The theater has always been beautifully woven into Hillary Clemens’ life. She began her acting career at age seven in Kansas City, performing in community theater, and quickly landed roles at prominent local venues, including the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Coterie and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.
While spending her college and early adult years working in Chicago’s theater scene, Clemens met her husband, actor Matt Schwader. One of their most memorable moments together was discovering, on the opening night of a show, that she was expecting their first child. “We were performing in The Great Gatsby together, playing Gatsby and Daisy,” Clemens says. Soon after that moment, the couple moved back to Clemens’ hometown, Kansas City—motivated by nearby family but sold by the vibrant theater community and arts scene.
Today, Clemens is an active board member of the Kansas City Actors Theatre, where she serves on the artistic committee. In addition to her work behind the scenes, she continues to take on acting roles locally while raising two children. Her life is vibrant and dynamic, to say the least.
“I’ve done several months-long runs where you perform the same play every night, but it’s never the same show twice,” she says. “That’s the great thing about theater—it’s different each time based on the cast, the audience and the world outside. The ephemeral nature of it is thrilling and hard to replicate.”
In 2020, when the pandemic shut the world down and halted theater productions—including Broadway for 18 months—Clemens, her husband and other KCAT talents adapted by producing radio theater shows. “We combed through a bunch of old public domain scripts,” she says, and the couple converted their basement into a makeshift recording studio using an old pack-and-play and blankets. “It’s a completely different experience,” Clemens says. “You’re telling a story entirely with your voice, realizing that no one can see you nod or raise your eyebrow. But it felt like a small gift we were sharing with the community.”
Clemens’ next project premieres this month with KCAT. She’ll play Maxine in the 1950s-era thriller Dial M for Murder. The show runs from September 11–29, and Clemens describes the production as both exhilarating and distinctive. “It’s a classic thriller with several new adaptations to the characters, including Maxine,” she says. “There’s a great new energy injected into this play. Laughter is always great because it’s involuntary, but my other favorite reaction is hearing people gasp. I think there will be a few good gasps in this one.”
From her community theater beginnings and commercial roles to Dial M for Murder and venturing into theater production management, Clemens embraces growing as an actor. “Every time I think about what’s to come, I get excited,” she says. “Aging opens up a whole new range of fantastic roles.”
“I’ve done several months-long runs where you perform the same play every night, but it’s never the same show twice.”
