It Just Takes One...a charming, one-woman musical!
Experience the journey of a young singer striving to ignite her career
while balancing a social life.
gently humorous and
at-times-poignant
Audiences will relate to an authentic slice of Kate's life, experiencing behind-the-scenes auditions and bad dates. Her approach is warm and inviting (she shares personal stories and asides with individual audience members throughout), while finding the humor in everyday life situations. Apt musical selections are wonderfully woven throughout, with songs from traditional Broadway and the Great American Songbook, classical and opera, to works by contemporary composers.
Under Written, Produced by, and StarRing Kate
Kate's real life experiences provide the framework:
After finishing a master's degree in voice, singing kept her busy with travel, performances, auditions, working odd jobs, and continued musical training. Dating hijinks, in this scenario, seemed unavoidable. Encouraging girlfriends exclaimed, 'You should write a book!' After thinking on that for some time, Kate decided, maybe that's not a totally crazy idea. Thus, the inspiration and passion behind It Just Takes One was born. A multiyear project, the show features a top-notch collaborative pianist and integrates a full set with costume changes in a two-act plot spanning several years.
TESTIMONIAL FROM ELLIOT WASSERMAN, CHAIR & PROFESSOR OF THEATRE
Department of Performing Arts, University of Southern Indiana
"Our USI audience was thoroughly entertained by Kate Tombaugh’s one woman show in our Performance Center this past March. Not only was the show a humorous and thoroughly entertaining portrayal of the struggles of a young vocal performer in New York City and so very relevant to our theatre students, it was also a showcase for Kate’s powerful mezzo-soprano voice. Kate moved effortlessly from classical arias to Broadway and pop tunes as the performance prompted each song’s theme. As delightful as the evening was, the following day was even better when I had the chance to observe her master class. Kate spent almost 5 hours with six of our Theatre and Music programs’ best vocalists. She was able to employ her deep knowledge of the vocal apparatus to introduce exercises to each of the singers which addressed their specific needs. In some cases, the differences she was able to create in the singers were dramatic; moreover, she conducted the session with the kindest encouragement, putting all of the students at ease and making them eager to work in fresh ways. We would love to have her back. Whether as a teacher, a performer, or as both, any university musical theatre program or music department would gain a lot from having Kate as a guest artist. We plan to have her back soon."
TESTIMONIAL FROM Nancy Menk, CHAIR & PROFESSOR OF Music
Director of Choral Activities, Saint Mary’s College
Kate Tombaugh presented her one-woman show, "It Just Takes One," at Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame) and our students were enthralled. Kate is a fantastic performer with a gorgeous, powerful voice and the acting skills to match it. She is a great role model for young singers. She also gave a talk to our music majors earlier in the day with valuable information about being proactive in presenting yourself as a singer. I would highly recommend her as a guest artist for college and university music and theatre programs...you won't be disappointed!
“The show was a perfect combination of vocal talent, humor, engaging storyline, and song selection. I didn’t want it to end!””
“[Kate is] an absolutely incendiary stage presence!””
“It Just Takes One is dynamic and relatable. Kate’s storytelling is vulnerable and engaging. Her expressive voice navigates the various styles in the show with ease and beauty.””
ABOUT KATE:
Mezzo-soprano Kate Tombaugh has been praised as “utterly convincing dramatically, and musically superlative” (Seen and Heard International). She trained as a young artist with the Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and received degrees from CCM and Illinois Wesleyan University. As a two-time 3rd place finalist in Chicago's MONC Regional Auditions hosted by NYC's Metropolitan Opera, Kate has received additional accolades from the Kurt Weill Foundation, Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition and the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition. Kate's featured title roles include La Cenerentola, Hansel and Gretel, Cendrillon and Ariodante. She has sung with Chicago's Apollo Chorus, Cincinnati's concert:nova, and the symphony-orchestras of Paducah, Evansville, Champaign-Urbana, Jackson, and Lexington, among others.
Previous Performances of “It Just Takes One”
2019
Charleston, Illinois at Eastern Illinois University’s Doudna Fine Arts Center
2018
Evansville, Indiana at University of Southern Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana at Saint Mary’s College
Evansville, Indiana at University of Southern Indiana
2017
Spring Valley, Illinois at Hall High School, hosted by NCI Artworks
Streator, Illinois at Park Place Conference Center, hosted by Poco a Poco Summer Music Fest
Murray, Kentucky at First Presbyterian Church
Martin, Tennessee at University of Tennessee-Martin
2015
Cincinnati, Ohio at St. Thomas Episcopal Church (four performances)
Streator, Illinois at Park Place Conference Center (three performances)
2013
Bloomington, Illinois at First Christian Church, hosted by Prairie Fire Theatre (six performances)
Cincinnati, Ohio workshop at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
Santa Fe, New Mexico workshop at St. John's United Methodist Church