THE Q INTERVIEW
Kate Monster interviews Stephanie
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What is your name and what character do you play in the show?
   

My name is Stephanie D'Abruzzo and I play the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut. But surely you already know that - haven't you read this website? Oh, and for the detail-oriented, let's not forget that I also play two boxes and the offstage recorded voices of the woman who fires Princeton and the woman who's about to jump in "There is Life Outside Your Apartment." And for the true fanatic, I also do Trekkie's right hand during "School for Monsters."
 
 
Where were you born?
   
I was born (December 7, 1971) and raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh , PA.
 
 
Where were you raised?
   
Oops, I guess I jumped the gun on that one. (See above.)
 
 
Where do you live now?
   
I've lived in New York City for the last 12 years.
 
 
What were you doing immediately before you were cast in Avenue Q?
   
I can't say that I was exactly "cast" in "Avenue Q." I started doing the readings for the show in the spring of 2000 and have been with the show ever since. Before and during and since that time, I've been a Muppet Performer and voiceover gal.
 
 
Do you have a favorite backstage story that you'd like to share with Avenue Q fans?
   

I have lots of good backstage stories, but I don't think I can tell any of them without getting sued for libel.

The best stories actually take place onstage when things go wrong. Like when the chuppa during the wedding scene gets tangled. Or when the band hits a really bad clinker. Or when one of us forgets our lines and comes up with something ridiculous to replace it. Or when someone misses an entrance. Or when the Monsterssori School sign gets messed up. Or when we see people sleeping in the audience. All of the stories end the same way: we all start giggling and can't stop. We are very bad children.

 
 
How has the Avenue Q experience changed your life?
   

I've met some incredible people, sung at some amazing events, and I've gotten a few free desserts.

 
 
Why do you think Avenue Q is such an overwhelming success?
   

I have no idea. No one really knows why anything is a success. I've said this for years, but the sad reality is that not everything good is successful, and not everything successful is good. I can tell you why I think we're good, but not why we're a success.
 
 
How do you handle the demanding 8 show a week performance schedule?
   
I eat candy. I let the laundry and dishes pile up. I listen to my iPod. I guess that's not really handling it, is it?
 
 
What do you do to keep in shape for the show?
   
You're insinuating that I'm in shape! Unless you mean vocally, in which case I do a lot of silly vocal warm-ups in the shower that my husband makes fun of. And I have lots of sprays and pastilles backstage. Oh, and I do stretch out before the show.shoulders, back, arms. Stretching is actually quite vital, as the puppetry I do both at Muppets and in "Avenue Q" requires not so much strength, but endurance.
 
 
What is your favorite part of the show to perform?
   
Lately, I really love whenever I sing as Lucy the Slut. I just love digging into that. It's so much fun.
 
 
Where did you attend school? High School? College?
   

I went to Peters Township High School in McMurray , PA , and I attended Northwestern University in Evanston , IL where I received my B.S. in Speech as a Radio/TV/Film major.
   
   
What are your hobbies and interests off stage?
   

Having hobbies and interests offstage would mean I have a life offstage! My biggest interest right now is sleep, and I try to do it as much as I can, which isn't nearly as much as I'd like. I also enjoy reading non-fiction (biographies, oral histories and anything relating to pop culture), seeing movies and shows (when I can), watching television on DVD, playing the ukulele, and 3-D View-Master photography.

 
 
Do you have any special skills?  (i.e. sports, cooking, juggling)
   

I can edit a mean montage. But I haven't had time to master Final Cut Pro 5 yet, so I haven't been at the editing wheel in a while. And I have several useless talents, one of which is speaking the old "Zoom" language, "Ubbi-Dubbi." I tried to learn to juggle once. It was bad. And my mother tried to teach me to knit once. It was wrong.

 
 
Do you support any charitable activities/causes? If so, what are they?
   

I always seem to be doing some sort of benefit on a Monday night, most of the time for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS or The Actor's Fund. They are great organizations. I've also given them money as well as my time. I also give to other organizations, but it seems immodest to rattle them off here.
 
 
Have you ever been asked to sing the national anthem at a sporting event?  If so, what was that experience like for you?
   
I've never sung it at a sporting event, but I will be singing it next month when the US Postal Service unveils the new Jim Henson and the Muppets stamps. I'm very excited about that. It was Jim Henson's work that inspired me to pursue a career as a Muppet Performer, and it was my being a Muppet Performer that got me to Broadway. So if it weren't for him and his work, I wouldn't be where I am today.
 
 
Do you speak a foreign language and would you be comfortable performing Avenue Q in that language?
   

I once won a Foreign Language Day Spanish Recitation Award when I was in high school, but I am far, far, far from being even remotely fluent. If I had to do "Avenue Q" in another language, I'd have to learn it phonetically, like ABBA did. And even then I'd probably make weird mistakes and end up having Kate accidentally say she was "casado" instead of "cansado" ("pregnant" instead of "tired").
 
 
If Avenue Q does a world tour, what top three cities would you like to play?
   

I would love to do the show in London , Sydney , and San Francisco . But in my opinion, I think no place is better to do or see "Avenue Q" than in good old New York City .