Lights, camera, action! In theater, the actors are just one part of a performance. Behind the scenes, there are many people who work hard to make a show come to life. Kelly Clark does her part by painting expansive and elaborate sets. We sat down recently with her for an interview.
Tell me, first of all, what brings you to the Westfield Woman’s Club?
-So, I am on the executive board with the theater(Westfield Theatre Group), and I paint a lot of the sets for the shows. My husband is what really brought me here. I grew up in Westfield and have done a lot in Westfield, and worked in Westfield in the mental health clinics here. But really the club, I didn’t know much about it growing up or even as a young adult I didn’t know much about it, I didn’t even come to shows here. I wasn’t really into theater until I met my husband. He has been doing theater in lots of community theater venues. I had done some set painting for exit 7 when he was over at Exit 7, and then coming here, we just got more and more involved and I just love the sense of community and being a part of the arts and living that creative life.
I always wanted that, and it was a dream I sorta let go. At one point, I wanted to be a children’s illustrator, but I let that go and became a social worker instead. So it was an opportunity to be a part of a community and do something creative. I think (WTG's production of) 'Big Fish' was three years ago and he directed and asked me to do some of the set and I got to do that. It was amazing! I’ve always loved to do big artwork, like I've done murals, and there's a couple here in behavioral health and human service agencies. And from there we just got more and more involved and he’s been on the board for 3 or 4 years and asked me join when there was an opening, and so I did. And I enjoy it.
Do you have a favorite set you’ve painted so far?
-Oh that’s a tough one! I do like this farm scene (from 'Holiday Inn') because of the size of it. I mean it’s huge! I love it. I do feel like the trees from 'Robin Hood' too, because the forest and the trees and I love to hike and forest bathe and the woods and the forest is one of my favorite places to be. So when Kathi('Robin Hood' director Kathi Palmer) asked me ‘What if we did trees or forest? Wouldn’t it be cool if we had painted flats on either side with trees?’ And I said ‘really? You want me to do trees?’ so that was probably my favorite. And then I did 'Big Fish' and I did two big flats of daffodils, and there was a scene where he sings to her about giving her daffodils, and he sings to her ‘Daffodils..’ and the scene turns and there’s this big field of daffodils. So that was really beautiful and fun too.
How do you come up with the ideas for some of these giant paintings?
-This is what's so cool and what I love so much! So my husband said ‘This is my vision, this is what I want to do’ and he’ll tell me this is the scene and what people are singing about. And I’ll have a little idea. (for 'Holiday Inn) He drew six flats on paper and said, ‘ I want a house here and rolling hills and a barn’. So I traced it out and and said, ‘hows that?’ It was similar with the daffodils, too. I love that about directors, and especially being able to work with my husband that way. We’ve been married 18 years, and I feel like now, these last few years, and now we’ve found something really cool we can do together. Like this vision comes together. But with any director, they say, ‘this is what I'm looking for, this is the feeling, this is the set.’ Sometimes I like to go to rehearsals to get the feel of it, what does it feel like and what do I think would really illustrate that.
If I could ask, what is your background in art?
-So I don’t have any formal education. Well, I guess that’s not completely true. When I was fresh out of high school, Westfield High School, I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator and I wanted to go to art school, to Rhode Island School of Design, that was my dream. So I did do a few semesters at Greenfield Community College because they have a really good art program, like a prep program for art school. And I was really young, and not serious at all, so I didn’t take it seriously, but I did do a couple of semesters of art classes in art school, and then I did another four or five courses in the art therapy program when I was going to go back and do the post graduate art therapy certification. I have a master’s in social work.
So your primary degree is in social work? And art was just another avenue of that?
-Yes, exactly.
Rob Clark, your husband, is involved, who else is involved here at the theater?
-My 14 year old daughter, Molly, is involved in a lot of the shows, I think four maybe? Where she’s acted and danced. This last one she had eleven costumes and that many dances! So she’s just blossoming. She just loves being part of the community and she’s made so many friends. The young adults, and young people, they are mentors for her, and it is just so cool to see her be a part of that.
Your family is just a family of Westfield Theatre Group!
-Yeah! My older daughter, McKenna, is a senior this year. She’s not as much into the theater, she’ll help out with the painting and she loves to come to the shows. She did a little of the stage management stuff because she kinda like, ‘I'm going to tell you what to do.'
A behind the scenes person like Mom?
-Yes, but it is really a big family thing. And we’ve expanded our family. Some of the younger actors, in their 20’s like Lauren (Lauren Seslar, WTG Chair)…she’s our theater daughter and Owen (Owen Snyder, WTG publicity) is our theater son. They are family.
If you could see the theater group go in a direction, where would you like to go? Or a certain show would you like to see here? What other activity would you like to see on the stage?
-That is a good question. So the show stuff, I don’t know how to answer, because I don’t know the shows the way theater people do. I don’t know many of them because I wasn’t really into it until recently. When Rob did 'Godspell', I loved that show, so I’d love to see it come back. I've always had big dreams about creating multimedia, multi art venues and programs, where you bring people together. We could have camps or workshops on acting and put together a show. Or a workshop on set painting and have them paint the set. And then a workshop on the costuming. Something like that, where there’s more community involvement and education. I specialize in neurodiversity affirming therapy, autism, trauma. I'm really passionate about trauma and trauma informed care. I think I have seen, in my 25 years of being a social worker, more therapeutic components in theater than I have in any of the work I do, to be honest.
Do you find that art has a way of bringing that expression out of people? A release? What is it like when you pick up a paintbrush?
-I definitely feel like there’s that release component to it. That creative process is so therapeutic; where you are getting to express yourself in a visceral way. Without having to have any intellectual component to it at all, any cognitive component, it’s just from within you, and just flows that way. How empowering that is and then to see…I mean I'm not big on the product…the process of creating art is so much more important that the product, but when I'm doing set and I'm trying to create this environment for the actors to shine. Then when I see it, and I see the actors in front of it, it’s so empowering and so gratifying.
It's less about what you’ve done and more about how what you’ve done has become a part of something bigger?
-Yes.
It’s important to note that, with the theater group being a large part of Westfield and the community of arts we have here. Do you have any thoughts on our recent establishment as a Cultural District?
-I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to create exposure and for people to become part of something that gives them a different way of looking at things, a different way of expressing themselves, a different way of connecting with one another. I am all about connection with one another and I think if you can have them be part of something that is beautiful and brings awe and joy but also connects them as a community, and exposes them to other people, other cultures, or something they do not have a good understanding or any kind of exposure to, I think it can create love, connection and openness.
Last question. What is one thing you wish everyone knew about this building at 28 Court Street, not about the Westfield Theatre Group, but being inside this building. What’s the message you want to put out?
-When I'm in here I feel the magic of all the creativity that has been in here. My favorite time to be here is not at the shows….I love all the shows…but tech week, when the scaffolding is up and we are painting, and Gwen(Gwen Newton-Denton, WTG costumer) is running after people trying to tie the last bow, there’s just so much creative energy. You just can feel it. It is embedded in these walls. That’s what people should know, and feel, and be a part of.
Anything else we need to know?
-Just how grateful I am that this is here and that I’ve been able to be a part of it. I feel like art and painting, for me, is that little light in me that I don’t have much opportunity or wont do it for myself. This, and the directors, they’ve given me the opportunity to let that light free.
Want to become a part of the Westfield Theatre Group? Check out their website at www.westfieldtheatregroup.com
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