Rising Stars: Meet Kristina Lakey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Lakey. 

Hi Kristina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
We stumbled into the Goblin King Players rather unceremoniously. In 2016 we performed a burlesque parody of the film Labyrinth and enjoyed three sold-out evenings. This got me thinking that people really loved this film, and I was interested in working with it in a more accessibly way. I recalled seeing Rocky Horror Picture Show done with shadowcasting and wondered if we could apply this art form to other movies. My goal was simple at the time. Performing a shadowcast of Labyrinth with other creatives and theatre professionals, making sure the production value was as top-notch as could be. I sat on this idea for nine months, knowing that the missing piece to this puzzle was the venue. It had to be just right. A screen, a stage, a proper backstage, and lots of seating. In March of 2017, I went to The Redford Theatre to see a screening of Harry Potter and immediately knew this was the place. As soon as I got home, I emailed them, and they almost immediately agreed to the show. In November of 2017, we performed one evening of our Labyrinth shadowcast to about 1,000 fans, and The Redford asked, “So, what’s next?” We’ve never looked back. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
What has made the road a little rocky is that there are not a lot of places shadowcasting on a professional level consistently, so there are not a lot of successful theatres doing specifically what we do to take notes from. This means that we’ve had to do a lot of guessing about what is going to work, what the audience wants to see, and we’ve had to invent unique ways to present these performances, so both the work on stage and the movie itself is highlighted. There are some large-scale shows like Beetlejuice where the struggle is creating the world of Tim Burton in real-time, and there are others like Hocus Pocus where the characters are so deeply beloved that you have to focus on getting the characterization as right as possible. That said, our audiences have embraced us from the start. That part of it has always been smooth sailing. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve been a creative my entire life, and I really like that word because it encompasses all sorts of endeavors beyond just acting or live theatre. I started doing straight plays and musicals, moved on to film and voice over, and then began organizing things like a burlesque troupe and a zombie walk. I’ve found that my love of performance really goes far beyond my own enjoyment of being an actor. I enjoy creating immersive events that give the audience a reprieve from the struggles of daily life, and I want to give other creatives a place to shine. Currently, The Goblin King Players is experiencing a lot of success for our shadowcasting, and I think that’s because we take it seriously. Our approach is the better the quality of the production the more immersed the audience will be, and they’ll enjoy it so much more. We’ve gotten a lot of attention because of that and have started to receive many gig requests that we never set out to get but are happily accepting. We’re most known for anything having to do with Labyrinth, as we’ve spent a considerable amount of time and money to perfect costumes, wigs, and set pieces and we host an annual Labyrinth Celebration where hundreds of fans flock to the theatre to be whisked away into that fantasy for an evening. All of that is much to be proud of, but what I am most proud of is creating something where creatives can thrive in a safe and loving environment and paying them for their hard work and dedication. 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Art is a lot about taking risks. In fact, every time we pick a movie to do, we take a risk on if the audience will be interested in that film or not. We take a risk every time we put tickets for any event on sale because you can’t know how things will shake out, but you do know that even if there are ten people in that audience, they deserve the same show that 1,000 people would get. Luckily that has never happened, and our audiences have always been present, but you really can’t tell that going in! Even the fact that we exist at all was a risk. My personal motto is that it’s fine if someone wants to tell me no, but I am not going to be the one to do it. So, emailing The Redford and requesting a partnership was a risk. Creating a tour (coming in Spring of 2023) is a risk. There is just no way to know how these things will end. But I know that without asking the questions and assuming the risk, we would not be where we are today, and I believe that taking calculated risks is why we are as successful as we are. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goblinkingplayers.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goblinkingplayers
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZDRUdogblG1m9EFyjn6w8g

Image Credits
RSII Photography
Jennifer Ilene Photography