About ME

 The Abridged Biography:

I am a 32 year old Mother of one. Born and raised on the plains of colorful Colorado with parents as educators, I was blessed with a beautiful childhood and upbringing. With my parents having summers off we traveled as a family every summer to places around the country and sometimes off the mainland.  After graduating high school in 1999, I picked up my things and moved away from my childhood home to another state that felt familiar and welcoming (where most of my relatives lived)...Minnesota, to attend St.Olaf College.

I truly believe St.Olaf had a huge part in shaping who I am as an adult. I rallied through 8 different majors (for fun and frustration), studied abroad in Italy and England,  made life long friends and met my husband. After graduating in 2003 with a BA in Theatre (a degree that took me by surprise...but probably no one else), I planned to continue on to finish my degree in Elementary Education at St.Thomas University in St.Paul (which I only needed a few more credits to obtain) when I auditioned for my first professional show at The Guthrie in Minneapolis.  To my surprise, despite the huge open call and only 3 parts on the line...I was offered the part.

This changed my life.

I called up St.Thomas and deferred from the Elementary Ed program...they said "Great. You have 7 years." And from there I decided to give the theater world a try...since it was obviously calling my name.  I spent a year performing in the Twin Cities with: The Guthrie, Pangea World Theatre and Lakeshore Players theatre. I got married to my college sweetie in July of 2004 and we picked up our bags and moved to Louisville, KY of all places, where I had been selected among thousands who auditioned to be an acting apprentice at the renowned Actors Theatre of Louisville. I worked and performed in Louisville for 9 months before we picked up our bags again and moved to the Big Apple! John and I loved our small but large life in New York City and "lived it up" for 2 splendid years. While living in NYC I performed in several productions but also took on a job as a part-time nanny for some famous fashion photographers. I was nanny #2 (alongside a friend of mine who was nanny #1) for a charming 3 year old who I traveled the world with. We spent time in Miami, Utah, Latvia and Paris, the latter for the better part of a year.  While living and working in Paris I found out that I had been accepted to graduate school at one of the top ten programs in the country for acting.

In the summer of 2007, my husband and I packed our bags one more time and relocated to Sunny Sarasota Florida...where we lived for 3 years. Not only did I get my MFA in acting (a terminal degree folks!!) but I also got to: perform nearly every week, spend a summer of study and travel in Europe (again!) and became an associate company member at the Asolo Repertory Theatre! I also produced and performed in several of my own productions.

Before graduating in May of 2010...I got pregnant (it was planned)! Despite the offers from several talent agents in NYC, my life was taking on a new meaning...we decided to move to Chicago (where raising a family wouldn't involve living out of a shoe box and sharing one bed). 

On November 15, 2010 I gave birth to this new life:  life as mommy of Gunnar Miles.  I'm not saying I've left everything behind to be a mom...I just know this is one door that will never close. So I will continue to follow my own goals and dreams...I consider myself a professional actress, a singer, a writer, a playwright, a producer, a crafter, an educator, and an entrepreneur.  But, from now on... no matter what I do or where I am...I will always be... "Gunnar's Mother".

Kirstin is currently a part-time lecturer at Harold Washington College and a company member with Akvavit Theatre in Chicago, IL. 

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