The following is an interview with Kristin Mothersbaugh on her one-woman show, Get Over Yourself (which premiered in February 2016 at the Whitefire Theatre Solofest and was produced again in June 2016 at the Hollywood Fringe Festival when this interview took place). In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Mothersbaugh about the inspiration behind the show, her creative process, what she hopes that audiences will take away from the show, and more!

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Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Your one-woman show, Get Over Yourself, will launch later this month at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2016.  For our readers who may be unfamiliar with the show, how would you describe its premise?

Kristin Mothersbaugh: Yes! The premise is in short - a fantastic and spiritual journey of the struggling artist's quest for self love. A young woman teaches a private couple’s yoga session where her mind wanders, escaping her ego to the magical worlds of the television show Battlestar Galactica, the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, and the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She compares her father’s battle with cancer, waiting for love, and being an actress surviving in Los Angeles to these fantasies, ultimately bringing her ego into a battle with itself.

BD: What inspired you to create this performance, and how would you describe your creative process in bringing it to life?

KM: I was inspired by my friend from college, Laura Jenkins. I did the tech for her show, Triangles Are My Favorite Shape, back in 2014 and thought, “Wow! She created this amazing work of art herself!” I didn’t have many great acting opportunities at the time, having just moved here from Missouri earlier that year, and decided I would create my own! Laura introduced me to Jessica Lynn Johnson of Soaring Solo, with whom I workshopped my drafts and ideas of Get Over Yourself for a year. The creative process was very therapeutic for me. I’m so glad I had Jessica helping me to push things along, because I really could get lost in all the possibilities of my fantasies and how to express my past. It’s a very personal journey, and I feel it really did help me to “get over myself” in the best of ways.

BD: What do you hope that audiences will take away from the show?

KM: I hope that I can connect with people - whether the audience is a fan of sci-fi, Japanese culture, Zelda, has dealt with the hardships of loved ones suffering from cancer, or is a yoga instuctor that just gets it. Any other struggling artists new to a big city I want to take some comfort and hope from this show - that you are strong enough to make it and if there isn’t enough creativity going on for you, you can make it happen yourself! In general, the message is self-love, so I hope that each audience member can find that through their journey with me. 

BD: What makes the Hollywood Fringe Festival the best venue for Get Over Yourself?

KM: The Hollywood Fringe Festival is the best venue, because it’s so full of fresh art! So many shows and so much theatre! I love that underground theatre feeling. I think solo shows can thrive in this environment connecting with other creative souls. Plus, it’s just so much fun being a part of Fringe!