Interview: Theatre Life with Katie Kleiger

I often say that certain things in the theatre are a total mystery to me. Today’s subject Katie Kleiger is currently living her theatre life as Jacqueline de Bellefort in a true mystery of the theatre Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile. The show runs through December 29th in Arena’s Kreeger Theater space.

Katie is no stranger to the stage’s of DC theatre. Her previous credits include White Noise, The Wolves, and The Effect at Studio Theatre, Unseen at Mosaic Theater, and The Book of Will, and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly at Round House Theatre. She is also a company member of Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre where she most recently appeared as Dusty in POTUS.

Her Off-Broadway credits include Sleep No More at McKittrick Hotel, Ring Twice for Miranda at New York City Center, and The Fall at SoHo Playhouse.

Select regional credits include Everything is Wonderful at Philadelphia Theatre Company, Pride and Prejudice at Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Juno and the Paycock at Guthrie Theater.

Besides performing theatrically, Katie is also an accomplished singer-songwriter. You can find her music on all streaming platforms. It’s well worth listening to.

For those looking for something that is theatrically away from all the holiday cheer, Please consider grabbing some tickets to Death on The Nile at Arena Stage this holiday season. Katie Kleiger shares the stage with a great cast that includes DC theatre legends “Dame” Felicia Curry and Nancy Robinette plus it’s the directorial debut of Arena Stage’s “newish” Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif.

Katie Kleiger is truly living her theatre life to the fullest. It’s no mystery. She’s the real deal!!

Growing up, were you a theatre kid?

For better or for worse, I was indeed the quintessential theatre kid. Some of my earliest memories are singing the entire cast recordings to shows like The Music Man, Anastasia, Les Mis, and Phantom of the Opera. I would stand on our elevated fireplace hearth and make my parents watch as I reenacted each cast recording, top to bottom. When I was six years old, I asked my parents if I could audition for Sound of Music at the local community theatre in Topeka, KS.

Did I book the job? I did not. Did I cry? I was six, of course I did. Did I invite the director of that production to come see Death on the Nile so I could rub it in her face 25 years later? I plead the fifth.

Where did you receive your training? 

I was lucky enough to attend Interlochen Arts Academy for my last two years of high school, and then received my BFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program.

What was your first professional job as a performer?

When I was 11 years old, my parents took me to see A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre. I left that evening and told my mom “I want to be in that.” The following year, I auditioned for and booked my first professional acting job as Belinda Cratchit in A Christmas Carol At Ford’s. This experience changed my life in so many ways, and further solidified my love for performing. I told myself that after college I would come back and audition for Christmas Carol again, and this time I’d be Belle.

Fast forward to my final year in college, and low and behold, the first professional show that I booked post-college? A Christmas Carol at Guthrie, playing Belle. I have a very special place in my heart for holiday shows, and I know that these foundational experiences are the reason why.

Can you please tell us a little something about the character you play in Death on The Nile? 

Jackie in many ways fits into my dream roles - she is unapologetic, driven, brazen, and heart-forward. I also happen to think she’s hilarious, though perhaps other people onboard do not.

And while it is difficult to portray at times, I am very drawn to the parts of Jackie that aren’t afraid to show her rage. Rage is not an emotion we get to see women embody onstage often - both emotionally and physically. We see women grapple with grief and heartache, with sadness and with fear…but rarely do we see them sit in their rage. I am grateful to Ken Ludwig (playwright) and Hana S. Sharif (director) for allowing me to explore this side of Jackie.

Does Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Death on The Nile stay true to the Agatha Christie source material?

In many ways yes, and in some ways, no. Every decision to veer from the text is incredibly intentional, and in my opinion, helps the dramatic momentum of the piece immensely.

This is random, I apologize, but I recently read Jurassic Park, and I was struck by the similarities in style between that book and Death on the Nile - a large cast of suspicious, flawed characters in a confined space, and a general sense of unease and mystery. I think Ken Ludwig did what Michael Crichton did so well - took a lengthy novel and turned it into a tight script through the process of cutting certain characters, combining certain characters, and finding ways to center and mold key dramatic moments so that they can really craft a cinematic or theatrical climax, in a way that a novel doesn’t have to do given its medium.

You have performed many times in the DMV over the years. What do you enjoy the most about working here?

I am of the mindset that the DMV has some of the best theatre in the country, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees. Really, let’s go.

But seriously - while I do miss certain things about New York when I’m here, like restaurants staying open past 8pm, I do love the general accessibility to theatre, the level of excellence that many theatres strive for and achieve, and the community that has been created and nurtured in this area.

You are also a singer-songwriter. Was that something you were doing before you started acting?

My dad would say that yes, I have been writing songs my whole life, and that I wrote my first hit “Tarts, Tarts, Tarts” when I was just seven years old. It’s a fascinating story about Tarts, and it explores the important question of “how many tarts can there be?” (a question that is then answered with: “there’s definitely more than three.”)

Truly, though, I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12, and I always had the desire to write music, but it wasn’t until I was 24 or so that I allowed myself to explore the possibility of…what if I could? During the pandemic I really started to focus on this more and pushed myself to take myself more seriously as a musician. It was a balm for the unknown, and while I still struggle with imposter syndrome in the music scene, I am grateful that I have intermittently gotten the courage up to share my music with the world, both online and in person.

After Death on The Nile closes, what does 2025 hold in store for you workwise?

Now, I almost skipped this question, because the truth is: I don’t know what’s in store for me workwise. I do not have work lined up yet, and 2025 is wide open. At first I thought, oh, I’ll just ask if we can have this question removed from the interview, but then I realized - it’s important for anyone reading to know the realities of being an actor. I often do not know what my next show will be and am always fighting to secure my next project. So, fancy casting director reading this interview - please call me in! I’ll do really good, I promise.

That all being said, I am a proud company member of a comedy group in NYC called A Drinking Game NYC that puts on shows every month at The Bell House in Brooklyn. We put classic movies onstage with homemade props and costumes and only one rehearsal, all with a beer in our hand. It’s a great mix of honoring nostalgic films and improvisational comedy. You can check out their upcoming shows here.

Special thanks to Arena Stage's Lead Associate, Public Relations Anastasia St. Hilaire for her assistance in coordinating this interview.

Additional photo assistance provided by Ford's Theatre's Associate Director of Communications and Marketing Sam Zein.

Theatre Life logo designed by Kevin Laughon.