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Stephanie Kallos is thankful that both of her parents lived to see her on television.
"They were Depression kids," she says. "They lived in Nebraska. They were very supportive of my theater career," she says. "But, you know, for them, being a successful actor meant being on TV."
Kallos' parents died shortly after her appearance last year on the "Today" show. She did 5 1/2 minutes as the author of "Broken for You," a Today Book Club selection.
Book-It Repertory Theatre's stage adaptation of "Broken" opens tonight.
Seattle audiences have seen Kallos in productions at ACT Theatre, Intiman Theatre and the Empty Space Theatre. "But I never felt very successful," she says. "The joke among Seattle actors is that you work for two years and then you don't work for two years and then you decide to move."
Kallos graduated from the University of Washington's professional actor training program. After working in Seattle for a while, she moved to Atlanta, where from 1986 to 1990 she played "all the important female roles in Shakespeare's plays. But even then I never felt really successful," she says.
When her children came along, Kallos decided to be a stay-at-home mom and a part-time Group Health medical transcriptionist -- a trade she learned at Shoreline Community College. Her actor/carpenter/teacher husband Bill Johns teaches drama at the Overlake School in Bellevue.
The couple live with their two sons, Noah, 12, and Sam, 9, near Haller Lake in North Seattle.
"Broken" is the story of two women, Margaret and Wanda. Margaret is a divorced, childless heiress who lives in a Capitol Hill mansion surrounded by millions of dollars worth of ill-gotten treasures. Wanda is a Seattle Repertory Theatre stage manager. She lives with Margaret. Both women are broken -- first emotionally and then physically. With luck and a colorful supporting cast, they redeem themselves and one another.
Kallos worked on "Broken for You" for seven years. It was published two years ago by Grove Atlantic.
Kallos works in a home office "above the laundry room and next to the kitchen." She says that she was never tempted to adapt "Broken" for the Book-It stage production.
"I once did an adaptation for Seattle Children's Theatre," she says. "The book was 'Pinocchio.' What anguish! Of course, you have to leave a lot out, especially if it's for a Children's Theatre production. They are very aware of the constrictions of school bus schedules.
"I kept thinking, 'Oh, no! I can't leave that out. It's my favorite part.' Everything seemed to be my favorite part when it came to cutting. Never again."
Kallos does, however, have a surrogate sufferer involved with the Book-It version of "Broken." Her husband plays several roles in the show. "No nepotism involved there at all," Kallos insists. "My only input was suggesting that he audition."
Anyway, Kallos goes on, "Bill is one of my most appreciative readers. And I gather that when he sees that a certain favorite part of the book is being left out, he says he gets that 'Oh, no! They can't leave that out!' feeling.
"I haven't even read the play script myself. I know (adapter) Laura Ferri. I respect her as a theater artist. That's enough for me."
Besides, Kallos is busy with her next novel. "It's called 'Hope's Wheelchair' -- at least that's the working title as of now," she says. "I grew up in Nebraska. Good friends of my family lived in the southeastern part of the state, right in what they call 'tornado alley.' Their house was literally picked up and carried away by a twister. All that was left was their grand piano. Everything else simply disappeared forever."
In "Hope's Wheelchair," a woman and her wheelchair are picked up by a tornado and disappear forever. "Her three children are profoundly affected by that loss," Kallos says. "The story jumps around in time, but the outcome deals with how the characters eventually reconstruct their lives."
" 'Hope's Wheelchair' is due out in June," Kallos says. "I must absolutely have all my work done within two weeks."
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