Rising Stars: Meet Paulette Dawn of Greenwood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paulette Dawn

Hi Paulette, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have sang in church, junior high and high school choirs. I would write plays for church as well as kids speeches for special occasions. At 17 I saw my very first stage play, The Sound of Music , at The New Dinner Theatre and instantly fell in love with the stage! I started my professional acting career 10 years ago. I was asked by a dear friend and professional singer and stage actor in Kansas City, to participate in a play titled Reflections. I have done several shows with the KC Black Rep including Blues in the Night, Angry Raucous and Shamefully Gorgeous and Chicken and Biscuits I worked with The Westport Center for the Arts where I played the role of “Ida B. Wells” in Only The Wounds And Weapons Have Changed. And Bottle Of Fire as Revered Carmelita Turner. In 2024 I audition and received the understudy for Aunt Sarah with both the KC and Milwaukee Repertory Theaters and had the opportunity perform in Kansas City. I have been a part of the World Premiere of Horse Power as “Angie Bass” with the Coterie Theatre. Most recently I have performed with The Black Rep of St.Louis as “Aunt Beverly Jenkins” in Chicken And Biscuits and just compiled my role as “Jeanie” in Rolling premiere of The Wash.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It absolutely has not been a smooth road! As a child I took great interest in the arts but lacked the family support I necessary. As a survivor of childhood sexual assault I was pretty shy and found great difficulty expressing myself in an artistic manner.I later found that acting allowed me to lose myself in my roles without fear. I was a single mother for 12 years and obviously my time was minimal. In addition to that my daughter became ill in high school and had to be hospitalized. Because of my daughter’s illness I feel most comfortable keeping her with me as much as possible. Of course this means she attends most rehearsals and out of town productions. I have been fortunate the theater in general has been very accepting of this need As a person who dislikes I have found myself having to navigate through unfamiliar cities. Also being a wife mother, working a regular job and taking care of two very spoiled dogs brings its own set of challenges. All of these challenges have benefited me creatively. I have learned to take the obstacles and challenges and channel them into the characters I portray.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love being on stage! There is a peace that I get when the lights come up and the theater is quiet. Having no formal training, I always knew that the stage is where I belong. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse I would read and write poetry to escape my reality. Not being able to control my circumstances, at the age of eight I latched on to what I could control. I believe that because of my experiences I am able to channel that inner eight year old and deliver a performance that she would be proud of.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I use Script Rehearser to learn my lines. I use Google, YouTube and other platforms to research my characters dialects, movements and I depth information that would help make the characters I portray realistic. I also read my Bible daily

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564301787874
• LinkedIn: Paulette Dawn