Karen Herbison

Karen Herbison Karen joined Theatre guild in 1995 as chorus/dancer in Oklahoma!. The following two years saw her revelling in the role of Miss Adelaide – Guys and Dolls and then the title role in Calamity Jane. In our production of The King and I”, she thoroughly enjoyed dancing the part of Eliza in the spectacular dance/ballet section. Her next appearance with us was as one of the Angels (“Chastity”-funnily enough) in Anything Goes in 2001. Our 2003 production of Sweet Charity saw Karen playing “Helene".She quotes ”I suppose I should say that my biggest theatre achievement was auditioning a very slinky dance 6 months pregnant, landing the part of Helene and leaping across the rehearsal room 2 WEEKS before Robbie was born!” Karen went on to enjoy several years with the concert party – “I owe a lot to the Guild in terms of confidence building/skills discovery and some great friendships”. Recently she enjoyed her dance and rather 'mad' cameo role - MISS MONEY - in Hello, Dolly! (2005) and in 2007 she returns as leading lady "Mona Stangley" in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. By age 9 she’d discovered dance class and The Pantheon Youth Theatre. Her first formal performance? With the youth theatre in Eastwood’s one act play festival as a diddly villager in “The Tinder Box”. “I remember the feeling when I stepped out there and thinking….OH YES!….I was hooked”. She remembers going back on to present a bunch of flowers and finding the audience doubled with laughter. She didn’t realise her skirt was hitched up, revealing her PANTS! (Watch out for a similar theme further on). Karen went on to enjoy many years with Pantheon Youth Theatre and her dance school. She also enjoyed a spell of choreography with a youth theatre group. In 1996 Karen founded “The Buddie Magic Theatre Company”. They co-produced, wrote and performed their own work, touring small theatre venues. She loved her directorial debut during this time. Karen co-founded Punch Productions with fellow Theatre Guild member John Cuthbertson in 2007. Karen has also worked with The Lyric Club – MISS HANNIGAN – “Annie” (2004), LADY JAQUELINE – “Me & My Girl”(2005), and she is currently rehearsing the role of NANCY in “Oliver!” for 2007. In “real life” Karen is mummy to three kids, and is an SVQ Assessor for North Glasgow College in the area of Social Care. She is recently enjoying the new experience of lecturing (“It’s only a hairs breath away from the stage”). "Secret? I’m an open book!” says Karen, but goes on “hmmmmm- well there was a time (only 3yrs old) when I wet my pants on bouncy castle-type thingy. There was a huge puddle which everyone kept falling into – screaming! Mum rinsed my pants out, left them to the side to dry….and they blew away! I was knickerless!” We asked Karen to tell us a funny theatre story. “It has to be the famous incident of going onstage for “Oklahoma!”, my Guild debut. I forgot my pants in a big can-can type dance number!”……..YOU SEE! Told you there was a recurring theme! It’s all PANTS!