Posted: 10/14/17 at 6:28pm
Hi!! I would like to write a letter to Hailey Kilgore, who, if you don’t know, will be making her bway debut as Ti Moune in OOTI next month. I have severe anxiety and this will be my first time writing fanmail, and i have absolutely no idea how to start, or what to write. If you could give me any tips, I would be so grateful. Thanks!
Posted: 10/14/17 at 6:32pm
May I ask why you are writing to her since, obviously, you haven't see her doing anything except perhaps a YouTube vudeo?
Posted: 10/14/17 at 6:55pm
You need to calm down. You're writing a letter, not showing up at her front door with a boombox playing some Peter Gabriel.
Do you make everything in your life as dramatic as this?
Posted: 10/14/17 at 7:02pm
She did say she has severe anxiety....which I assumed to mean in general, not over this.
Posted: 10/14/17 at 7:04pm
Samara.tanner said: "i have absolutely no idea how to start"
Dear Hailey,
Posted: 10/14/17 at 7:25pm
dramamama's question actually might be a great starting point for you. Why are you writing to her? Do you have a particular connection to her story, her hometown, anything like that? Does OOTI or the role of Ti Moune mean a lot to you, and why? Do you just want to wish her luck and best wishes? Any of those things are lovely thoughts and things that most actors I know would be delighted to read in a letter. Introduce yourself, and then explain why you're writing to her/what you want to tell her.
Try to remember that she's a perfectly ordinary person, just like any of us, who just happens to have a profession that puts her in the public view more than, say, an accountant. Just write what you feel, don't worry about the "right" thing to say. I know anxiety can make things like this feel really big and intimidating, but please know that most actors, especially ones early in their career, are thrilled to get fan mail and genuinely touched to read what their fans say.
If you want a reply, include a self-addressed stamped envelope- tuck it and your letter inside of a larger envelope, and address that outer envelope to her, care of the stage door of Circle in the Square. Don't stress if it takes a while to get a reply - some actors/theatres are really fast with mail, others are slower.
Finally, I wouldn't suggest asking questions like this on these boards. You'll get a lot of snark and condescension. Just remember that a lot of the very people who are on Broadway and behind the scenes were once nervous theatre fans too - you're in perfectly good company, and being a fan is nothing to be ashamed of! (There are some fans, especially of certain shows/actors, who take things way too far, but just exercise basic manners and common sense, and you'll be fine). Good luck!
Posted: 10/14/17 at 8:40pm
haterobics said: "Samara.tanner said: "i have absolutely no idea how to start"
Dear Hailey,"
I shouldn't have laughed, but I did.
As for the OP, deep breaths. Say what the role means to you and how she factors into it. Go into why you want to write to her in the first place and be sincere! Don't worry so much about how you'll look to her; she'll understand that you're a fan. It's not an essay and there are no grades, so try not to stress too much over it.
Good luck!
Posted: 10/14/17 at 9:39pm
Don’t forget to mention Audra McDonald, Jessie Mueller, Betsy Wolfe and Lea Michele in your letter.
Posted: 10/14/17 at 10:48pm
Wow a lot of sarcasm on this thread. But I have to ask, isn't this Hailey's Broadway debut? How do you know you are a fan of her until you've seen her/heard her as Ti Moune or just basically know more about her after the show opens? I'm not asking to be rude, I'm asking because you can't really write a genuine letter if you don't really know the actress well. If you're writing just to get a response back, you're not going to have much to say.
Posted: 10/14/17 at 10:51pm
haterobics said: "Samara.tanner said: "i have absolutely no idea how to start"
Dear Hailey,"
This is easily the hardest I've laughed at a post on BWW. Thanks, haterobics.
Posted: 10/15/17 at 2:28am
Jordan Catalano said: "You need to calm down. You're writing a letter, not showing up at her front door with a boombox playing some Peter Gabriel.
Do you make everything in your life as dramatic as this?"
Jordan, I normally love your posts on these boards, but as someone who also has severe anxiety, I have a problem with this. It is completely normal for symptoms to be exacerbated by writing a letter to someone you admire, regardless of who that person is. You may have been just joking, but even jokes like that just add to the mental illness stigma. Not trying to be rude, just something to think about for the future.
