An article in the San Mateo Times, part of which is about the director-extraordinaire Cathy Foxhoven who we can also thank for her directing skills for the Il Piccolo Players and the recent Burlingame Historical Society Living History Presentation.
... Cathy Foxhoven, an actor, singer and instructor of unique theater classes such as, "Even You Can Do Voiceovers!" You might recognize her better as Cathy Carricaburu her maiden and stage name, and the one she used when she starred in the soap opera, "The Young and the Restless." "They can't say it, they can't pronounce it, but they won't forget it," she said.
Foxhoven uses phrases like "joie de vivre," or love of life. She adopted a positive attitude despite a rather strict upbringing on a sheep ranch in Wyoming, where her parents discouraged her acting and told her she wasn't good enough to get a role on television. But two weeks after she transferred to a Catholic college in Hollywood, she found herself singing on "The Lawrence Welk Show" her father's favorite show. "That made Papa proud," she recalled. That experience jump-started her career in acting. She was soon able to nail an ongoing role with "The Young and the Restless."
Today, she is sharing her love of acting with aspiring actors of all ages, stressing one message to her students: "You don't have to be Brad Pitt, and you don't have to be Julia Roberts to do this stuff," Foxhoven said. She has a high-energy style of teaching that she uses in all of her classes. Her adults act like various animals in the zoo, right at the beginning of each class. "I'm a very physical acting teacher," she said. "It gets rid of inhibitions." I'm the type of person who's very shy, and I credit Cathy for bringing me out of my shell," said Linda Plageman, 40. Plageman, a housewife, is taking Foxhoven's voiceover class and said it has dramatically changed her for the better. "I still get a little nervous, but now I don't mind getting up in front of people," she said. "Cathy's telling me it's never too late."
Foxhoven recently received her master's degree in theater. She plans on returning to professional acting in the near future. But until then, she's happy right where she is. "This is not work. I'm one of the lucky ones who's able to enjoy what I'm doing," she said. "I get to be a little kid again. It's such a release I totally enjoy what I do."
- Written by Fiona
Comments