Tell us about yourself. Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Eddie Zitka and I am the Artistic Director of a non-profit theater company in Western Mass called K and E Theater Group. I have been performing for most of my life both at a community level and a professional level. I moved to NYC in 2003 to pursue musical theater performance and since graduating have been lucky enough to perform regionally and on a first national tour. After NYC, my partner and I moved to Boston where I worked for the MBTA. This was difficult as performing wasn’t part of my normal schedule, but it still flowed through my veins. I was able to do a couple of shows while there but realized I wanted performing to still be my life. In 2014, we moved to Orlando, FL where I spent 2 years performing as a full time cast member for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue and Finding Nemo the musical at Walt Disney World. This was a dream job. After 2 years and an injury that pushed my limits as far as dancing 3 shows a night, we decided it was time to move on. That’s when our dream started really taking shape. We had always talked about K and E Theater Group but now it was time to make it a reality. So in 2017, we moved back to Massachusetts and began the journey we are still on today.
Why did you decide to become an artist?
I started as a dancer when I was 6 years old and never really knew theater was a profession. My grandmother started taking me to puppet shows at age 2, and stage musicals at about 5. She put the theatrical bug into my head and always pushed me to do things outside of my comfort zone. At 14, I saw my first Broadway show and I was entranced. It wasn’t until 1998 when I saw the revival of Cabaret that I said this is my calling. My decision to become an artist has evolved with age of course. At first it was about the artistic freedom and exhilaration of being on stage and doing what you love. As I got older, it became more about growth and wanting to give back. Which is why we created K and E Theater Group. To take things I learned in my experiences and give them to people who can take them and use them to further their artistic learning. So the “why” has definitely evolved (though the love of performing has never gone away).
Tell us about some projects you have worked on. Which one was your favorite and why?
Professionally, I have been able to perform regionally and nationally. I was on the first national tour of The Wedding Singer in 2008 and toured the country for 11 months. I have done 3 productions at the Ogunquit Playhouse (Cinderella, All Shook Up, and Singin’ in the Rain), and I also got to perform at the McCarter Theater in Princeton. My favorite experience though had to be the Hoop Dee Doo Revue. Six performers, three shows a night, crowd interaction, and lots of fun. It was just this beautiful family of people creating memories for guests and it was just perfection. For K and E Theater Group, we have done three full stage musicals. Sweeney Todd (2018), Songs for a New World (2019), and Assassins (2019). We are also looking at 2021 as a rebirth because of the pandemic and have some really interesting theatrical performances coming. I’d have to say my favorite experience with that was Sweeney Todd. It was a new concept and I had been working on it for almost 2 years. It changed and evolved gradually throughout those 2 years and what we put on stage I was just so proud of. Though I’m proud of everything we have put out at K and E Theater Group so far because they are acts of collaboration and love.
What are some memorable responses you have had to your work?
The 3 Mainstage productions we have done have been very well received and we are so thankful for that. Each show has a memorable response though. In Sweeney Todd, I worked a new ending with my concept while keeping the integrity of the show intact. The response to it was silence, so silent you could hear a pin drop. It was exhilarating. In Songs for a New World it was the response the actors received. These actors were giving everything in their performances and it was very special. I still get chills thinking of the opening number and hearing the sniffles during the song “Flagmaker”. In Assassins, it had to be the end of the show. The gasp that came from the audience and uneasiness they felt and audibly reacted to was intense.
What are you currently working on? Right now?
So much. We are launching our new virtual “Local Spotlight Series”. It’s an online (K and E Theater Group Facebook page, IGTV, and YouTube channel) interview series where I interview local theatrical personalities in the hope that we get to know them a little bit better. We work with them, we see them on stage, but where did they learn what they are doing? What else do they do? How do they create? They also get a 3 minute performance spot. We’ve had songs both Broadway and original, and monologues. It’s very cool. We are also working on 2 performances which are both coming to Northampton Center for the Arts. The first is a fundraiser for K and E Theater Group called When you Wish, a revue composed of a compilation of songs from our favorite childhood movies. We all need a little pixie dust in our lives after this pandemic settles. This show premieres in February and is for the whole family. Our second project is Cabaret. Cabaret is a passion project of mine and we can’t wait to bring it to Northampton.
I just want to thank Northampton Center for the Arts for keeping things creative. This exercise and #createinquarantinechallenge were great. ALSO, follow K and E Theater Group! We have big plans coming your way once we can all get together and celebrate theater again. This is ONLY INTERMISSION, who doesn’t love a second act?