Actress Kelli Simpkins continues to make realistic portrayals of people we know in our lives. She broke out as a creator and performer with The Laramie Project, for which she earned an Emmy nomination for ensemble writing.
In Chicago, she has worked with such prestigious theater companies such as Timeline, Goodman, Steppenwolf and About Face.
Her film work includes A League of Their Own and Chasing Amy; TV spots include Empire and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Simpkins plays a lesbian living with her partner in a new theater production called Cocked, at Victory Gardens.
Windy City Times: Hi, Kelli. I just saw Cocked and wondered if that dog barking in the background drove you crazy while performing.
Kelli Simpkins: I have a dog living just across the way from me so the dog part really hits home for me. I am a dog lover and non-violent human being, but I have had fantasies that are pushing the boundaries of violence with that particular dog.
When this all started happening in tech I couldn't believe it. I know people that have come to the show saying they would not be able to handle the dog until they realize it is a point of the plot.
WCT: Talk about your high-strung character, Taylor.
KS: Taylor is a corporate lawyer. She is in a relationship with a journalist and lives in Andersonville. She is tightly wound, very strong and in control. Sarah Gubbins, the playwright, and I talked about how lonely she is, wishing someone could take over her responsibilities.
Into the mix walks her brother who is none of these things. There is the beginning of Taylor's unraveling but she doesn't know it until about halfway through the play. She gets on her heels in the second half of the play. She wants to fix things but can't find the solution.
WCT: The audience must think she is too hard on her brother at first.
KS: Until they realize that she was right all along. No one will listen to her, Jerry! [Both laugh.] If they did, there would be no play.
WCT: True. So did you know the writer of the play, Sarah Gubbins, before this?
KS: She is one of my nearest and dearest friends. I knew her before I moved to Chicago, while I was in New York. This is the third play I have done with her. We work really well together. It is rare in this business to work over and over again, particularly from a writer and actor perspective. She writes certain things about me for my wheelhouse and I understand certain things about her writing.
It was a thrill to be in the room with her and Joanie Schultz, the director. We had all done a show called The Kid Thing together in 2011. Sarah moved away after that to LA and has not been back until Cocked, so it was lovely to have her back and work on this piece.
WCT: Was the part of Taylor written for you?
KS: I know she wrote The Kid Thing for me but [I'm] not sure about this one. When she writes a lesbian-identified character, I know I am one of the people she has in mind. We did the first reading of this piece in my dining room two years ago. There have been a ton of changes with this script as we workshopped it up until its premiere.
WCT: How do you feel about this being set in Andersonville with [you] actually living there yourself?
KS: I think it is great, particularly with what is happening in the city of Chicago. It feels very geographically segregated. Some people think these things don't happen on the North Side. I think this part of town has an imbedded false sense of safety. I think it is important to have it set in that neighborhood because it makes us question who we are.
WCT: How is working with this cast?
KS: It has been great and this is a challenging piece. Mike Tepeli and Patrese D. McClain are both so talented. They have been game to everything and this is one of those plays that you have to be open to anything. It is an exhausting play to do—even though it is only 90 minutes—so you have to have three very solid people that you can immensely trust. I totally feel that with Mike and Patrece. We have a great time together on stage.
WCT: Any knowledge of the play going on after this run?
KS: I don't know of any plans but it is the first part in a trilogy about guns. Gun violence is a huge conversation we are having worldwide so I would like to see the show travel.
Sarah's TV career is really taking off, with a new series on Amazon with Jill Soloway, so who knows when part two will happen.
WCT: How is your Tectonic Theatre Project coming along?
KS: I just did Spill at Timeline, then went right into Cocked so I have finally had time to meet up with our group about this. We are trying to meet up once a week and we have done three interviews so far.We are very excited and have a lot more interviews to do. It takes a really long time to figure out what this play is. It will take time to transcribe 50 to 100 interviews to write this piece. It is epic in nature and has to do with queer youth, elderly LGBTQ people, and that history in Chicago. It has already been a huge lesson to me and I have met so many incredible people.
I am going into another play in three weeks so there is not enough hours in the day for everything...
WCT: What is your next show?
KS: It is a show at About Face Theatre. Bonnie Metzgar is directing. I worked with her on Pony before, and I admire her as an artist. This the first time About Face is doing a show written by The Five Lesbian Brothers and is called The Secretaries. It will be incredible with an all-female cast. We are playing multiple characters and it is a lesbian-centered drama and comedy. I am super-thrilled to be involved in it!
Cocked is at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., thru March 13; visit VictoryGardens.org or call 773-871-3000 .
