For a more formal "press" bio see my Actor page.
Always Unconventional
My course through life has tended to be ... a little different.
My youth was consumed with a passion for drawing and painting, leading to a coveted Creative Arts Scholarship at Michigan State University. But the solo creative life felt empty and unfulfilling, so late in my freshman year things took a sharp turn. As a student in the Honors College, I instead became a triple-major (theatre, psychology, English) and performed on stage in an eccentric range of roles, from the talking lizard in Albee's Seascape to Shakespeare's King Lear at the ripe old age of 19. My eye for composition & design found expression in early directing efforts while Artistic Director for The Players Gallery, MSU's official student theatre group.
Graduate training was also off the beaten path. Instead of pursuing the usual MFA here in the States, I enrolled in an intensive actor training course at the Drama Studio of London, preparation for both the artistic demands and practical realities of the profession. Incidentally, my first performance as a female began there as well, as Queen Isabelle in Edward II. Just acting. It would be over 30 years before realizing the woman in me ran much deeper.
Since 1979, Chicago has been my home, and over the decades I've enjoyed roles at a variety of companies, while continuing my love of directing in smaller companies and colleges in the Midwest.
2006 marked my most extraordinary journey yet. For me, gender transitioning needed to be a very private period, and a 10 year professional sabbatical affording space for this process to unfold out of the public eye. Fortunately I came out the other side not only legally female, but a far better person.
Theatre artistry resumed in 2015 with the invitation to read a new work for About Face Theatre, and then consult on the world premiere of Philip Dawkin's "Charm". This led to other readings, understudying in David Rabe's new work "Good for Otto", and a series of lead acting roles. January 2019 brought my first featured film part, in the compassionate story "Landlocked" to be seen in film festivals come 2020.
I feel very privileged to have re-joined the entertainment ranks as a transgender actress, director; and to be serving as a public advocate for trans people both on the stage and off.
Delia Kropp
My youth was consumed with a passion for drawing and painting, leading to a coveted Creative Arts Scholarship at Michigan State University. But the solo creative life felt empty and unfulfilling, so late in my freshman year things took a sharp turn. As a student in the Honors College, I instead became a triple-major (theatre, psychology, English) and performed on stage in an eccentric range of roles, from the talking lizard in Albee's Seascape to Shakespeare's King Lear at the ripe old age of 19. My eye for composition & design found expression in early directing efforts while Artistic Director for The Players Gallery, MSU's official student theatre group.
Graduate training was also off the beaten path. Instead of pursuing the usual MFA here in the States, I enrolled in an intensive actor training course at the Drama Studio of London, preparation for both the artistic demands and practical realities of the profession. Incidentally, my first performance as a female began there as well, as Queen Isabelle in Edward II. Just acting. It would be over 30 years before realizing the woman in me ran much deeper.
Since 1979, Chicago has been my home, and over the decades I've enjoyed roles at a variety of companies, while continuing my love of directing in smaller companies and colleges in the Midwest.
2006 marked my most extraordinary journey yet. For me, gender transitioning needed to be a very private period, and a 10 year professional sabbatical affording space for this process to unfold out of the public eye. Fortunately I came out the other side not only legally female, but a far better person.
Theatre artistry resumed in 2015 with the invitation to read a new work for About Face Theatre, and then consult on the world premiere of Philip Dawkin's "Charm". This led to other readings, understudying in David Rabe's new work "Good for Otto", and a series of lead acting roles. January 2019 brought my first featured film part, in the compassionate story "Landlocked" to be seen in film festivals come 2020.
I feel very privileged to have re-joined the entertainment ranks as a transgender actress, director; and to be serving as a public advocate for trans people both on the stage and off.
Delia Kropp
