Torie Wiggins is back on Know’s MainStage, and she’s ready for adventure.
A graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a BFA in Dramatic Performance, Torie (Mimi) is well known to Cincinnati audiences: her one-woman show, Your Negro Tour Guide, has been seen at venues across Cincinnati and toured across the country. She has appeared on All My Children, the feature film Love Me Through It, and her voice can be heard on numerous national television and radio commercials for H&M, Home Depot, and Burger King, just to name a few.
Torie was previously a Seasonal Resident Artist with Know Theatre, appearing in Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party, Collapse, Afghan Women Writer’s Project, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and more recently appeared in the national rolling premiere of Pluto.
You may also remember Torie from her LCT-nominated performances in To Kill a Mockingbird with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and the title role in Black Pearl Sings! at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati; or more recently, from her turn as Camae in ETC’s The Mountaintop.
Torie is thrilled to be back on stage at The Know, and we’re delighted to showcase her talent in a role that feels tailor-made for her.
Here’s what Torie has to say about diving in to the role of Mimi in Harry & The Thief:
1. What do you love most about playing your character, Mimi?
Mimi reminds me a lot of myself… except for the thieving part. She has this constant struggle between who she is and who she wants to be. This is evident in her code-switching, as well as some of the big decisions she has to make throughout the play.
2. What would Mimi’s action-movie theme song be?
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y) by Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
3. Why should audiences root for Mimi?
Because whether they realize right away or not, she is their hope for the future.
4. Say someone sent you back in time to change the course of history: Who would you go to find and what would you do?
I’d find Dr. Martin Luther King and take him out for a drink around 5:00 pm on April 4th, 1968 and talk about his plans for the future.
5. In 50 words or less, why should Cincinnati come out to see Harry & The Thief?
This show is the most entertaining a fake account of history can ever be. At the same time, its poignant and gives you permission to wonder what society would be like if things had gone down differently. And you can see me twerk for my life – no other words needed after that.