University of Mary Washington graduate Kristin Cantwell performs 'Confessions of an Invisible Woman' this weekend. Visit the Photo Place

UMW grad weighs in at D.C. festival

UMW graduate Kristin Cantwell chronicles her lifelong struggle with her weight in 'Confessions of an Invisible Woman'

Date published: 7/20/2006

By ELLEN BILTZ

For Kristin Cantwell, it wasn't just the other girls in school who knocked her down--it was her own self-esteem.

Growing up as the self-proclaimed "fat girl" wasn't easy, but Cantwell finally found the one place she fit in: the stage.

In 2003, she performed a solo play she had written for a senior project at the University of Mary Washington, and now she's taking her talent a step further.

She will perform a revised version of that same play, titled "Confessions of an Invisible Woman," as part of the Capital Fringe Festival in D.C., an 11-day celebration for independent performers of the arts.

The play, which Cantwell will present tomorrow through Monday, is about her life as an overweight child and later as an actress. It is supposed to make people relate to her struggles and realize that everybody's different, she said.

"Everybody has something they wish they could change about themselves," she said. "Everyone at some point says, 'I wish I hadn't gotten that second scoop of ice cream.'"

Cantwell's play tackles issues of weight and the difficulties she faced in life because of her differences.

One part of the script reads: "When everything you see, hear and witness tells you that you're an outsider, eventually you start to believe it. At 12, I didn't know that everyone in this world is different and that I should embrace those differences. All I knew was I sucked. I couldn't get a guy to go out with me. I couldn't wear the same clothes that my friends wore. I didn't even have many friends."

Cantwell, who has worked as an actress in New York and D.C. since graduating from college, said she can't believe how much she's grown as a performer.

She has tweaked the play since she left UMW, and she said she's been looking for an opportunity to perform it again and compare the two versions.

"I was working with an actor named Martin Blank and he asked me to read the script and he told me 'You have to do this,' and I kept saying 'No, no,' but when the festival came up, I had no more excuses," Cantwell said.

While the play in D.C. will be very similar to the one she performed as a senior in college, she said she's especially excited about the set this time.

WHAT: Kristin Cantwell's 'Confessions of an Invisible Woman,' part of the Capital Fringe Festival in D.C. WHERE: National Building Museum Auditorium, 401 F St., N.W., Washington WHEN: Tomorrow at 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m.; Monday, July 24, at 5 p.m. (Monday's performance will include signing by an American Sign Language interpreter.) COST: $15 INFO: capfringe.org FYI: The performance is appropriate for ages 13 and older.

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Date published: 7/20/2006