, I didn't know about how I felt about you in Act 1, but then like you started crying and you were so sweet in Act 2. I'm like, ew, I hate that that's what you walked away with, but fine. Like, weird. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (38:47.053)
And that's so hard that you I mean it's theater and it's part of why we love it But you can't control what people walk away with
Katy Geraghty (38:52.221)
You cannot. You cannot. Yeah. It was interesting.
Kira Troilo (38:57.7)
What about like close, kind of we're close to the end, unfortunately, but no. What are the differences for you, like as a human being between performing on Broadway and taking a show on tour, if any, like just in terms of you as a person?
Katy Geraghty (39:02.662)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (39:16.574)
Yeah, I mean, I've only, this is like, Into the Woods was the only tour I've ever been on. I've been on like long regional productions and I've performed in a lot of different places, but like this was the first tour. And it really just like, at, when you're home, you can, Broadway is a grueling schedule, but when you're home, it's a little bit easier. And when you're on the road, if you don't live and die by that show and those people, it's really hard to do. The nice thing is that like, I was in a show where like, it is, it
Kira Troilo (39:34.305)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (39:44.238)
handy for an actor or a singer and like you just there's so much to play with because Sondheim is brilliant. So we got lucky in the way that we had unbelievable material that just like night to night you'd find something different. And I was really glad that was the case and also you know 98% of the Broadway cast went on tour and we made that decision kind of together.
Kira Troilo (39:52.985)
Yes.
Katy Geraghty (40:12.094)
Um, cause everybody was talking about getting their tour offers, like as we were backstage around Christmas time at the St. James. So it was just like a, it was a mutual decision to go together. So like because of that, that's a, it almost felt like vows in a way where it's like, yes, I am actually tying myself to you and this for the next six months. And like, yes, I am saying yes to performing with you, but I'm also saying yes to making sure that you're okay and that you are.
Kira Troilo (40:12.341)
Hmm
Kira Troilo (40:19.338)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (40:23.972)
Wow.
Katy Geraghty (40:40.374)
fed and healthy and you aren't sad and like you need it you have everything that you need so we kind of there's no way for that to not be a family and it was with all of those ups and downs that come along with being a family but like there was an underlying sense of um commitment that mattered yeah
Kira Troilo (40:58.936)
Yeah. And that's, I mean, I love hearing that because it sounds like the people were a huge factor in continuing to go and to go on that path and to go to the South and to, you know, experience all those different audiences together. And you had, I mean, were you all just fangirling over each other? I have to say that, like, just...
Katy Geraghty (41:06.912)
Enormous. Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (41:13.802)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (41:17.122)
Yes! Oh my god, this whole, the cast, I don't know, I mean, it's like, I, it's so funny because like, I think of all of them obviously as like the people, um, that they are that I know and I love, but like they catch you off guard sometimes with their talent. Like, I went and saw, um, Stephanie J. Block just did a concert a few weeks ago in New York and it was unbelievable and like...
Kira Troilo (41:27.856)
Of course, because they are.
Katy Geraghty (41:43.366)
I just, it's so stupid because I'm like, obviously I know this is Stephanie J. Block, but there's also, you know, the like Steph of it all that I just, sometimes you forget and she gobsmacked me that day. And like Gavin did that with his solo show at MCC, which I had seen parts of it before, but it's just, they are overwhelming talents, but they are kinder than they are talented. They really earnestly are. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (42:07.152)
Hmm. And yeah, I mean that's not always the case. No, no. Ah!
Katy Geraghty (42:10.342)
with those people that is not small potatoes like yeah wild yeah they're such good people i think brian darcy james was the only one that like freaked me out because i'm such a big fan of his um and he didn't i didn't rehearse with him um because he like came back in because i rehearsed with seb and then like brian came back in and then seb came back and then seb did the tour um but
Kira Troilo (42:23.228)
Uh oh. Two, I am two.
Kira Troilo (42:29.151)
Oh!
Kira Troilo (42:32.549)
That's right.
Katy Geraghty (42:39.81)
just people, because it was just his put in. And I just, I don't know, it took me a long time to figure out that like, he was chill. I mean, he's a wonderful man, this was all in my head, but I was just like, a little gobsmacked by him. And there was one point in his put in where I did a line very differently than Julia did, and he fully broke character and burst out laughing. He's like, you're gonna do that to me every night? Okay, start over, do that again. And it was just like such a prideful moment. I'm like, I made this man break and laugh.
Kira Troilo (42:50.852)
This is good to know. Yep.
Kira Troilo (43:06.512)
You're like, I've done it.
Katy Geraghty (43:09.45)
Yeah, so he's wonderful, but he was the one that I was like, I don't know what to do. Yeah, yeah.
Kira Troilo (43:10.736)
That's amazing.
Nope, I totally get that. But I also love hearing that. To me it matters that people are good people. So I always am like, please this person that I love, I hope. Ugh, that's amazing. And why you all? Right, you stuck together. Yes. Um, before I ask you the wrap up question, is there anything I didn't ask you that you just would love to share? Um, these are, you know, theater, theater people, people who love theater, people who do theater.
Katy Geraghty (43:18.806)
Oh, there's not a bad egg in that group. Yeah, they're wonderful. Mm-hmm, yeah.
Yes.
Katy Geraghty (43:40.014)
I think honestly the only thing that I would say, because we just talked about so much of the highlights of my career, is that right now I'm actually in a really, really quiet time. But it has come off the heels of everything that we just discussed, which was more or less nonstop from the spring of 2018 until now, or I guess last fall. But because I've spent so much time on myself,
Kira Troilo (43:45.744)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (43:50.124)
Mmm.
Kira Troilo (44:04.414)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (44:10.57)
you know, my work is not my worth. And yes, I am looking for, you know, ways to like keep forwarding my career and paying my bills, but like in this time that is quiet, I'm earnestly not unhappy. And I think that there's a lot of work that we need to just make sure that we're constantly doing because the moment that I'm having right now that I am proudest of myself is not actually with all the work that I've just done, it's how at ease I feel in this time now.
So like, I just want to make sure that, you know, in all the success we just talked about, that like, there's so many ups and downs in that, and like, it can still feel like just a season of your life that you can appreciate. Cause when it gets crazy, I'll be wishing for this time. So, yeah.
Kira Troilo (44:40.581)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (44:52.731)
Yeah.
Kira Troilo (44:56.196)
I was gonna say, it sounds, I mean, even just in talking to you through, from college through now, it sounds like that grounding time for you has been equally as important just to arm yourself. I mean, maybe that's dramatic, but...
Katy Geraghty (45:00.984)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (45:05.79)
It has been. Yeah. No, that's, no, that's exactly how I feel. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (45:11.256)
Yeah, so I'm guessing that you would, that's the advice you would give to anyone who's feeling like they're out of it or in a down period.
Katy Geraghty (45:16.978)
Yes. Yeah, there's just no, there's no one right way to do this and like, everything is a season, so like roll with the one that you're in. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (45:30.856)
What would you say inclusion looks like to you or feels like to you in our perfect theater world?
Katy Geraghty (45:36.71)
Yeah, I mean inclusion as a word is just like the bare minimum. Because like we're just talking about having the people in the room. Because we're not even talking about celebrating or even getting further into like nuance. We're just talking about letting them be there. And that's all inclusion is and it's wild that we're celebrating it as much or not even achieving it right now because I'm like it is baseline. Like...
Kira Troilo (45:43.315)
Mm-hmm.
Kira Troilo (46:03.085)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (46:06.366)
It's baffling. It's kind of like, you know, when like a girlfriend is talking about a guy doing the bare minimum and she's like, he's amazing. Like, do you hear yourself talking right now? Like that's what that feels like to me with inclusion sometimes. So I think that it is literally step one and we've still not managed to do it right. So like it is a process that I hope that we don't get stuck.
Kira Troilo (46:18.509)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Kira Troilo (46:25.648)
Mm-hmm.
Katy Geraghty (46:33.89)
not learning how to just let people in the door because there's so much more work, and then also celebration to do. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (46:42.924)
I love that. I couldn't say it better. There is so much celebration to do, right? And us all being able to be in a room and feel that we belong there should be the bare minimum. Absolutely.
Katy Geraghty (46:44.627)
Peace. Haha. Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (46:53.516)
Mm-hmm. 100%. Thank you! This has been delightful.
Kira Troilo (46:56.688)
Thank you so much, Katy. This is so great. Yes, where can people, you know, I'll share in the, this won't be recorded, but in the intro, I read your bio and everything, but I wonder if you'd like to share where people can find you or see you next?
Katy Geraghty (47:08.298)
Yeah.
Katy Geraghty (47:12.214)
Yeah, I'm really, really reachable on social media. I have a TikTok that I'm like terrible at messaging on because I don't understand TikTok. But then I'm like so reachable and on Instagram, like I will answer any DM and I earnestly like always ask people to just like reach out and chat. So yeah, both of those, but they're just, both of them are my name. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (47:19.46)
I'm bad at, yeah, I don't do TikTok.
Kira Troilo (47:28.752)
great.
Kira Troilo (47:32.924)
Okay, great. Awesome, what about stage? On stage? We don't know. Oh, that's right, you're in a little.
Katy Geraghty (47:36.906)
I don't know, who knows? I think it's gonna be, you know, I would assume that the film will be, yeah, TV will be next, but, um, yeah, I don't know, we'll see. Yeah. Yeah! Oh my god, thank you, this has been delightful. Yeah.
Kira Troilo (47:46.424)
see. Yay! Well thank you so much!