The following is an interview with Kristin Mothersbaugh on her one-woman show, Get Over Yourself, which will premiere at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this month in Los Angeles, CA. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Mothersbuagh about the inspiration behind the show, her creative process, what she hopes that audiences will take away from the show, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Your one-woman show, Get Over Yourself, will launch later this month at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. For our readers who may be unfamiliar with the show, how would you describe its premise?
Kristin Mothersbaugh: Yes, it’s next weekend now! The premise is in short – a fantastic and spiritual journey of the struggling artist’s quest for self love. A young woman teaches a private couple’s yoga session where her mind wanders, escaping her ego to the magical worlds of the television show Battlestar Galactica, the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, and the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She compares her father’s battle with cancer, waiting for love, and being an actress surviving in Los Angeles to these fantasies, ultimately bringing her ego into a battle with itself.
BD: What inspired you to create this performance, and how would you describe your creative process in bringing it to life?
KM: I was inspired by my friend from college, Laura Jenkins. I did the tech for her show, Triangles Are My Favorite Shape, back in 2014 and thought, “Wow! She created this amazing work of art herself!” I didn’t have many great acting opportunities at the time, having just moved here from Missouri earlier that year, and decided I would create my own! Laura introduced me to Jessica Lynn Johnson of Soaring Solo, with whom I workshopped my drafts and ideas of Get Over Yourself for a year. The creative process was very therapeutic for me. I’m so glad I had Jessica helping me to push things along, because I really could get lost in all the possibilities of my fantasies and how to express my past. It’s a very personal journey, and I feel it really did help me to “get over myself” in the best of ways.
BD: What do you hope that audiences will take away from the show?
KM: I hope that I can connect with people – whether the audience is a fan of sci-fi, Japanese culture, Zelda, has dealt with the hardships of loved ones suffering from cancer, or is a yoga instuctor that just gets it. Any other struggling artists new to a big city I want to take some comfort and hope from this show – that you are strong enough to make it and if there isn’t enough creativity going on for you, you can make it happen yourself! In general, the message is self-love, so I hope that each audience member can find that through their journey with me.
BD: What makes the Hollywood Fringe Festival the best venue for Get Over Yourself?
KM: The Hollywood Fringe Festival is the best venue, because it’s so full of fresh art! So many shows and so much theatre! I love that underground theatre feeling. I think solo shows can thrive in this environment connecting with other creative souls. Plus, it’s just so much fun being a part of Fringe!
BD: The show will be appearing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival on June 25 and 26, 2016. Are there any future plans to perform the show at other venues?
KM: Yes! This is the second time it is being produced, and these two shows are the last in Los Angeles, CA, most likely. I am planning on taking it to Chicago’s Greenhouse Theatre Center’s Solo Celebration, New York’s United Solo Theatre Festival, and my high school and colleges in Missouri next year.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects that you would care to share with our readers?
KM: I have a production company with my brother Dustin R. Mothersbaugh called 3 Corner’s Productions, and I’m working on editing and entering a couple films into festivals. I also plan on making comedic character projects of Kurt’s Rap and Ingrid, and doing some more stand up comedy this fall. You can check all this out on my website at www.kristinmothersbaugh.com if you like!
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about and purchase tickets for Get Over Yourself?
KM: Tickets are $15 but you can use the code “self love” for $10 tickets! You can search the show on the Fringe site and find it there. Information is on page 112 in the Fringe booklet, and, of course, you can also ask the Underground Theatre where it will be. There are also more insights to the show including a trailer and an Indigogo to support the show even if you can’t make it on my website page for the show. I hope to see you at the show! Thanks so much!
