Our interview with Theatre Exile External Relations Associate, Kyleen Goode

Q. Tell us about yourself.

A. I was born in the Bronx, and my family moved to New Jersey when I was still pretty young. I’m still a Jersey girl even after all of these years in Philly. I moved to Philly to attend Temple University and have a very long-winded degree in Broadcasting, Telecommunications & Mass Media. I’ve heard that they’ve finally shortened that name. Go Owls!

At one point I was really interested in being a TV host/personality, but my passion has always been in music. So, while I was studying at Temple, I also took quite a few music classes. 

Q. What’s your role at Theatre Exile? How long you have been there, and what’s favorite part of the job.

A. My title at Theatre Exile is External Relations Associate, and I have been managing relationships with our patrons since October 2018. It’s actually my first job working behind the scenes at a theater company, and I’ve learned a ton.

What I love most about my role is being able to create systems to actively and effectively communicate with our patrons. I’ve always loved connecting with people — that seems to be the common denominator in all of the jobs I’ve had.

Q. Tell us about your current performing work. Where you would like to see your path take you?

A. While I was singing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey into my karaoke machine growing up, I definitely thought the dream was to get “signed” as an R&B singer. Ha! I went to a performing arts high school for part of the day during my senior year and was introduced to musical theater.

I loved it, but wasn’t really interested in singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel” as a black girl. I didn’t see myself fitting into that world, so I had my own band for a while and got a little tired of managing musicians. After that, I started auditioning for theater productions in Pennsylvania and rekindled my love for musical theater.

Today, I’m still in love with musical theater and havethoroughly enjoyed the work I’ve done with 11th Hour, City Theatre Company, theArden, the Eagle, and more. But I want to see more diversity in musical theaterofferings in Philly.

There are so many more stories to share here, and I’d love to be a part of that as a woman of color. But, on the flip side, I also look forward to performing on stages all over the world. That excites me, too.

Q. What are some of your passions, hobbies, or causes?

A. Thanks to COVID-19, I’ve just discovered how much I enjoy cooking new recipes. I’m amping up my baking skills, so that’s fun! Otherwise, I’m incredibly passionate about supporting the talents of artists of color. Sometimes I think about starting a performing arts program for young brown girls, but I haven’t tackled that one yet.

Q. How do you describe Theatre Exile compared to other theater companies?

A. I’d say Exile is the theatre company that produces plays that really gets people talking. Our shows usually battle with a conflict of emotions, and it’s pretty cool to see how people sort that out amongst themselves when the show is over.

That’s what theater is supposed to do.