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| Splash photo by Josh Johnson |
Kevin Kuecken, district manager overseeing eight Carl’s Jr. restaurants in the Inland Northwest, pauses after putting together a burger at the Liberty Lake location last week. Kuecken is a member of the Liberty Lake Community Theatre board of directors and plays the lead in the current production of “BurgerTown.”
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A taste for theatre
12/1/2010 10:33:34 AM
By Josh Johnson
Splash Staff Writer
Profiles:
Kevin Kuecken
At a day short of 16 years old, Kevin Kuecken received a promotion that made him the youngest assistant manager ever to work at a Carl's Jr. A couple decades later, he's still a boy looking for a chance to move up in the fast food industry - on the stage, that is.
Kuecken, now a district manager overseeing eight Carl's Jr. restaurants, has been involved with Liberty Lake Community Theatre since its inception, directing the very first production. A veteran of more than 40 stage performances, he serves on the board of directors as chairman of productions. This weekend and next, he plays the lead and serves as the producer for LLCT's "BurgerTown," a musical about a hard-working young man full of ideas who makes it big in the fast food business.
The Splash caught up with Kuecken at Carl's Jr. to talk theatre and fast food. Advertisement
Q: Tell me about "Burger Town." What attracted you to this script and why will people enjoy seeing it?
A: While I was looking for shows for us to put on - we had talked about trying to find a musical - I ran across "BurgerTown." The synopsis sounded good to me, and I liked the music samples I heard online. Because the story was so close to my life I actually put it on the back burner. But as I continued to look for shows I kept getting drawn back to "BurgerTown." About a month later, I gave the synopsis to Jennifer to get her input on it since I kept going back to it. She liked how it sounded so I decided to actually read the script. I fell in love with the story and the songs and realized this is the one for us. We wanted something fun but not well-known.
Q: At least on the surface, the role you are cast in has so many similarities to your life. Did you know immediately this was the part you wanted to play?
A: When I pick a script, I don't look for a role for me. I don't want anyone to say, "Hey, this is not Kevin's theater." I will admit when I read the script, I thought I would really like to play this character. But it's a young character. It's easier (for me to play up in age).
Q: So talk about the similarities between your life and Danny O'Riley.
A: I moved to California with $100 and all my stuff in a truck and lived in a friend's garage until I got a job. I kind of felt I related to the character because Danny goes from being a cook to CEO of BurgerTown - and I would love to be the CEO of Carl's one day (he laughs). Also, we're both pretty shy.
Q: Really? Being shy and getting up on stage don't seem to go hand in hand.
A: Most people in the restaurant business can talk to anybody about anything about a restaurant, but I'm usually a very reserved person that sits back and listens to everything. ... Actually, there are a lot of shy people who do theater because it's a chance to get yourself out there, and you're not yourself.
Q: So where did this start for you - this love for theater - and what are some standout roles or memories you have from past productions you've been associated with?
A: My love for theater started in grade school. I did a couple small class productions. However, watching the junior high students come and perform a Christmas show for the student body in sixth grade made me want to join the drama department in junior high. I joined the classes and did six shows in my two years - loved every aspect of it so it continued into my high school years.
Q: Fast forward to Liberty Lake: How did you first learn about LLCT, and what triggered you to embrace such a heavy involvement from the beginning?
A: I saw the first ad for LLCT forming in The Splash. I had not been in Liberty Lake for long and was thrilled to see the thought of a theater happening. I had taken a 16-year hiatus from the theater and thought it would be fun to try again.
Q: What is your favorite LLCT role or memory to date?
A: While I really enjoyed my role in "Check Please" playing the only "normal guy" in the show, my favorite role so far with LLCT has to be this one, Danny O'Riley in "BurgerTown."
Q: The idea of a musical brings a whole new talent set to the table. Talk about the extra challenges of a musical, and is this element more of an exciting or anxious aspect to you?
A: Adding music to a show is a whole new experience for me. Since we don't have a live orchestra, it is crucial to make sure everything is in sync with the recorded music. I am very excited for this production for LLCT as well as myself. While I have been in two musicals before, this is the first time I am actually doing the singing. I haven't sung in front of people in about 20 years. I was never expecting to take on this role. I was more expecting to deal with sets, lighting and sound.
Q: Talk about your job with Carl's Jr., and what is your background that brought you to the position you do now?
A: I am currently a district manager for Carl's Jr. Restaurants. I am responsible for the eight restaurants in the area from Coeur d'Alene to Cheney and North Spokane. This job started as my "summer" job when I was 15. I started as a cook just to earn some money.
Q: You spent time in Arizona and California as an assistant manager and several stints as a general manager, including, I understand, for the third busiest restaurant in the company. When did that road bend toward being a district manager in the Inland Northwest?
A: I have been a district manager for about seven years now. I moved to the Spokane area for a change and a challenge. I was told it was going to be a rough road, and it was. But I am overall happy with how the restaurants run now.
Q: You made your home in Liberty Lake. What caused you to land here?
A: While looking for a place to settle when I moved to Spokane, I was looking for nice quiet communities. I looked at houses online. I came up for a few days to decide if I wanted to make the move. I went to one community in Spokane and didn't like it. We then drove to Liberty Lake and looked at about five houses. I could tell I liked the area and found a house. I put an offer on the house before I even told the company I would move to the area.
Q: It's three years later, and you're producing and starring in a musical in that community. Why should people see "BurgerTown"?
A: It really has something for everybody. It has the sappy love story. It has the mobsters. It has the bad guy, the make-it-big story, the feel-good story. It has everything all in there and some really fun songs.
Profiles:
Kevin Kuecken
Place of birth
Kingman, Ariz.
Moved to Liberty Lake in
August 2007
Favorite actor/actress
Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock
All-time favorite play
Favorite show I have seen is Disney's "The Lion King" (I've seen it seven times)
Favorite show I was in was Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story"
Favorite vacation
Loved Machu Picchu in Peru
Words to live by
Don't sweat the small stuff
Beverage of choice
Coca-Cola of course! I have a HUGE collection of Coke memorabilia and collectibles
Favorite order at Carl's Jr.
After 24 years, it is hard to say. My current favorite is the Portobello Mushroom Six Dollar Burger.
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