Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaci Beeler.
Hi Kaci, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born alongside my two brothers Brett and Brad Beeler (we’re triplets) in Long Beach, California but we moved to Texas when we were five years old. We moved around the state and eventually ended up in Round Rock, Texas, when I was ten years old. I remember knowing very distinctly as a child that I wanted to make art and be on stage, but we couldn’t afford specialty classes outside of public school. I ended up going to Westwood High School in North Austin (and my dad generously drove me and my brothers to THREE different public high schools due to their different program specialties) and participating in Westwood’s “Fine Arts Academy,” where I studied fine art and drama before ending up at St. Edward’s University studying fine art. I graduated with a BA in Art, emphases in Painting, summa cum laude, in 2009.
I was absolutely in love with creating and the idea of only picking ART or only picking THEATRE was unthinkable to me, even though many people in my life told me it was foolish to pursue both at the same time. Long story short on that – I didn’t listen to them.
While I was in college, I pursued an art degree by day and practiced and performed improvisational theatre in the evenings and on the weekends. My improv company Parallelogramophonograph (PGraph for short – consisting of myself, Kareem Badr, Roy Janik, and Valerie Ward), got our start when I was 18 in 2005 at The Hideout Theatre in Downtown Austin and we just had our 15 year anniversary last November. Through my work in improvisation, so many doors opened up for me during and after college.
The Hideout Theatre invited me to join their management team as the Director of Design when they took over the business in 2009, and I began designing posters, web graphics, brochures, scenic backdrops, menus, t-shirts, costumes – honestly everything you saw visually at The Hideout from 2009 – 2019 was something I had my hand in. It felt amazing to take what I had learned at St. Edward’s and immediately use it in a professional context as the Hideout grew from 1 stage and 3 shows a week to 2 stages and 14 shows weekly.
While working for The Hideout, my improv company PGraph was doing weekly shows as well as traveling to perform and teach improv nationally and then abroad as our reputation grew. I’ve been to 11 countries and over 70 cities around the world to teach and perform at this point. PGraph even did a month in Edinburgh, Scotland at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival – which led to tours to the UK, Ireland, France, Finland, The Netherlands, Canada, and Spain. Separately I traveled to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Shanghai and taught and performed improv (several times with a translator) with other improv professionals.
I signed with my talent agency local Austin agency, TAG Talent, in 2007 after a representative saw me perform in an improv festival in Los Angeles. So I started acting in commercials, films, and Television. I’ve done commercials for Wendy’s, Samsung, Dominos Pizza, Bud Light, Hallmark, Dell, Whole Foods, and dozens of other companies and brands. TV and film-wise major stand-outs are HBO’s The Leftovers, Universal Picture’s MY ALL AMERICAN, multiple projects for Rooster Teeth, as well as improvising in character for HBO’s Westworld activation at SXSW.
In 2013, I co-wrote the play BLOOD, SWEAT, AND CHEERS, all about the world of competitive cheerleading alongside now best-selling thriller author Amy Gentry. This led to creating my theatre company American Berserk Theatre in 2016. My co-founder Curtis Luciani and I have created and produced three full-length scripted plays and six one-act plays between us since we started the company. SUBJECT TO CONTROL, our 2016 darkly comic sci-fi piece won an Austin Chronicle Critics Award and my 2018 pop-horror revenge play KILLER GIRLS garnered nominations in 5 categories at the B. Iden Payne awards. We’re currently collaborating with musician collective Density512 and the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin on a short modernized take on the Pirates of Penzance that will come out later this year. Kinda weird but that’s part of our mission these days – to collaborate and connect with other local artists and collectives.
In late 2018, I left my job as Director of Design at The Hideout to pursue working as a freelancer in several fields – event design for local company CIRCUS PICNIC, graphic and web design, custom fine art and mural commissions, team-building facilitation, screenwriting, stage, film, and event acting, teaching, directing, and more. There was even a month where my entire salary came from designing a custom Murder Mystery experience. I love it. Variety is absolutely essential to my creativity and happiness. All the variety makes my work richer. I don’t think I’d be as good of a writer if I didn’t have my stage and storytelling experience or as good of a painter if I didn’t have my graphic design practice. And if the pandemic taught me anything, it’s that having so much I can do really helps keep me afloat in times of crisis when a major pivot is required. While in-person events, shows, and film shoots died down, there was a huge increase in demand for painting commissions, web design, and remote improv facilitation.
I talked mostly about my career path, which has been alongside so many passionate and amazing Austin artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives. I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for all the amazing people I’ve met and worked with. I’m still meeting incredible people all the time!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Oh my gosh. It has not been all smooth sailing. Early on, I was constantly told to not pursue the path I was on. “Good luck – you’ll be flipping burgers,” – a fellow comedian told me. My dad, well-meaning but hurtfully, said, “This improv thing is not going to do anything for you.”
Meanwhile, my brothers were pursuing what seemed like more stable careers – law and law enforcement. There was no doubt thrown their way. It took a lot of courage to think and then say, “I’m going to be an artist.” It’s still hard to type! And a lot of the time early on, I felt my time was going to run out – and fast. I would look into escape hatches late at night – temp work, a desk job, retail – that I could jump into.
As a femme-presenting person, doing improvisation (especially the comedic improv part) has led to cases of assault, harassment, and bullying over the years. The industry is changing to reveal the injustices and inequalities of a traditionally white cishet male field. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a leadership position; you can still be targeted by people who don’t believe someone who looks like you should be listened to. This is global, too, I’ve discovered in my travels. Traveling to perform sounds so glamourous and I DO feel so privileged and fortunate – but there’s a lot of sexism, misogyny, and bigotry out there.
I’m definitely a “fight person” out of the “fight or flight” response and I think that’s got me through a lot. But it’s painful to fight. Not to mention the pay – there’s so much you are expected to do for cheap or free when you’re starting out as a creative… and even when you’re established! People don’t ask their accountant or dentist to work for free. You don’t walk into a restaurant and tell the chef, “That looks so good! Can I have it? For like… a dollar?”
I have bills that cannot be paid with “exposure.” The City of Austin only takes USD. Art and design are not a hobby for me. I don’t paint to relax. I take my work and my clients seriously. I love what I do and I work hard. I don’t want to be devalued.
In July of 2020, I heard, “Time to lose that quarantine weight – the commercial industry is opening up again!” I think that tells you a lot about the entertainment industry – beyond the endless work of auditioning. Being a creative can look like such a dream from the outside – but it can eat you alive if you don’t have a good support network.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In the field of painting, I am known for my representational realistic style – but more specifically, my hyper-realistic paintings of food. If they make you salivate, I’ve done my job. As a performer, I’d say I get the most positive feedback about my varied, eclectic, and energetic characters and comedic timing. Onset for professional work, I am often asked to improvise or use my improv skillset – which I love! I recently shot a spokesperson role for a major national commercial campaign where I improvised 70% of my lines. They wanted someone who could really improvise and I was ready for it!
As a director and teacher, I’m known for my enthusiasm, encouragement, and patience. I remember when several European improvisers said to me, “Thank you for being so nice!” with surprise in their voices after my workshop series. I was baffled because that seems like… the only way to be.
I guess I’m really proud of my versatility and communication skills. My clients and collaborators come from so many different backgrounds and, at times, have vastly different needs. It feels like a superpower to not only execute on wildly varied projects day to day but also constantly change my communication style to fit whoever I’m working with. Another thing I’ll thank my work in improvisation for.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The management teams and owners at The Hideout Theatre and Circus Picnic brought me on and gave me so much trust and free reign to make, create, and grow. I became a professional thanks to them.
Huge thanks to my agents Tony and Jorge at The Acting Group (TAG) Talent Agency for over 13 years of insane film industry adventures – from contract breaches, court appeals, late-night phone conversations, early morning set calls, and scrambling to meet impossible industry deadlines – there’s so much trust and vulnerability in this kind of relationship.
My improv family PGraph – Valerie, Kareem, and Roy. We’ve screamed and cried at each other and with each other. We’ve had some of the highest highs and lowest lows you could imagine – standing ovations from sold-out arena crowds in Europe to outright begging people to come into our performances on the streets of Scotland so we didn’t have to cancel the show. We’ve been each other’s parents, lovers, children, siblings, bosses, pets, alien overlords, silverware – you name it and we probably played it out onstage.
My creative partner Curtis Luciani at American Berserk Theatre for believing in me as a writer, director, and producer. When I wanted to make the jump from the ephemeral world of improv into the concreteness of scripted theatre, he was excited to go on that journey with me. Curtis can talk me into doing almost anything and I can talk him into almost anything. That sounds toxic but the way we’ve done it has made for such fun, bizarre, and freeing creative work. I needed a space to feel respected and heard as a writer and Curtis made that space for me.
My former husband Roy Janik and my current partner J.R. Zambrano are to this day, both my biggest cheerleaders. They’re the first people I call, whether it’s wonderful news or something devastating. I can’t get through a painting without texting Roy progress pictures. And they’ve both drove with me across the state of Texas several times whenever I’ve had a remote film shoot and didn’t want to drive by myself. You should see J.R. direct my self-tape auditions at home. He sets up an entire studio and watches every take. It’s just amazing.
I’d be remiss to not mention my family – despite early doubts – they are now fully on board and come and see my shows, read my scripts, laugh at my jokes, and ooh and ahh at my paintings. They let me be myself and that’s invaluable. My parent’s first lesson and gift for me was one of unending love. My desire to be creative is rooted in love and adventure more than anything else, thanks to them.
Pricing:
- Custom paintings starting at $95
- Custom murals starting at $300
- Graphic and web design starting at $65/hour (2021 price)
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.kacibeeler.com
- Instagram: @kacibeeler
- Twitter: @KaciDanger
- Other: www.pgraph.com and www.americanberserktheatre.com
Image Credits
Arthur Marroquin, Steve Rogers, CIRCUS PICNIC, Belmont Village, Cort Furniture, Rooster Teeth
