Keara Hedican’s final bow as a Bruin has arrived as the actor-director-producer prepares for future projects.
The fourth-year theater student with an acting emphasis said she hopes to continue all three facets of entertainment production after graduation. Before arriving at UCLA, Hedican said she was a competitive hula dancer for 15 years and fell in love with the storytelling of hula’s movements before participating in the musical “A Chorus Line” as a sophomore in high school, which expanded her interests to theater. Although she does not practice hula with the same intensity, Hedican added that the dance form has influenced the philosophy she brought into college.
“I am where I am today because of hula, because I learned about accountability,” Hedican said. “I learned about rigor, really having a rigorous outlook towards what you want to do.”
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Another lesson Hedican said she gained from hula – and has practiced further in her pursuits in theater – is the ability to receive critiques without taking them personally. She said she has gone beyond hula to take four years of ballet classes at UCLA because she loved the discipline it instilled to try her best and focus on positive outcomes. These lessons carried into Hedican’s first Theater, Film and Television department show – “The Time of Your Life” – in her second year.
Zach Hoffman, a fourth-year theater student with an acting emphasis, said Hedican is one of his best friends and excels because of her attention to detail, going as far as to physically write out all of her scripts. He added that he met Hedican in class and they have performed alongside one another on many productions, including “Elegies,” “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” Hoffman said Hedican’s comedic timing shines through her portrayals of insecure, desperate men while also imbuing her more serious roles with convincing longing.
“Keara is very tapped into that aspect that we all connect to, where it’s searching for community and searching for, whether it’s love, whether it’s a best friend, whatever it is,” Hoffman said. “Her searching and her yearning for that human connection is what breaks your heart and makes you laugh at the same time.”
Lucy Ballinger, a fourth-year theater student with an acting emphasis, said she befriended Hedican in a costume lab during their first year and was impressed by Hedican’s bubbliness despite spending six hours a week sewing in a dark lab. Later, in a class centered on the plays of Anton Chekhov, Ballinger added that she worked with Hedican on the play “The Seagull.” She said she could tell immediately that Hedican was an actor who spent hours outside of the classroom researching the part, taking notes and practicing, which pushed her to elevate her own approach to her role.
In addition to appearing in a variety of UCLA productions, Hedican performed in an adaptation of “Dry Land” in October that she also co-directed and produced at the Pacific Resident Theatre. The play, written by Ruby Rae Spiegel, explores female friendship and follows the abortion of a teenage pregnancy. Hoffman, who had a supporting role in “Dry Land,” said Hedican and her co-director Hana Rudoff handled the play’s topics with sensitivity and grace.
Ballinger, who also appeared in a supporting role in “Dry Land,” said working with friends who are fellow actors allowed her to feel comfortable receiving direction from Hedican. Not only did Hedican have to be present as an actor, but she also had to consider the perspective of the audience, Ballinger said. For Hedican, to be on stage for the majority of the play while directing for the first time was an impressive feat, as she balanced having a bird’s eye view of the play while remaining in the moment as a scene partner, Ballinger added.
Hedican said the play felt vulnerable but worthwhile to create, especially in its exploration of abortion rights. She said acting for “Dry Land” came most naturally to her, while producing was more difficult given the logistics she and Rudoff had to juggle with locations, budgeting and insurance. However, she said she valued the experience because of the creative risks and how she learned more about herself in the process.
“The directing was also the fun work, because I love digging into text and really mining out as much as we can from these moments in these plays,” Hedican said. “The producing is such a different beast.”
When asked about actors she attempts to emulate, Hedican said she is inspired by the comedic strengths and authenticity of Emma Stone, who she added can bring believable humor and intelligence to her roles. Ballinger added that Hedican’s process resembles that of Sarah Snook – best known for her Emmy-winning role of Shiv Roy on “Succession” – because both are hardworking, analytical actors who are methodical but also adaptable in the moment during their performances.
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Hedican’s humor carried over to participating in Identity Crisis Improv at UCLA last year, Ballinger said. Even though Ballinger had been on the team throughout college, she said improvisation showcased Hedican’s comedic chops and versatility. In the time she has known Hedican, her talents have stretched to other disciplines, with eight dance classes a week and watercolor paintings made for friends, Ballinger said.
“She wants to be a constant student of life, and I think that’s so prevalent in who she is and the work that she does,” Ballinger said. “She’s always striving to learn new things and to motivate herself artistically and to try new things, and I just am so inspired by her for that reason.”
Hedican said she hopes to stay in Los Angeles unless she decides to pursue graduate school in New York. She added that she seeks to continue finding opportunities to produce and direct even if the productions are on a small scale. At the same time, Hedican said she also wants to write more of her own material and is in the process of writing a one-woman show.
As she reflects on her UCLA experience, Hedican said her professors and peers have helped her overcome imposter syndrome and trust her voice. She added that performing in other plays such as “The C Word” and “A Doll’s House” was challenging but allowed her the opportunity to delve into the roles of complex female characters. These roles that emphasize the character’s journey toward finding their voice – combined with her three-pronged involvement with “Dry Land” – have solidified her ability to uplift others through her work, Hedican said.
“I’m itching to get out into the world, because I think the most valuable thing that I’ve gained here at UCLA and at TFT is just my sense of voice,” Hedican said. “Now that I feel like I’ve realized who I am and what I want to say, now the work begins.”
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