Allers takes center stage
By Shalom Baer
University Communication Student Assistant
publicinformation@minotstateu.edu
MINOT, N.D. – Katy Allers started to pursue a degree in criminal justice at Minot State University in 1984. After three years, she got married and left the University.
“I worked at the Dakota Boys’ Ranch for a while, and I worked as a private investigator for my dad. He was a private investigator for quite a few years, so I did do things in the criminal justice field,” Allers said.
Allers eventually left criminal justice work and began working at Minot State as an administrative assistant in 2016.
“When I had kids, what I was doing as a private investigator took away from family time. I couldn’t commit to that job as much as I could having a family,” Allers said.
After starting work at Minot State, she decided it was time to officially complete her degree.
“I decided I’m going to see how much I have left to take, and it was three classes. I just thought, if there’s three classes left to finish that degree, I’m going to get my degree,” Allers said.
She graduated in December 2017, but Allers is still taking classes at Minot State. This time in a completely different field: theatre arts. Her interest in theater started with her children.
“My daughter, when she was seven, auditioned for a show for Mouse River Players, and she was cast in it,” Allers said. “I wouldn’t send her to rehearsal by herself. I would go and sit there, so I got put to work helping with costumes and hair and makeup and stuff like that.”
Before too long, Allers was off the sidelines.
“The next show she auditioned for was another kid’s show, ‘Tom Sawyer,’ and I just happened to know one of the ladies that was directing it. She asked if I would read for an adult part, and so I did, and then she cast me in it,” Allers said.
Allers is drawn to the atmosphere of theater.
“I was an athlete growing up, and always liked to be busy, and I liked that teamwork experience,” Allers said. “Since I can’t really do a lot of athletics now, I do theater. It keeps me busy, keeps me moving, and gets me out of the house. I get to meet lots of new and different people; it’s a great experience.”
Allers is taking courses for a theatre minor and is able to do so while she’s working at the University.
“I thought it would be to my benefit to have a theatre minor in case I want to do some directing,” Allers said. “It’s very convenient—very fortunate that Minot State lets us take the time off to go to classes. We get some work release time for it, and my supervisors are very supportive of that, too.”
Allers is also considering earning her master’s in communications to someday teach college courses herself. For now, she acts in Mouse River Players productions, Western Plains Opera, and Minot State theatre productions. She has a part in ‘Honeymoon in Minot,’ which premiers in Aleshire Theatre on April 11.
“It’s the world premiere, a Minot state alum, Dan Fagan, wrote the show. I’m looking forward to it. I play a grandmother. It’s going to be interesting,” Allers said.
In her spare time, Allers is working on a book with her siblings about cases their father worked on as a private investigator.
“We’re just in the process right now of getting the information together and working with him and going through all his cases when he was a state trooper in Alaska and pulling out the interesting ones,” Allers said. “I have to say they’re all pretty interesting, we spent a weekend going through all his files and looking at the cases. It’s a work in progress, it’s not one of the things that we’re working very hard on, just when everybody has time.”
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| Published: 04/01/19 |
