Joel Kim Booster

He said that was a brief. Don't know what that was. Yeah. And then I came out and quickly shift gears back over to wanting to be an actor. And like I went to theater school for performance, like musical theater. I did like one summer, a professional like summer stock musical theater and realized very quickly I did not like it enough to watch. to do it for the rest of my life.

Well, cause here's the thing. Like I realized like I'm a, I'm an okay actor. I was an okay singer. Could not dance to save my life. Physically dyslexic. Do not know left from right. And I was like, oh, I'm not good enough at this specific area. Like the thing is I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and like,

Well, cause here's the thing. Like I realized like I'm a, I'm an okay actor. I was an okay singer. Could not dance to save my life. Physically dyslexic. Do not know left from right. And I was like, oh, I'm not good enough at this specific area. Like the thing is I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and like,

Broadway and like musical theater and like community theater like that kind of stuff was like my only access to that's like my only conception for how you would be an actor yeah like doing musicals and like doing that stuff and being on Broadway and I soon realized like oh I'm not good enough at this like I was good enough to get into the school and I was good enough to like you know get parts in high school and stuff like that but like on a

Broadway and like musical theater and like community theater like that kind of stuff was like my only access to that's like my only conception for how you would be an actor yeah like doing musicals and like doing that stuff and being on Broadway and I soon realized like oh I'm not good enough at this like I was good enough to get into the school and I was good enough to like you know get parts in high school and stuff like that but like on a

professional level, I was like, I'm not going to be competing with people who could actually blow the roof off this place. Yeah, you're like, this isn't my team. As a young person, as a 20-something and trying out for Broadway roles, you're only ever going to get cast in the ensemble. And that's if you can dance. And I was like, so I'm fucked. So I went back to school. Oh, drop that dream.

professional level, I was like, I'm not going to be competing with people who could actually blow the roof off this place. Yeah, you're like, this isn't my team. As a young person, as a 20-something and trying out for Broadway roles, you're only ever going to get cast in the ensemble. And that's if you can dance. And I was like, so I'm fucked. So I went back to school. Oh, drop that dream.

And so I went back to school and I, um, changed my major to playwriting.

And so I went back to school and I, um, changed my major to playwriting.

Um, because I was like, you know, I've always been interested in writing as well. And I, um, had started to write like, uh, plays that I would direct at school in the student theater. And that's, and it just felt more sort of, um, I don't know, gratifying to me in a lot of ways. Because I did my first one and everyone was like, wow, that was so great.

Um, because I was like, you know, I've always been interested in writing as well. And I, um, had started to write like, uh, plays that I would direct at school in the student theater. And that's, and it just felt more sort of, um, I don't know, gratifying to me in a lot of ways. Because I did my first one and everyone was like, wow, that was so great.

And no one had ever reacted to me that way after seeing a performance of mine.

And no one had ever reacted to me that way after seeing a performance of mine.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, honestly. And so for the rest of school, I was doing that. I was still taking performance and acting classes and stuff like that, but just sort of dropped the dance and the singing.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, honestly. And so for the rest of school, I was doing that. I was still taking performance and acting classes and stuff like that, but just sort of dropped the dance and the singing.

and um and was just writing and like i went i moved to chicago because my first full-length play right out of college was being produced as a part of the fringe festival out there which was cool and i just stayed and there's a there's a really vibrant like storefront theater scene in chicago it's really amazing and um the more i got successful in the scene in the theater scene in chicago

and um and was just writing and like i went i moved to chicago because my first full-length play right out of college was being produced as a part of the fringe festival out there which was cool and i just stayed and there's a there's a really vibrant like storefront theater scene in chicago it's really amazing and um the more i got successful in the scene in the theater scene in chicago

The more frustrated we get, because, like, I would be doing these, like, really, like, indie, like, plays, like, at, like, 60-seat theaters. Yeah. Getting paid, like, 25 bucks a performance, like, that kind of thing. Yeah.

The more frustrated we get, because, like, I would be doing these, like, really, like, indie, like, plays, like, at, like, 60-seat theaters. Yeah. Getting paid, like, 25 bucks a performance, like, that kind of thing. Yeah.

But then as I slowly started to, like, get, you know, more successful in that area and get called into, like, shows at Steppenwolf or The Good Men or something like that, like, the big theaters, this was, like, hmm. 15 years ago. Like, so it wasn't, we were not having the conversations about diversity and casting that we're having now.