Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

'Topdog' Day Afternoon: Actor K. Todd Freeman
2003-10-15

This article shared 6230 times since Wed Oct 15, 2003
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Sometimes doing an interview can be a more informative experience than I realize. When I interviewed Steppenwolf ensemble member and out gay actor K. Todd Freeman, I brought him a copy of the Oct. 1, 2003 issue of Windy City Times, so that he could read some of my interviews. When he saw the photo of Meshell Ndegeocello on the cover and I mentioned that I had interviewed her, he talked about how much he liked her music. He also told me that Ndegeocello appeared with him in the Wim Wenders movie The End Of Violence. I love when I learn something new.

Below are some of the other things I learned from Mr. Freeman.

Gregg Shapiro: At the center of Topdog/Underdog is the complicated relationship between two brothers. Do you have any siblings?

K. Todd Freeman: I have two older sisters.

GS: How do you get along with them?

KTF: We get along fine.

GS: I'm asking because I was trying to imagine how someone who was an only child would be able to understand the complexities of a relationship such as the one between Booth and Lincoln.

KTF: You have to know siblings. It could be played, but you have to know siblings.

GS: Like many siblings, Booth and Lincoln have differing versions of childhood memories. Do you find that your childhood memories are in alignment with those of your sisters or that you have your own?

KTF: I think it's both. I think that there are some memories that are shared exactly and then I think that there are some memories that are skewed from what you wanted to believe and what you were allowed to know at the time, depending on how old you are and what was involved and your interpretation of events. I think it's fifty-fifty.

GS: The subject of names comes up in the play when Lincoln tells Booth that they named them as a joke. As an actor and someone whose name is your calling card, do you use your birth name or have you taken a stage name?

KTF: This is my real name. I had to use my middle name because there was another Kenneth Freeman in the union before I joined. It's still the name I was born with. I haven't adopted another persona with K. Todd.

GS: While watching Topdog/Underdog, I noticed some of the audience members following Lincoln and Booth's hands when they were tossing the cards in the Three Card Monty, and their heads were moving with your hands like they were mesmerized. Have you ever been caught up in a game of Three-Card Monty?

KTF: I used to live in New York and those guys were around Times Square years ago. I would watch them, but I never played because I knew better than to actually play. I was here doing a play a few months ago—it was July 4th—and I was on the train going up north. Some guys came on board with bottle caps and a pea, and they were doing that. It was kind of shocking that they got everybody on the train playing and giving them money and thinking that they could win. I only had one stop to go from where they got on and I just sat hating that I had to get off because I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe that people were buying into it! I was like, 'Oh my God, you idiots!' They were just laying out money almost immediately. I see it all the time. These guys make a lot of money.

GS: What kind of pressure does it put on you, as an actor, when you are stepping into a role in a play that was honored with something as prestigious as a Pulitzer Prize? Does that turn things up a notch?

KTF: Yes and no. I can't necessarily say it does. A lot of times you do plays that are new. A lot of times you might do Shakespeare, which has been done a billion times before and has a lot going behind it. This play is hot right now. Everyone is doing it all over the country and it's got a lot of word of mouth. I don't think it's any different than doing Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, because everyone wants to see how you're going to do that. There are pressures—slightly different—but they're all sort of the same pressures that you get.

GS: Would you rather be the person who originates a role?

KTF: I love doing new plays. I love being the first one to do that sort of thing. And yet again, I love recreating something to see what else I can bring ( to it ) . It's six of one, half dozen of the other. But, I do love doing new plays—that's probably my favorite thing.

GS: In addition to your stage work, you also have an impressive film and television resume'. Are there any upcoming roles that we should be watching for?

KTF: Not that's coming out now. It's been a while since I've been in L.A. I've been doing a lot of theater. Everything that I've done is out of the can now ( laughs ) .

GS: Which presents more of a challenge for you as a member of the Steppenwolf ensemble: being African-American or being openly gay?

KTF: The gay thing doesn't matter. As far as being African-American, it's just finding roles and projects to be in.

Topdog/Underdog, thru Nov. 2, Steppenwolf, ( 312 ) 335-1650.

----------------------------------------


This article shared 6230 times since Wed Oct 15, 2003
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26
- City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 season—which will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater 2024-03-26
--From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12
- Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10
- On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.