Meet Katie MacNichol | Actor & Podcast Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie MacNichol and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up just outside of Portland, Maine. When I was little, I wrote letters to an imaginary friend. When I say “letters” I mean magic marker scribbles on paper napkins. This imaginary friend lived in California and had ten teenage sisters who all looked like Marsha from The Brady Bunch. I longed to visit them. I didn’t know anything about California except what I saw on television and what I imagined through playing with my Malibu Barbie and Ken dolls. I spent endless hours pushing Barbie’s beach van through the green shag carpeting in our living room, lost in fantasy, while my brother’s Elton John eight track tapes played in the background. This was a 70’s childhood, can you tell?
I realized that I was an actor in the second grade when my teacher suggested we divide into groups and act out stories from our reading book. I remember standing “center stage” when we presented to the fourth graders and thinking, “Oh, I know how to do this.” It wasn’t a big, cymbal-crashing moment – it was me understanding, for the first time, who I was.
I ultimately became a professional actor and eventually moved to California. I marvel that my young self caught those glimpses of the future. A map began to form all those years ago, and I’m glad I followed it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been a professional actor for almost thirty years. I started my career in New York, then moved to Los Angeles and since 2020, I’ve been based in San Diego. My husband and I are the parents to two kids who have grown up in and around the theatres where we have worked. When I was a new mother trying to find the balance between work and family, a friend told me that I was being selfish for continuing to pursue my acting career. She said that the children deserved a more steady and secure life than we could provide as two free-lance artists. These comments stung me at my core. But I refused to believe that being both a dedicated artist and a good mother were mutually exclusive. I began a search for role models which continues to this day.
The women we interview on Act Like A Mother are not celebrities, though some are certainly familiar faces. They are all dedicated artists committed to their craft and to supporting their families. Whether it’s figuring out the best way to care for a child with special needs, preparing their spouse and kids for a job-related separation, considering a family move, or worrying about affordable childcare and holding onto health insurance, our guests share openly on topics relatable to all parents and care givers. In addition, our discussions delve into the creative process, career highs, backstage stories, humiliating auditions and hopes and dreams for the future. We laugh and cry and go deep.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I first came to San Diego when my husband was performing at La Jolla Playhouse. We were both N.Y. based actors and that summer visit was a wonderful introduction to the west coast. La Jolla is a special place to me and I highly recommend seeing a show at the Playhouse, having brunch at Brockton Villa, art gazing at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and book hunting at D.G. Willis Books and Warwick’s. To round out the perfect day, you can’t beat the fish tacos at The Taco Stand on Pearl Street.

The next time I came to San Diego was to work at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. I left N.Y. in an April snow storm and arrived in paradise. I love Balboa Park and have been lucky to work at The Old Globe many times over the years. In fact, I performed pregnant in three Shakespeare plays on the outdoor Festival Stage. Our daughter was born here shortly after the season ended. So I recommend that anybody visiting San Diego spend a day in Balboa Park and catch a show at The Old Globe. And if you’re having a baby, check out Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women!

My husband and I have both done a number of shows at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. Fletcher Cove is a beautiful beach just a short drive down the road from the theatre and is one of our family’s favorite spots. You can spend a lovely day down at the cove, enjoying coffee and a scone at Claire’s and window shopping on Cedros Ave. Grab a healthy meal at Flower Child in Del Mar and then catch a show at NCRT.

There are so many wonderful theatres in San Diego and the city boasts an incredible community of gifted artists. Since moving here in 2020 I’ve seen amazing work at Cygnet Theatre, Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company, New Fortune Theatre Company, Loud Fridge Theatre Group and The Roustabouts Theatre Company to name but a few.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Several years ago, as I was waiting backstage to make an entrance, a title popped into my head: Act Like A Mother. I knew it would be a great premise for a podcast. I could interview fellow actor moms about the struggles and joys of being a performing artist and parent. But almost as fast as I had the idea, I shelved it because I knew it wasn’t a project I wanted to do on my own. One of the things I love most about being an actor is the creative collaboration that takes place between artists in the rehearsal room and on stage. I longed for a podcast collaborator but didn’t know anyone who fit the bill.
Then I met Melanie Lora, a wonderful, warm and highly inventive actor who, like me, had recently moved with her family to San Diego. Melanie worked on a show with my husband (actor/artist Bruce Turk) and then she and I acted together the following season. As we got to know each other and swapped stories in the dressing room, I knew I had found my partner for Act Like A Mother.
Melanie has four young children and maintains a thriving acting career in the midst of the chaos of soccer games, sick days, field trips and more. My two children are now young adults, so I’m at a different stage of mothering. As a fledgling empty-nester, I now have the time and space to focus on projects like the podcast and reflect on my journey as an actor mom. I’m so grateful that Melanie agreed to partner with me. We are equally passionate about our love of acting and our love for our kids. I admire Melanie as an artist and can’t imagine a more compassionate, intelligent and fun co-host.

Website: https://katiemacnichol.com

Instagram: @actlikeamotherpodcast

Facebook: Act Like A Mother Podcast

Other: Act Like A Mother Podcast – available on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts

Image Credits
Daniel Reichert
Aaron Rumley
Craig Schwartz