USD Magazine, Spring 1993

WHATEVER IT TAKES: Kara Mullen

After just two days of "dressing for suc– cess" as the production manager for the San Diego-based National Theater for Children, Kara L. Mullen '92 changed her strategy. "At rehearsals and auditions, I'd be asked to paint a background, fix a light, move props, any number of things," she laughs. "I quickly learned that a nice business suit wasn't exactly appropriate attire." Mullen also learned that the far– ranging education she received at USD would come in handy-every day. "In the theater program at USD we had to learn to do everything, because there weren't that many of us," she explains. "If you wanted to be in a pro– duction, you couldn't just act. You had to be willing to help build the set or hang the lights or do whatever was need– ed." Doing whatever is needed to stage a production is one way to describe Mullen's job. She oversees costume designers, actors and directors and runs auditions and rehearsals for the compa– ny's various productions; essentially, she is in charge of all the behind-the– scenes work necessary to get a play up and running. That's a lot of responsibility for a 22- year-old, but Mullen tries not to be intimidated by the pressure. "My atti– tude is, if I don't know how to do some– thing, I can learn, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get it done." That kind of attitude is necessary when auditions and rehearsals run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days running, and dealing with the egos of actors and directors can sometimes be overwhelm– ing. "My degree in psychology really comes in handy!" she laughs. "It sur– prises me how often I use the knowledge I gained in my classes." In addition to the concrete knowl– edge she gained at USD, Mullen says working with the theater professors gave

Kara Mullen has found a career in the calarlul world al theater.

her an appreciation for educational the– ater. That appreciation drew her to the National Theater for Children, which stages productions for school groups in San Diego and across the country. The plays staged by the company-classics such as Babes in T vyland, Robin Hood and Tom Sawyer-stress nonviolent solutions to problems and include an ethnically diverse cast. "Our directors usually cast color– blind," Mullen explains. "In a recent version of Robin Hood, Maid Marian was portrayed by an African-American actress, and there was only one sword fight, which was done in slow motion. So we're not only exposing children to theater and entertaining them, we're cel– ebrating diversity." Mullen says that message is impor– tant because the children they perform for are often ethnically diverse or eco– nomically disadvantaged. "Sometimes the schools can't afford to send children to our performances (tickets are $5.90 each), so we give them complimentary

tickets. Denying children an opportunity to see theater because of economics would be completely contrary to what this company is all about." That business approach is a refresh– ing one, and surprising, too, when you consider that the theater's $1 million budget is based solely on ticket sales. "We don't receive charitable contribu– tions or government grants," Mullen explains. What the company does get, howev– er, are thank-you notes. Stacks of them. "That really makes it all worthwhile," says Mullen. "Getting notes from chil– dren who really loved the performance. For many of them, there isn't a lot of happiness in their lives, so it's nice to be able to go someplace and forget about family or neighborhood problems, even if it's just for a little while."

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