Caroline Kava

Caroline Kava's first play, The Early Girl, was inspired by Caroline's experience as an actor playing a prostitute in Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, where she and four other actors were placed in an operating illegal house of prostitution in Idaho to research their characters. The revelations were voluminous but director Cimino was not interested in anything but his romantic view of the subject, so the effort went for naught - in his movie. Caroline was determined to reveal what she witnessed so she wrote the play which was eventually produced by Circle Rep starring Demi Moore. The Early Girl is available at Samuel French. Number One was Caroline's MFA thesis short film based on the play. The excerpt posted will give you an idea of the play. Caroline's new version of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler had its genesis in her acting class at Barnard College. Having decided on using the work of Ibsen for the students' scene work, Caroline quickly realized a dearth of leading adult female roles. So she decided to change Eilert Lovborg's gender in Hedda Gabler to female and see how those scenes played. Like gangbusters! So when she had an opportunity at the University of Miami to direct a play of her choice in the Little Studio Theater, Caroline reworked Ibsen's masterpiece to make Hedda's first love another woman. Joy of Acting is a teaching/reference text that covers the whole scope of acting challenges from beginner to professional. Caroline's way in is her training with Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse. She gives a detailed yet simple explanation of his signature Repetition Exercise, with vivid cartoon illustrations by Jessica Warrick. She follows this with readily applicable 'recipes' to analyze a play or a scene to assist the actor in auditioning or rehearsal. For more about Caroline's work please visit carolinekava.com.