Debuting Artist: Dia Kline

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Dia is taking the stage for the very first time with OpenStage this season!

 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got into theatre?

My love for acting started in the second grade when I played “The Mermaid” in Peter Pan and it grew from there. I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which I didn’t love, but I did love my high school job as a projectionist at an art house theatre. (I’ve got good John Ritter and Christopher Lambert stories!) During college I managed several independent video stores (complete with “adult sections”) and have been a life-long cinephile, with a taste for everything from Cinema Paradiso to Tarantino to Krull. I was a jewelry designer for 17 years and once my daughter was settled in college, I decided to jump back into theatre.

How did you first hear about OpenStage, and what drew you to work with us for this show?

Networking and research! I heard about OpenStage from fellow actors and watching the Henry Awards. I’m a HUGE Austen fan and I’ve always wanted to do theatre in the park, so win-win!

What is your role in this show, and what excited you most about working on this particular production?

Mrs. Bennet is a bucket list role, especially the Kate Hamill adaptation! I’m so excited to be allowed to be this BIG and ridiculous. She’s awful and wonderful and VERY memorable.

What has been the most enjoyable or unexpected part of the rehearsal process so far?

I love process. I feel very privileged to have been invited to work alongside such talented creatives and with such a strong and supportive company. The most unexpected part of the rehearsal process has been all of the amazing snacks Heather brings us! Working with talented actors and eating yummy snacks?? I mean, come on! You had me a sour gummies.

What has been the most challenging part of bringing this character to life?

Sadly for me, it is not a stretch to find Mrs. Bennet inside myself. I think my daughters will see some familiar quirks that feel “normal” to them. It’s a circus they’ve attended before.

What makes pride and prejudice a unique kind of play to work on?

The unique yet familiar voice, the new bawdy tone, and the permission to be BIG and have fun. Adaptations are wonderful because they give you permission to go beyond the source material and find a way to love old characters in a new and exciting way.

Why do you think pride and prejudice is significant or relevant to audiences today?

Seeing today’s feminist perspective layered on top of Jane Austen’s Regency era feminist perspective, we are reminded that women have been fighting to be more than household objects held under a man’s gaze since western society thought the patriarchy was a “good thing.” We are reminded that strong-willed, independent women have always and will always exist, and we will remain relentless in our work to call out and dismantle oppressive, sexist, class-based systems, ideas, and laws.

Can you share any interesting behind-the-scenes moments or stories from the production?

When I see Heather’s vision coming to life, I fall in love with this play even more! I’m floored by her creativity and sense of fun. The audience is in for one hell of a ride.

If you could swap roles with any other character in this play for a day, who would it be and why?

Mr. Darcy, of course! I’d go jump in a pond and admire myself. IYKYK.

What is your favorite MUSICAL?
Moulin Rouge was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had in a theatre. I kept asking my partner, “What was that? What just happened? Was that real?”
What is your favorite role you’ve played in the past?
I LOVED being in the Vagina Monologues (2x!) When I first saw it performed, I knew I had to do it. I performed “Reclaiming Cunt” and “The Flood” and I loved every minute of it. I remember my daughter in the audience, not knowing what to expect, covering her face with her hat when I started “doing things with a chair.” Women embracing their sexuality is powerful and should be celebrated. Even if it makes their kids cringe.
Is there a dream role or type of production you hope to work on in the future?

I still keep trying to get cast in a Hallmark movie! I was almost cast as Joey Lawrence’s mom in a Hallmark Christmas movie (I’m FOUR years older than him, but whatever.) Too bad for me I didn’t ask my agent what “local hire” meant. Oy!

What do you like to do in your free time, when you’re not working on theatre projects?

Watch movies, hunt for treasure, hang with my family, and cook. But never clean… never, ever clean.

 

 

Pride and Prejudice

By Kate Hamill
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen

Directed by Heather Ostberg Johnson

June 7-July 12, 2025
Playing at The Park at Columbine Health Systems

 

Come see Dia take the stage in Pride and Prejudice, June 7-July 12!

This isn’t your great-auntie’s Austen! Bold, surprising, and boisterous! The outspoken Lizzy Bennet is determined to never marry, but can she resist her enterprising mother, and society itself? Especially when that vaguely handsome, and impossibly aggravating Mr. Darcy keeps popping up at every turn! Literature’s classic romance, Pride and Prejudice, has never felt so theatrical, or so full of life as it does in this effervescent adaptation. Because what turns us into greater fools than the high-stakes game of love? In the park and under the stars! Walk in, bike in, or drive in! Featuring nightly food trucks.

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