Kevin Kahm used to hate school. He never planned on attending college after high school. But for the past two years he has been the key element to the City College theater group. Name a play; and he probably built the set.
“My brain works at such a high capacity, that’s what led me down the rabbit hole with acting,” Kahm said.
In fall of 2006, Kahm moved to Santa Barbara on a bet. He jokingly told a friend if he ever needed a roommate, to give him a call. Two months later, he was signing a lease.
Since he didn’t care for school, he thought he’d sign up for Introduction to Stagecraft, thinking it was an easy A. What he didn’t know was that he’d soon be falling in love with his first class.
In the past two years, he’s contributed to at least ten sets, working on set construction, stage managing and electrical aspects such as lights and sound.
What drives Kahm are the everyday challenges he faces in theater. When something goes wrong, he sees it as merely another obstacle to overcome.
Another reason Kahm can’t live without theater is the constant change. He loves the multitude of sets he gets to build. He calls his work “refreshing” because there is always something new and different, whether it’s a new era, a new set or new actors.
His friends describe him as “everything.” Unlike most young adults in college searching of their niche, he has already found his.
“Interesting enough, I don’t have a major and am not really looking to transfer,” said Kahm. “I just want to learn as much as I can to further my career.”
Some plays he’s been involved in are “The Foreigner”, “Seascape” and “Rough Crossing.” The classes he’s taken are ones most people have never heard of: Voice and Diction and Understanding Sceneography.
His dream would be to travel around the world and learn new things along the way, but for now, he’ll settle in California.
In just a couple of months, Kahm will be leaving City College to pursue his career in theater at Simi Valley.
“I had no interest in theater, originally,” Kahm said. “Now I know where I’m going.”