Actor turns her creative energy to writing
Actress Alexis Koetting has found her inner voice.
Born in Burlington, Koetting grew up in Hamilton and now lives in an area of the city she describes as “in transition.”
“In some ways it’s like me, finding something new to express.”
“As an actress, at 42 I’m in flux. What happens to women in the theatre, after the blush of youth, is discouraging. I’m told wait until your 50, you’ll grow into mature roles. Frankly, I couldn’t wait. I needed to find an outlet for my unused creativity.”
That’s why Koetting has found a new way of reaching people through the printed page.
Koetting has always been a writer. She’s the sort of person who writes down her inner emotions.
“My mother has boxes of things I did when I was a kid, school things I suppose. One day, a couple of years ago, I just started writing. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It was fiction. The characters just found me. I expected nothing from the project. Then I got to the 100th page and felt, well maybe there’s something here.”
Koetting, daughter of an actress Phyllis and an actor Tim, had studied Fine Arts at Concordia in Mon- treal. She had paid her dues in community theatre, playing in the Sondheim musical “Follies,” the Gilbert and Sullivan piece, “The Pirates of Penzance,” and the moving drama “Pack of Lies.” Her first role had been in the kids’ chorus of “Annie” at Hamilton Theatre Inc. She was 10.
“I grew up crawling around the stages where my parents were rehearsing shows here in Hamilton.”
After university Koetting got herself a contract at Stratford Festival and played small parts i n “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” “Julius Caesar” and “Oedipus Rex.”
“The thing about contracts is, there’s always an end date. You don’t dare get too comfortable, because you’ll soon be on the street searching for work. That’s theatre, I’m afraid.”
Koetting does summer theatre in places like Rustico, Prince Edward Island. She’s acted at Sudbury Theatre Centre and in Equity Showcase productions in Toronto.
Last year she was Beatrice i n “Much Ado About Nothing” in St. John, New Brunswick. She’s played leading roles in “Our Town” and “Macbeth” and worked in film. She also works as a substitute teacher which she enjoys very much.
“Acting can be very discouraging. It’s certainly been eye opening,” she says.
Koetting’s book, “Encore,” is based on her theatre knowledge. Her main character is an actress. “My character, Bella James, is loosely based on me, but I also used police contacts to make sure informa- tion in the book is accurate.”
In the book actress Bella moves to Niagara-on-the-Lake, joins the Shaw Festival and finds hidden bones. Her story is a f ast, lively read.
Koetting found writing a book demanded a different kind of discipline from acting.
“It’s a different discipline. You’re on your own with a book. Writing can be very lonely. Every day I got dressed ready for work. It’s very easy to be distracted writing at home, but I forced myself to keep going. It was difficult not have my focus pulled by other things. There are days when you’re cooking. That can happen in writing and acting. And that’s when it’s great.”
Koetting thought she would selfpublish her book, but she also sent it out to more than 50 publishers. She couldn’t get a deal in Canada. She came close, but at the last moment it fell through.
“Five Star, an American company picked it up. It was published in September 2015. I don’t know what will happen next. The book has been submitted for a couple of awards. We’ll see.”
Koetting doesn’t expect to make major money from the book. “Writers don’t until they’ve really hit it big,” she laughs. “But I’m working on the second book, a sequel to “Encore.” I’m told the first book is the toughie as far as making sales goes. There are so many books out there for people to choose. I guess what I’ve learned from this is just write the thing. You can add and subtract later. Just like acting there’s always something to reconsider.”