In a continuation of our series of interviews with graduating seniors, today's episode features Catherine Long, a recent BFA graduate from our Acting for Stage & Screen program. The Georgia native knew early on in high school that she wanted to come to the University of Mississippi and study theater, but she didn't know how much she'd excel as a performer or that she'd discover a talent for comedy. Along the way, she developed a passion for diversity and inclusion, accessibility, and community engagement.
In a continuation of our series of interviews with graduating seniors, today's episode features Catherine Long, a recent BFA graduate from our Acting for Stage & Screen program.
The Georgia native knew early on in high school that she wanted to come to the University of Mississippi and study theater, but she didn't know how much she'd excel as a performer or that she'd discover a talent for comedy. Along the way, she developed a passion for diversity and inclusion, accessibility, and community engagement.
The Department of Theatre & Film is grateful for its patrons and corporate sponsors. As a department we are committed to the high quality instruction that our students receive. Investing in the students’ education and these quality productions helps us move toward our common goal of graduating successful, creative adults who are lifelong learners. If you are interested in contributing to these efforts, please visit https://umfoundation.givingfuel.com/theatreandfilm.
From the Department of Theater and Film at the University of Mississippi, this is Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
Hello, hello and welcome back to Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
I'm your host, Katherine Stewart.
Katherine Stewart
And today we are continuing our series of interviews with graduating seniors.
Katherine Stewart
My guest today is Catherine Long.
Katherine Stewart
She is a Georgia native.
Katherine Stewart
Who just graduated with a BFA in Theater Arts and an emphasis in Acting for Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
During her time in our program, Catherine discovered passion for diversity and inclusion, Accessibility and community engagement as all of them relate to the theater, we talked about that and much more, so stay tuned.
Katherine Stewart
Hi Catherine, how are you doing today?
Catherine Long
I'm good, how are you?
Katherine Stewart
I'm doing great thank you and thank you so much for joining us.
Katherine Stewart
I know it's a super busy time.
Katherine Stewart
We're right in the middle of finals so I appreciate you making the time.
Catherine Long
Yes, of course I hope.
Catherine Long
Yes, of course.
Katherine Stewart
I hope it's going well so far.
Catherine Long
Yes, so far yes awesome.
Katherine Stewart
So if you wouldn't mind just to start us off, introduce yourself, tell us who you are and where you're from, and I would love to hear how you got into theater.
Catherine Long
OK so hi, I'm Katherine long.
Catherine Long
I am from just a little bit outside of Atlanta, GA and and I am a BFA and acting for Stage & Screen and and so how I got into theater is actually a little.
Catherine Long
Like
Catherine Long
Funny UM?
Catherine Long
I'd always, you know, really enjoyed theater and like growing up my parents and my grandparents.
Catherine Long
They're huge theater fans and anything with performing arts.
Catherine Long
They always love to bring us along too, and my grandparents always made sure my cousins and I saw at least like 1 show a year so that I think.
Catherine Long
That, like really instilled that with me and my dad is like a big music guy, so I think that's how I got into singing and But anyway?
Catherine Long
Uh, in 8th grade, like we had to come, we got this sheet of like electives that we were interested in taking in high school and I saw they had a theater class and I was like that's like kind of interesting, UM.
Catherine Long
And it was.
Catherine Long
I still think about this an unusual thing for me to do because I really was someone who just like followed with everyone else did and I knew no one else taking this class.
Catherine Long
So I don't know what gave me the confidence to take this class and check that in 8th grade.
Catherine Long
But now looking back at it I have a lot to thank 8th grade captain for.
Catherine Long
So I started in the class and I really really enjoyed it.
Catherine Long
And my best friend David.
Catherine Long
He's still one of my really good friends.
Catherine Long
He did a lot of community theater and so using the classes.
Catherine Long
Me, we had auditions for Richard the third, my sophomore year, and I was so nervous, but he like just like took me to those auditions against my will and I ended up being passed as one of the York Princess.
Catherine Long
So my first girl was a boy.
Catherine Long
Loved that.
Catherine Long
And I died in like 5 minutes.
Catherine Long
That's OK, so that's how I got into theater.
Catherine Long
It's a little dumb.
Catherine Long
Unusual, but.
Catherine Long
Yeah.
Katherine Stewart
That's great, it's great so, So what brought you to the University of Mississippi?
Catherine Long
So again, I just don't know how I end up doing these things, but.
Catherine Long
So like I said, I'm from Georgia.
Catherine Long
No one in my family at my immediate family has gone out of state, but I'm I'm really close with all of my cousins, and Luckily we all live really close and all of them had gone out of state.
Catherine Long
So I was like, oh, I want.
Catherine Long
To go out of state.
Catherine Long
And.
Catherine Long
I was watching the blind side is how I learned about the University which is like so embarrassing.
Catherine Long
But then I like looked it up 'cause I think I wanted to know.
Catherine Long
Like again, I think I was in middle school like I was like I wanna know where if they actually shot this on the campus.
Catherine Long
And so I started looking and like just literally researching the school because I'm.
Catherine Long
Psychotic.
Catherine Long
And I thought I was like, oh wow, this looks really nice.
Catherine Long
And then like I saw it was like 6 hours away which.
Catherine Long
And I've mentioned like my family lives really, really close and we are really close and I knew going away to college is something I wanted to do to like gain some indepen
Catherine Long
Lance
Catherine Long
And so my mom, my junior year we went to go tour it and I was like Oh my gosh, I have to go here.
Catherine Long
My mom was like are.
Catherine Long
You sure it's six hours?
Catherine Long
Away and I was like, yeah I have to like and like me and my mom and dad like we came in this spring so it was like beautiful and like all fell in love with it and.
Catherine Long
I think I applied like here and like one school that my dad went to and like that's it.
Catherine Long
But as soon as I got in here I was like I have to go here and then I.
Catherine Long
I got the theater scholarship when I auditioned my senior year, so that, just like really sealed the deal, that that's what I wanted to do.
Catherine Long
Yeah, so that's how I ended up here.
Katherine Stewart
It's nice.
Katherine Stewart
So when you came in when you started as a freshman, did you have a plan or any specific goals for your theater training, and if so, how did those play out?
Katherine Stewart
Or maybe change over the year?
Speaker 3
Here's
Catherine Long
So my freshman year and turned in.
Catherine Long
I was very, very hesitant about theater.
Catherine Long
I knew what I was.
Catherine Long
Doing was a little.
Catherine Long
Out of the norm.
Catherine Long
Not that that's like any surprise for me, but uhm.
Catherine Long
Yeah, I will say I'm definitely someone who has to like get used to their environment.
Catherine Long
At first I'm like super shy so there is nothing.
Catherine Long
Bing.
Catherine Long
Like, truthfully, like pushing me to get super involved, I knew I had to audition for shows 'cause I had a scholarship and so I was auditioning, but I wasn't like pushing myself to present what I could actually do, just out of pure hesitation.
Catherine Long
I didn't even audition for any ghost slideshows, and I had convinced myself.
Catherine Long
That
Catherine Long
I was like I don't know like I felt like Keaton and Gregor and like Hannah and Elizabeth I was like I don't need to be doing this like we're not on the same level like they're just much better than me.
Catherine Long
So I told myself I was going to be a stage manager and so I started picking up some skills as stemming.
Catherine Long
And getting a lot of other odd little skills like marketing and scenic painting, and prop designing and literally anything else you can think of, but performing.
Catherine Long
That's what I was doing so.
Catherine Long
Then my sophomore year.
Catherine Long
Yeah.
Catherine Long
I got a callback for assassins and I kind of did the same thing again like I knew I could sing really well and I got into the BFA program and they and they all told me like I'm in addition, they're like you have a great voice like we are really looking forward to working with you, and I was like, huh, cool, I guess and I remember.
Catherine Long
Going in.
Catherine Long
To Renee's office. After my Assassin's callback, which I obviously like women cast in it just fine, and I I was like I just I like what could I have done better like I just I'm confused like just really not being like truthful with myself that I was not.
Catherine Long
Presenting my best work and I will literally never forget her literally just looking at me and be like.
Catherine Long
I'm just gonna be honest.
Catherine Long
You need to grow some balls and I was like Oh my God, I'm so.
Catherine Long
While her words were harsh, they definitely helped me and I still think of them quite often.
Catherine Long
And and then after that my spring semester of sophomore year I got cast in my first show with Ghost Flight.
Catherine Long
Then
Catherine Long
I haven't stopped getting cosmetic since so, uhm, thank you.
Catherine Long
Rename polio, so I guess my plans definitely did change, but it was just I had to get over.
Catherine Long
My hesitancy.
Catherine Long
Uhm of like a new environment, a new state, new people and just like.
Catherine Long
Pursue to do what I know I'm good at and why I came.
Catherine Long
Here so.
Katherine Stewart
It sounds like he really came out of your shell.
Catherine Long
It's definitely so.
Catherine Long
Yeah.
Catherine Long
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, and I I know from a previous conversation with you that you also discovered a talent for comedy along the way.
Catherine Long
Yes.
Catherine Long
And I think that's like what's funny, like.
Catherine Long
I.
Catherine Long
Not that dumb.
Catherine Long
You know, being like doing any dramatic acting is like less than or like takes less courage or anything but.
Catherine Long
Current
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
I think like.
Catherine Long
I don't know.
Catherine Long
I can really think this like.
Catherine Long
My friends like eating, especially like is always someone who like.
Catherine Long
We would be doing scenes like we'd get paired together a lot in class and Joe's class particularly, and he was like this is like this ridiculous idea. Like should we try it? And like, yeah, wait, what about this ridiculous idea so I can really think like my friends? I think for like seeing that in me and like pushing to do that, and especially like with Boeing, Boeing.
Catherine Long
Especially like it's literally just a farce and a hilarious one, uhm?
Catherine Long
At moments and yeah, and so that especially like really pushed like my physical comedy and timing and like really sharp and that so yeah, Now that's like something I can't imagine like giving up.
Katherine Stewart
And you had talked more about maybe wanting to do some standup or improv, or you still thinking about doing.
Katherine Stewart
Things like that.
Catherine Long
Yeah, so I'm uh after college going back to Atlanta and I knew they do a lot like dad's garage is a theater there they do a lot of like stand up and improv. And also like.
Catherine Long
Is it theater?
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
I would love to do stand up like I think it's gonna be good practice at writing and also like.
Catherine Long
There's like so little women who do stand up and like that.
Catherine Long
It's like I remember there was a.
Catherine Long
Open mic night.
Catherine Long
Uh, Matt Harrison's in Oxford like.
Catherine Long
Maybe a year?
Catherine Long
Well, I guess more than a year ago, but.
Yep.
Catherine Long
Yep, I went down there to watch and there is like not a single girl who performed it was like just men.
Catherine Long
I was like OK like it's like not that men can't be funny but like women are funny too.
Catherine Long
Like you know like there's no reason to be like Meek or shy and I think that's like.
Catherine Long
Maybe I took.
Catherine Long
My face saving a little too seriously, but.
Catherine Long
Even a little bit.
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
Yeah, so that's something that I would really love to get into and just also because like there's just not a lot of representation for it.
Catherine Long
I think, which makes it.
Catherine Long
10 times more important.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, so this actually this ties perfectly into another question.
Katherine Stewart
I was going to ask in the last little while.
Katherine Stewart
You've gotten very into diversity and inclusion in the theater and also community engagement broadly.
Katherine Stewart
How do you hope to apply your theater training to those things?
Catherine Long
Sure, so I think.
Catherine Long
Those two things don't seem like they go together, but oddly enough go together.
Catherine Long
Hey.
Catherine Long
Very well and and so yeah, this past year I worked with the Office of Community Engagement on campus which is in the office of.
Catherine Long
Division and diversity and community engagement.
Catherine Long
So it's one big bubble.
Catherine Long
But yeah, working that job I never thought I would, you know, I guess connect so many of those issues back into the theater world and just like lack of representation for LGBTIQ plus and.
Catherine Long
Uhm, people of color and you know?
Catherine Long
Queer people and like literally, women like just so many people like are not represented through this.
Catherine Long
You know, systematic.
Catherine Long
Set up that we have of, you know the same old white men passing it down to the next old white man and and so yeah, I think that this was a big thing this year, especially as artistic Director of Ghostlight.
Catherine Long
Uhm?
Catherine Long
Really having Accessibility to our shows was super important.
Catherine Long
Having closed captions for everything, making everything super accessible no matter who you are, what you're doing or where you are.
Catherine Long
I think art is something that everyone should be able to experience, and so I think that was something I really like.
Catherine Long
Connected those two dots this year, which was really eye opening.
Katherine Stewart
So you mentioned that you're going back to Atlanta after graduation.
Katherine Stewart
What are you going to be doing there?
Catherine Long
So I'm hoping to work within like the arts community there, acting as like a community engagement assistant that's been unlinked.
Catherine Long
Then with a lot of things that have been listed and then hopefully within the next year or two, I would love to do a Masters program for an MPA and there's a couple that I have listed so far.
Catherine Long
There's a couple.
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
Thought I need to look into a little bit more, but specifically pairing community engagement and theater arts together is the goal.
Catherine Long
So yeah, that's what we're gonna do in Atlanta for a little bit, uhm, hanging out with my parents all good things.
Catherine Long
My cats, but eventually spring semester.
Catherine Long
Thanks.
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
My goal is to have enough money saved where I can move into the city.
Catherine Long
Come and have a little bit more freedom again.
Catherine Long
Which will be nice, so yeah.
Katherine Stewart
Absolutely.
Katherine Stewart
Katherine Stewart
Absolutely, absolutely so.
Katherine Stewart
Uhm, do you have any advice for prospective or incoming students about how best to take advantage of the opportunities in our Department?
Catherine Long
Yes, so I think listen this far.
Catherine Long
You've heard my mistakes my freshman year so.
Catherine Long
My best advice?
Catherine Long
Would just be.
Catherine Long
Don't be afraid to like.
Catherine Long
Be bold and like show yourself off because.
Catherine Long
Like
Catherine Long
I can like confidently say everyone in this Department is different and unique and we all bring different talents.
Catherine Long
There is no one who is ever going to be the same as you, and so the talents you bring are unique and special and.
Catherine Long
And deserve to be seen.
Catherine Long
So I think just not selling yourself short even though it is scary in college is like a big transition like.
Catherine Long
I found that as soon as I was making these big choices and getting more involved, I was finding the people who I found made me more comfortable to keep going and who were there encouraging me and being like?
Catherine Long
No like seeing that harder song like you don't need to sing like something that's not going to share your voice off for like yeah, I'll help you with your monologue.
Catherine Long
So like.
Catherine Long
Making those choices and like not being afraid to.
Catherine Long
Be the person to be like.
Catherine Long
Hi, do you want to go get lunch?
Catherine Long
Today and in the Union.
Minion
Catherine Long
I think is something I wish I would have taken advantage of more and not let my anxieties get the best of me.
Katherine Stewart
And what about some favorite memories from?
Katherine Stewart
Your time at the University of Mississippi overall, or especially in the Department.
Katherine Stewart
Can you share some of those?
Catherine Long
Yeah.
Catherine Long
OK, so let me think.
Catherine Long
Up
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
Something.
Catherine Long
I don't know, I guess.
Catherine Long
One of my favorite memories is probably.
Catherine Long
This is like so specific but.
Catherine Long
I auditioned for the BFA like I signed up the very last day.
Catherine Long
You could sign up and I had planned on just being a BA and I remember I switched to BFA and I saw Alan Dillon who was my grand big in my few family in the hallway of Iceland.
Catherine Long
And I was like hi, I just randomly signed up for this thing and I got in.
Catherine Long
I have to change my whole schedule.
Catherine Long
Can you please help me?
Catherine Long
So he like dragged me into the conference room and he sat down with me and changed my whole schedule with me and knew exactly what I had to take and what to take and when.
Catherine Long
And just having like.
Catherine Long
That, like guidance and.
Catherine Long
Again, like just having that person who to like push me and help me immediately, no questions asked was like.
Catherine Long
Super important and.
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Catherine Long
So that was very very special to me.
Catherine Long
Uh, probably other things.
Catherine Long
I don't know it goes fight was obviously like a huge thing for me at this University.
Catherine Long
My first show is.
Catherine Long
Heathers, I got to play Martha.
Catherine Long
That was like a huge deal.
Catherine Long
I got to sing this big song and.
Catherine Long
Have everyone cried and I felt like such an actress and.
Catherine Long
Then definitely probably my favorite show of like my collegiate career, was crimes of the heart.
Catherine Long
With Geiger directing that, that was like a show.
Catherine Long
Well.
Catherine Long
That was one of the first shows I actually discovered in high school, and I did a monologue for Meg, which like doesn't make sense at all.
Catherine Long
Casting wise, but uhm, yeah, I did it with my friend David.
Catherine Long
He was Doc and we really thought we were doing something but just.
Catherine Long
Getting to do a show that I'd been itching to do for like.
Catherine Long
Four years was like.
Catherine Long
So special and.
Catherine Long
Gregor like handled it.
Catherine Long
Gregor and Claire just handled it with such care and appreciation for the story and getting.
Catherine Long
Also, Justin.
Catherine Long
Catherine Long
So just you know, like those characters, all three of those women like are like real women.
Catherine Long
People like.
Catherine Long
They're not like a stereotypical woman, and I feel like that's sometimes so hard to find and shows up.
Catherine Long
Even like Martha, as much as I loved playing her and how there's like she very much is like the weird quirky best friend archetype where Babe has like.
Catherine Long
She's just really her own and I don't think could ever fit into stereotypes she tried, so that was something that was like.
Catherine Long
Yeah, those three things.
Catherine Long
I think all three of those like really big like turning points for me in my career.
Catherine Long
I know Babe was like the first time where I was like wow, I could run this show for like.
Catherine Long
Two years and like never be bored of it, so that was special.
Wow.
Katherine Stewart
Well thank you, Catherine.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, of course.
Katherine Stewart
Thanks for having me absolutely.
Katherine Stewart
Thank you so much again for taking the time and the best of luck with the rest of finals week and beyond.
Catherine Long
Yeah, of course.
Katherine Stewart
And that connection and all that.
Katherine Stewart
Congratulation
Katherine Stewart
Katherine Stewart
Please keep us posted on what you're doing.
Catherine Long
Yes, of course I will definitely.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, we'll be following along from here.
Katherine Stewart
Thanks so much.
Katherine Stewart
Take care, thank you alright.
Katherine Stewart
Once again that was recent graduate Catherine Long.
Katherine Stewart
We are very excited to see how she will take her overlapping interests in diversity and inclusion, Accessibility and community engagement within the theater into her future career.
Katherine Stewart
We've got quite a few more recent graduates to interview, so stay tuned for future episodes and until next time this is Stage & Screen.