Kelly Rose Voigt’s Izzy Tells It Like It Is

Kelly Rose Voigt plays the outspoken Izzy in this poignant drama

In Rabbit Hole, a family struggles to put their lives back together after the accidental death of a child.  Each family member copes with the tragedy very differently.  Becca, the child’s mother, is practical, organized, and tends to repress her emotions.  By contrast, Becca’s sister Izzy, played by Kelly Rose Voigt, is “free-spirited, well-intentioned, a little hot-headed, and wayward,” according to Kelly.  “Izzy does not shy away from tension.  For the other characters in the play, what they don’t say often outweighs what they do.  Izzy, however, works hard to make herself heard, and refuses to simply talk at the other characters.”

Izzy’s tendency to speak her mind appealed to Kelly, who wanted to be in Rabbit Hole because the “honesty of [author] David Lindsay-Abaire’s writing appealed to me.  The characters in Rabbit Hole are flawed -- they do not always say the right thing, they do not always succeed in comforting each other, and they are all suffering in a multitude of ways.  The play is about grief, but it is also about hope and healing, and I was drawn to that aspect of the story.”

Izzy’s character also provides some needed comic relief in this heavy drama, and Kelly feels that Izzy gives the audience “a break from the sadness of Becca and [her husband] Howie’s journey.  I love comedy and making people laugh, which makes this role a great fit for me.  I also love Izzy’s outspoken nature and her loyalty to her family.  Even if she doesn’t always like her family, it is clear that she loves them.”  

While Kelly has not personally experienced a loss on the same magnitude as the characters in Rabbit Hole, she says she can certainly “relate to the emotional journey of these characters.  Isn’t that what acting is all about?  I have never lost a child, but I have felt grief, and hopelessness, and I’ve argued with my family, just as Izzy does.  While the situation of this play is specific, the emotions are truly universal.”

Rabbit Hole is her Farmington Players debut, but Kelly is no stranger to the stage, majoring in theatre at Albion College, where her favorite credits included Dorine (Tartuffe), Hannah (Arcadia), and Beth (Little Women: The Musical).  She hopes to pursue a career as a professional actor and theatre educator, as well as write young adult novels.

Rabbit Hole runs from February 15th to March 2nd at the Barn Theater, 32332 West Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills.  Reserved seats for this drama sponsored by the Center for Financial Planning, Inc. are available now at www.farmingtonplayers.org or at the box office (248) 553-2955.