Kelli Plaisted plays the youngest of “The Girls,” Pickles.
Hi Kelli! Can you briefly describe your journey here to
SDSU?
I’ve lived in San Diego my whole life and knew that I didn’t
want to leave any time soon. After high
school, I attended Grossmont Community College to save money while doing my
General Ed classes. During that time I
also focused on improving my singing and dancing skills. After two years, I decided it was time to
transfer to San Diego State University.
I wasn’t being challenged at Grossmont anymore and knew that I needed to
be pushed in order to really grow as a performer. I am very thankful to the faculty here at
SDSU who have truly invested in me and my education.
If you could meet
yourself when you were first beginning your career, what piece of advice would
you give?
One of my professors, Adrian Alita, has a motto that he shares
with his students: “You are enough.”
That’s what I would tell myself.
I don’t have to copy someone else’s work to be good. Trust yourself, be yourself and work hard.
Who are your acting/
singing heroes or inspirations?
Susan De’Leon and Season Duffy were two mentors I had growing
up. I have an immense amount of respect
for them and they’ve been a big inspiration.
These two women have shown me that it is possible to be a wife and a
mother as well as an active performer in the community. They are true professionals and I’m so
thankful for their influence in my life.
Is there anyone you
find yourself channeling when you perform?
I don’t think so. I focus
on just being as genuine and honest to the character as I can when I
perform.
How is this musical
different from other musicals you’ve performed in?
This is the very first musical I have ever belted in. Every other musical that I have been in, I’ve
sung using my head voice. I’ve been
working hard on developing my belt and I’m so excited to put my hard work to
the test and give it whirl.
Do you have a favorite
role from past musicals? What would that character have to say about this
musical? Would they be friends with your character?
One of my favorite roles was Lena Mable in Athens High at Lambs Players Theatre. She would love Trailer Park! She treasures
friendship and is all about having a good time.
She’s a bit of an underdog so I think she would really be cheering
Jeanie on out of her trailer. Lena would
also be great friends with Pickles. They
are both hopeless romantics and can easily get caught up in the drama.
If you lived in
the park, how would your trailer be decorated?
My trailer
would be filled with fun colors, floral patterns and an abundant of cozy
pillows and blankets. I would fill the
walls with all sorts of knickknacks that I find at thrift stores. Like Norbert says, “Knick-knacks are what
make a trailer a home.” It would also have a huge sunroof in the ceiling. There would be a nice hammock outside,
surrounded by flowers and a big piles of books.
What are some of the
unique challenges of your character?
The most
unique challenge that I’ve been faced with is… playing Pickles as she’s playing
someone else. It’s like character
Inception: It’s Kelli being Pickles
being Tina. One more layer and I’d be in
Limbo! It’s been great coming up with so
many diverse characters but it’s difficult keeping them all straight and lined
up with Pickles’ point of view.
What is Trailer Park about, to you?
It’s about second chances…
or third chances…or one-hundredth chances.
It’s about love, friendship, forgiveness, but most of all it’s about not
giving up. No matter how many times you
get knocked down, it’s about getting back up again. Just like the finale number says, “You gotta
make like a nail, and press on.”
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