Lombard actress, Paralympian Katy Sullivan takes on demanding role in Chicago Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’
It didn’t take long for Lombard actress Katy Sullivan to impress director Edward Hall. They were about a week into rehearsals for the London premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Cost of Living” in 2019 and Hall was already considering another project for himself and Sullivan.
Thinking to himself, “I want to do ‘Richard III’ with this woman,” Hall pitched the idea to Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where he famously directed 2004’s Rose Rage trilogy.
Gaines agreed, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the production. In the interim, Gaines announced her retirement and last year she stepped down after 36 years. Hall succeeded her as artistic director. Next week, the “Richard III” he envisioned, with Sullivan as the titular murderous monarch, begins previews on Navy Pier.
Sullivan, who was born without her lower legs and has used prosthetics since the age of 1, never considered playing William Shakespeare’s “rudely stamped … deformed, unfinished” usurper. But after working together, she told Hall “anything you want me to do in the future, the answer is yes.”
“He said, ‘I hope you mean that.’ I guess I did,” recalled Sullivan, a 2023 Tony Award-nominee for her performance in “Cost of Living.”
The Alabama native decided to be an actor at age 6 after seeing a production of “Annie.” After earning a BFA in acting from Webster University Theatre Conservatory in St. Louis, she worked as a Goodman Theatre casting intern and appeared in its production of “The Long Red Road,” directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. She also appeared in Northlight Theatre’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan.”
TV and film roles followed, including her latest project, the Netflix animated series “Not Quite Narwhal,” along with Showtime’s “Dexter: New Blood” and the documentary “Walk On,” among others.
When she was 25, someone handed her a pair of running blades, sparking a self-described superpower she didn’t know she possessed. Athletics being outside her comfort zone, she approached running as she would a play.
“The only thing I knew was how to be an actor, so I created a character,” said the four-time U.S. 100 meter sprint champion who represented the U.S. in the 2012 London Paralympic Games. “I put one foot in front of the other and one day I landed on a track in London.”
“The potential of what lay ahead was greater than the risk of failing,” recalled the actress.
The same could be said of her current role, which she admits intimidated her initially.
Praising Sullivan’s wit, technical prowess and emotional depth, Hall never doubted her ability. Moreover, he said, Sullivan’s “lived experience” amplifies the character in ways an actor without a disability cannot.
“She’s an ex-athlete, an Olympian and an extremely athletic, physical person,” he said, adding, “One mustn’t forget the historical Richard was a veteran of many battles in the Wars of the Roses. He could handle himself on the battlefield.”
During those cutthroat times, “people had to kill or be killed, especially in the nobility,” said Sullivan, who is married to fellow actor and castmate Scott Aiello. “People weren’t thinking about the morality of the decisions they were making.”
A fierce soldier and survivor of a 30-year civil war, Richard “gets to where he is because people underestimate him,” she said.
“An extraordinary piece of psychological drama,” the play illustrates how we create our own monsters when we treat people unfairly and cruelly, Hall said.
“You can understand why he’s become the person he’s become,” said Hall, acknowledging that’s an explanation, not an excuse.
Describing the play as a cautionary tale, Sullivan says it reflects the brutality of human nature.
“You don’t have to look very far to find people trying to push others down so they can stand in the center … There are brutal leaders all over the world,” she said.
“One of the most dangerous things is when people believe they are right and there is no room for discussion or compromise,” she says, noting, “He doesn’t get away with it.”
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“Richard III”
When: Feb. 2 through March 3
Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater Courtyard Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, (312) 595-5600, chicagoshakes.com
Tickets: Start at $38