Jellicle Cats are roly-poly! They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig! Can you guess which prima ballerina cat we’re about to speak with? Meow!

Thank you for giving us a moment of your time; tell us who you are and who you play!

Katelyn O’Connor: I’m Katelyn O’Connor and I play Victoria.

Tell me a little bit about Victoria.

Katelyn: She’s kind of one of the young cats who is just getting into the group. Eventually she becomes a full cat instead of just a kitten.

How are you like or not alike Victoria?

Katelyn: We’re definitely similar personality wise. I can be timid at times but I’m also assertive when I need to be. We definitely share those things in common.

Why did you want to be a part of Cats?

Katelyn: Well I always love working with Bambi. Cannot say that enough— I always love working with Bambi. Being primarily a dancer, this is definitely a show for me.

What does it mean to you to be a Jellicle Cat?

Katelyn: Just to be a part of a big group, a big family. Every cat is unique in their own way but they are also all together under this big umbrella of being a Jellicle Cat.

We learn that all cats have three names. Victoria is your cat’s ‘more dignified name’ and while we can never know the ‘secret name’ that she calls herself, what do you think her ‘family daily use’ name is? What are the humans calling her every day?

Katelyn: That’s a hard one because ‘Victoria’ is very similar to something that they might actually call her. You know, Victoria is ‘a human name’. But I think maybe they’d call her something silly and short for Victoria, like Tori or something.

Do you have cats?

Katelyn: I don’t.

Do you wish you had cats?

Katelyn: I wish I did but most of my family is allergic.

What has been your big personal takeaway from this experience with Cats so far?

Katelyn: So the choreography comes easily to me just because I have been dancing for 18 years. Since I was two. I’m turning 21 in November. I’ve been dancing more of my life than I’ve not been dancing. It’s definitely been easy getting the choreography but the whole ‘picking up the music’ has been a challenge because the music is so unique. Not only with its lyrics but with the time signatures and the rhythms of everything. Definitely trying to combine that with the very difficult choreography has been a challenge but it’s been fun and I’m enjoying learning that I can do it.

If you had to sum up your Cats experience in just one word, what word would you use?

Katelyn: Magical.

Cats plays September 16^th 2022 through September 25^th 2022 with Tidewater Players, in residence at the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.

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