As the writer, actor and producer of the one-woman production company Famous American Women, Carol Starre-Kmiecik brings to life such locally and internationally famous women as Dorothy Fuldheim, Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Clare Booth Luce, Molly Brown and Mother Elizabeth Seton. Starre-Kmiecik can, in fact, be any woman you or your civic group want her to be, given enough prep time. Her mission is to tell the life stories of courageous women who overcame such obstacles as poverty, abuse, prejudice and widowhood to make significant contributions to our country.
Starre-Kmiecik, a Lakewood resident since 1991, has been performing on stage for over 25 years. Her high-school drama teacher at Lourdes Academy in Cleveland was Mary Rose Oakar, former U. S. Congressional representative. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Theatre Arts from Baldwin-Wallace College and studied Improvisational Theatre at Chicago's Second City for two years.
The one-woman shows have given Starre-Kmiecik a way to combine her performing career with motherhood, as well as indulging a passion for history and the great stories coming out of women's lives. "Having kids, doing plays with all the rehearsal time is a little bit ridiculous, and the opportunities to make a living in theater in Cleveland are limited. So this is how I've found a way to perform," she said.
Dorothy Fuldheim is Carol's signature character. In 1996, the Women's Bicentennial Committee asked her to portray Fuldheim at official events, and the show grew from there. She has "done Dorothy" over 1500 times since then, recreating the character as she was in the 1940s, rather than the 90 year-old WEWS commentator many contemporary greater Clevelanders remember. Although Carol does not physically resemble the diminutive Fuldheim, red hair and the trademark Fuldheim feistiness go a long way to bring Dorothy back to life for audiences around the area. She has joined forces with Patricia Mote, author of the 1997 biography Dorothy Fuldheim, The FIRST First Lady of Television News, which is available at Starre-Kmiecik's performances. Starre-Kmiecik, in turn, "did Dorothy" for Mote's book-signings.
Creating a character is a complex process. "First, I read as many books as possible, and try to deal with the conflicting accounts of a particular woman's life," said Starre-Kmiecik. "Then, for the more contemporary characters, I can look at film and video images to work on voice, body movement, phrasing and costumes. For the nineteenth-century characters, I can look at still photographs and portrait images. Luckily, all the people I do have written a lot themselves, so their own words are accessible."
An example of Starre-Kmiecik's creativity was the development of her Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis character. The North Olmsted Adult Education Program requested that she put 
together the character, and she rose up to meet the challenge and in the process developed her most popular character. "Jackie talked so softly," she noted. The other challenge is age. Right now, she tries to portray her characters as they were in midlife, rather than old age, since aging with makeup doesn't work well in the close settings in which her performances usually take place. "My character repertoire will expand in the future--I'll be able to do more mature women as I mature," chuckled Starre-Kmiecik.
Performing an average of 250 shows per year, demand for Starre-Kmiecik's performances is steadily rising. "I did 23 shows during Women's History Month (March), but it doesn't really fall off, even during the summers. Civic groups and men's groups hire me all year round," she said. A dentist from Canton saw her performance of Amelia Earhart, and booked her as a surprise for the annual banquet of his group "The Flying Dentists" (--yes, just what you think--dentists with pilot's licenses). Otherwise, word of mouth and the press releases she sends to smaller newspapers bring most of her bookings. "The small towns are great," she said. "You can tell that a lot of the audience doesn't see live theater very often, so they treat me like a celebrity. I actually get autograph lines." Carol's appeal is not limited to our area. She has performed in venues across the country including Nevada and Missouri, in addition to Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Starre-Kmiecik recommends her Amelia Earhart, Susan B. Anthony and Clara Barton shows for all schools, and Elizabeth Bayley Seton, the first American saint, for Catholic school programs. Her Dorothy Fuldheim, Clare Booth Luce and Jacquie Onassis performances are more suitable for adult audiences, she feels.
Bringing recognition to the accomplishments of women is part of Starre-Kmiecik's mission for Famous American Women. "Right now, Dorothy Fuldheim is more of a local character," she noted. "My goal is to make her nationally recognized as the ground-breaking newswoman she was."
Carol's newest character is First Lady Dolley Madison. Dolley was first lady from 1809-1817. Though her social graces and skills as a hostess made her famous, her political acumen was prized by her husband James Madison. Carol's portrayal will surely become an audience favorite. For more on Dolley, visit her biography at the White House site.
Audiobook of Fuldheim Biography
Two area artists, Patricia Mote and Carol Starre-Kmiecik - one an author, the other an actress - have teamed up to produce an audiobook. The Cleveland Years relates the legendary Dorothy Fuldheim's 37-year career as Cleveland's premier television news analyst at WEWS-TV5 (now Newschannel 5).
Reading from Mote's, Dorothy Fuldheim: The First Lady of Television News, actress Carol Starre-Kmiecik of Lakewood creates a convincing interpretation of the feisty redhaired television news pioneer. She has portrayed Dorothy Fuldheim more than a thousand times, originally creating her own one-person show for the Cleveland Bicentennial in 1996. Mote's biography appeared the next year. Since then, the two have become friends and are dedicated to keeping the Dorothy Fuldheim legend alive throughout the state.
The audio version, a 3-disc set of The Cleveland Years,was recorded at Clockwerke Sound Studio in Rocky River and is available at the Lakewood Public Library or just ask Carol at one of her shows.Check the LPL catalog entry for availability: The Cleveland Years: adapted from Dorothy Fuldheim : the first first lady of television news
Additional Information about Carol Starre-Kmiecik, her characters and other performances is available at a new website: American Women Performances. Carol Starre-Kmiecik can be contacted directly by calling: 216-226-3531.
left to right: Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Clare Booth Luce, Molly Brown and Dolley Madison.
News and Current Events
On Sunday, August 22 2010 Grand Pacofoc Junction Hotel will be presenting actress Carol Starre-Kmiecik in a one-woman show as Amelia Earhart. A buffet lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. followed by teh performance at 1:15 p.m. This performance is part of Olmsted Falls Heritage Days. The hotel is located at 8078 Columbia Road in Olmsted Falls, Ohio <directions> The price is $20.00. Please call 440-427-0094 by August 20 for reservations. This performance is free and open to the public.