Driving Miss Daisy- meet cast member Patricia Kratzer

What do you find appealing about your character and this show? Well, who wouldn’t find Daisy an appealing and energetic character?  She is mouthy and feisty and has far too much to say.  She’s never the diplomat and that’s where her cracks and faults appear, but she grows and gains understanding and knowledge with Hoke by her side. I hope you grow to love her a little, as I have.

What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of  “Daisy”? After watching the play, I’m sure my friends and family will tell you that I share quite a few of Daisy’s characteristics!  It brings closer to reality the trauma that will come to all of us when we finally realize that it is not safe for us to be behind the wheel.   

What do you want the audience to experience/take away from this show? The history lesson in “Driving Miss Daisy” is as relevant today as it was those many years ago.  We need to recognize that racism and anti-Semitism are still with us.   Hoke and Daisy are both outsiders from different backgrounds, but in the end they become friends and equals.  Perhaps all it takes is a smile.

How does this show differ from other shows you have worked on? I have never been in a show with only three actors.  There is no interval and time passes quickly as we move from month to month and year to year.  I have never played someone who has aged 25 years in such a short space of time.

How long have you been acting and what made you get involved in theatre? How did you get involved with LTA?  I first appeared on stage at the age of five in a British Pantomime, as a mouse. Theatre was part of our school curriculum in England.  I was very “timid” as a child; it was wonderful to wear a “cloak of many colors” to hide behind.  In my early twenties, I raised money and helped build The Edward Alderton Theatre in Kent, a theatre that is still going strong today.  In the USA, I became involved in another theatre project, the construction of Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD.  I worked there for many years before retiring.  Although I have been involved in theatre production, on stage and off, this is my return to LTA after more than 30 years.

What advice would you give others who are interested in working in theatre? Get involved in any way you can. Volunteers are always needed in the Box Office, back stage, costuming, etc.  If you are interested in acting in area theatres, auditions are posted online.  Professional and amateur theatres in our area are crying out for volunteers.  So just give them a call.