BWW Interviews: ADDAMS FAMILY'S Keleen Snowgren Talks Family and Ties to Texas

Tell us a little about yourself and where you got your start. Where did you grow up?

I like to call myself a Yankee Texan considering I was born in Minnesota but raised in Houston. I was the second in my family to get involved with theater, the first being my twin sister. We were in the fourth grade, and she told me how fun the class was and that I should try it. I haven't stopped performing since!

Where did you go to university?

I attended the University of Oklahoma and received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts from the Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theater.

Tell us about some of the other roles you have played. Which one was your favorite?

My first tour was back in 2005 with The Will Rogers Follies. I played the role of Z's Favorite. I have also played Babette in Beauty and the Beast, and Texas in Cabaret a few times. My favorite, besides playing Morticia of course, is LouAnne in Hairspray. There was something so wonderful about playing a 60s teen who loved to dance and swoon to Link Larkin's songs on the Corney Collin's show. I think I grew up in the wrong era!

Tell us about your connections to Texas. What do you like to do when you have time off?

I was raised in a suburb of Houston called Kingwood, and my family moved up to Dallas once my twin and I started college. I come from a very large family, the majority living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I spend every spare moment I can with my family during my time off. From cousin nights (I have 25 and counting) on the weekends, to movies and cookouts at my older sisters house, it's time well spent for sure.

Do you have any hidden talents? What are they?

I can say the alphabet backwards, say the United States in alphabetical order, and spin a lasso!

What can you tell us about the Addams Family?

The musical is about a creepy and kookie family who live in a mansion in Central Park. Wednesday Addams is all grown up and has fallen in love with a respectable young man from Ohio, but problems ensue when Wednesday confides in Gomez to keep the secret of a proposal from Morticia. All is unfolded when the families meet for the first time.

Tell us about the character of Morticia you play. What are some things that are similar to you and what are some things that are different from you?

Morticia is a dark and sultry woman whose motivation in life is to be a loving wife and mother. Morticia and I are similar in how we view our love for our family; however, I want the best for my family and she wants the worst.

Tell us about your fellow cast members.

We are blessed with an incredibly talented cast and crew, which doesn't always happen. It is so nice to have a group of professionals together that enjoy what they do for a living.

If you had not become an actress what career would you have chosen?

If I had not become an actress I imagine I'd be involved with interior design or house flipping. I love working in the garage with my dad and making my own furniture. I am also known for pulling old furniture off the streets or out of dumpsters and refinishing them

Do you have any advice for people thinking about getting into the business?

Go big or go home, a piece of advice I received from my first audition for a tour in New York, which became my first professional job out of college. Also, know your type, and always be prepared.

ADDAMS FAMILY opens on Tuesday May 7 and runs until Sunday May 12 at the Majestic Theatre. You can get tickets by contacting the box office.