Our first Alumni Spotlight: Kaitlyn Walker

Name:  Kaitlyn Walker          

Graduation year:  2010

Degree earned (major/minor):  BA Acting/Directing; Minor-Art with a focus in Photography

Current city:  Houston, TX

Current job:  I am currently the Marketing and Development Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Community Service Coordinator and…well it’s pretty much safe to say I do a little of everything at Main Street Theater in Houston, TX.

Why did you pick McMurry?  Actually, my best friend was going to go to McMurry.  I really had no other schools in mind so I thought, hey why not?  Well she ended up not going and it was too late to turn back!

What was your favorite show you were a part of at McMurry?  The Servant of Two Masters (actor) and The Murder Room (director).

Please give us a peek at your favorite memory from college (if you can pick just one).  Generally, just being in the theater.  Whether I was acting, building, or teching it was the happiest place I could be.

What was your favorite theatre class to take?  Acting III - I was very excited to take it.  But I was blown away at how much I loved it!  Every one with an acting focus should take it!  You will not regret it!

Be honest, how was the transition from college life to the “real world”?  The hardest part was finding a job (ANY job).  It is always hard to start over.


Do you think your (theatre) education at McMurry prepared you?  Most defiantly!  They were very excited to see that I had been trained as a “generalist” which is what McMurry theater stresses the most.  I know how to work with very little and make it look fantastic!


What lead you to your current job?  I just happened to be at the right place at the right time!  I sent out a ton of emails with both my professional and theatre resumes to several of the local Houston theaters.  What did I have to lose?  Well MST was interested in what they saw! 

Tell us a little about your current job.  Well!  I work at Main Street Theater in Houston, TX.  Last year we were voted Best Theater Company in Houston by the Houston Press.  We always have something going on!  We have are two very intimate locations (one in the round and one thrust).  We also have one of the best theater education programs for children in the state and the nation.  We have both a Main Stage Season and a Theater for Youth season.   We are a small theater that accomplishes great things!  This year we are really setting the bar by being the 2^nd theater in America (and 5^th theater in the world!) to produce the entire Tom Stoppard trilogy “The Coast of Utopia”.  Check us out!  

What is your favorite thing about your current job?  I get to use my education! That certainly makes all that money worth it!  ; P  It’s great to be some where that my thoughts and enthusiasm are encouraged.  Main Street Theater is a lot like McMurry’s theater department was.  We are like a family.  Plus not a lot of 23 year olds have the job they are going to have for the rest of their life AND is in their field of interest!

Give any advice you can to current or perspective students.  A hard work ethic and a good attitude will get you farther than most anything else in life.  Be dedicated, dependable, and respectful!  Don’t be a diva!  And listen to Charlie, David, and Philip!  They’re pretty smart! 

What do you miss most about college life?  I miss the theater.  I miss my friends and the comfort of regular every day life.  But we all have to jump out of our comfort zones if we ever want to succeed!  And as nerdy as it sounds, I really miss classes.  I enjoy learning.  I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until I didn’t have a chance to do it every day!

If you could change one thing about your time at McMurry, what would it be?  Hindsight’s 20/20 right?  Probably would have used my time a little wiser in some respects!