Kat Lozano
Actor Kat Lozano finds a bit of herself as Mark Antony in Shakespeare Dallas’ ‘Julius Caesar’
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
Although Julius Caesar is in previews as of this past Wednesday, Sept. 11, Shakespeare Dallas opens the show officially today (Friday, Sept. 13). With the play’s inherent and brutal drama, Friday the 13th seems almost appropriate for the show’s opening night. But there’s no bad luck for actor Kat Lozano, who is confident in delivering her spin on the character of Mark Antony.
For Lozano, 28, the character comes at an interesting time. She discovered, under the direction of Katie Ibrahim, that she could bring some of her own personal journey to the character. At the same time, she knows she can still deliver a compelling character.
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Shakespeare in the Park: Julius Caesar
Directed by: Katie Ibrahim
Cast: Marisa Duran, Elizabeth Evans, Aren Hugo, Nicole Johnson, Josk Kok, Kat Lozano, Caleb Mosley, Claire Parry,
Tanner Pieper, Ben Stegmair, T.A. Taylor, Brandon Whitlock.
Associate Director: Caroline Hamilton
Stage Manager: Alett Gray
Set Design: Adrian Churchill
Costume Design: Jasmine Woods
Lighting Design: Aaron Johansen
Sound Design: Noah James Heller
Fight Choreography: David Saldivar
Properties Design: Zareen Afzaal
Gore Effects: Isa Flores
Dramaturgy: Dante Flores
Through Oct. 13; Performances at
Samuell-Grand Amphitheater,
1500 Tenison Parkway Dallas.
ShakespeareDallas.org.
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“He has this mysterious element going on. He’s kind of a dark sheep in the play that really comes out of the blue,” Lozano said. “The process has been great because personally, I’ve been exploring my own gender identity and fluidity, and I’m excited to bring that to this character.”
Lozano identifies as genderqueer with she/they pronouns, a journey that only recently began. She found that, in this show, she could explore that with a character who is crucial to the story’s structure. Women and female-presenting actors playing male-presenting characters isn’t new to theater in general or to Shakespeare specifically, but Lozano found a creative middle space with Antony.
“The process has been great, and, to me, Antony is one of the more emotional characters,” Lozano said. “Just thinking about gender and men expressing emotion — it’s interesting to play with that while also pulling out some light femme qualities. I gotta make this really queer.”
For Lozano, Shakespeare is queer anyways — well, the stories, really. She talked about how his shows aren’t only timeless but also leave room for interpretations that allow for LGBTQ actors to add a hint of mint to the characters. Exploring Antony this way has perhaps helped Lozano with her own life.
“My journey is a fairly recent one,” she said. “For a really long time, I struggled coming out queer as my sexual identity. I recently came out to my close family as being queer,” she said.
Therapy has been a big help for Lozano. She credits her internal family systems therapy (IFS) with discovering her authentic self.
“Going to therapy and exploring this part of me that I hadn’t really spent time with or dug into has been great. You learn about yourself and all the parts you’re made of, and, as queer people, we all probably have a lot of stuff that’s buried,” she said.
It’s a process, Lozano continued. Therapy has helped her be more comfortable with her identifiers, but it’s still something to navigate. Heck, with all the labels for queer people now, she admits there is a “figuring it all out” process.
“I think for me, I sexually identify as queer or lesbian, and then, for gender, I’ve started to see myself as genderqueer. For me that’s a bigger umbrella term that can fit various labels.”
As Lozano is into her own journey of self-discovery, her theater path shifts with it. She’s mostly been, in her words, typecast in femme/female-presenting roles. Now, she’s seeking characters that can be construed as genderfluid or nonbinary.
“Playing Antony is more than me being in drag playing a man,” she said. “I feel like I’m genuinely playing something I identify with. And this makes me want to advocate more for trans and nonbinary and genderqueer roles and characterizations.
“As queer people, we fought so hard just to exist, and now we exist to be seen, because our stories are important.”
For tickets, visit ShakespeareDallas.org.