Cat-spiration
Did you know that you could turn your love of cats into a successful film career? Today's guest, Dr. Ross Hewitt is here to tell you that you can! Dr. Hewitt is a cat lover that grew up with 13 cats. He is also an actor, playwright, director, producer, and retired physician who received many awards for his work with the HIV and AIDS communities. He used cats (and his love of theater) to write and produce a short, animated film called Kris the Cat. He tells about his journey to create the film and also about the Nordic folk tale that inspired it. It is clear that Dr. Hewitt admires and loves cats, and he used this love to help him grow as a person and create something to entertain and educate children of all ages.
Listen to Episode #118 Now:
BIO:
Ross Hewitt is a proud Ujima Theatre Alumnus and a founding member of American Bard Theater Company in NYC. He is an actor, playwright, director and producer. Favorite roles include Captain Taylor in A Soldier’s Play, Bishop in The Blacks (Ujima), Richard Banor in You Wouldn’t Expect, Albany in King Lear, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing (American Bard), Sir Hugh Evans in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare in Delaware Park), and Dr. Hubert Bonney in It Runs in the Family (Cortland Repertory Theatre). He is an associate member of the American Dramatists Guild and past member of the Village Playwrights. His produced full-length plays are When October Goes (Ujima, 1996), Rainbows & Ribbons (Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, 2017) and Echoes in the Garden (American Bard, 2021). Ross directed Church & State this season for Ujima, the world premiere of Shawn Nacol's The Trophy Wife (Buffalo Ensemble Theatre), An Evening of Sonnets (American Bard), Booties (Fresh Fruit Festival), A Supportive Wife (Manhattan Repertory Theatre) and some of his own one-acts for the Village Playwrights. He is currently producing a animated short film, Kris the Cat, for which he wrote the screenplay. He is a retired physician who received many awards for his work with the HIV and AIDS community in Buffalo and NYC. Lorna, I hope you’re watching.
