Meet The Artist: Crystal Cossette, Cry It Out

An Interview With Crystal Cossette

Lina, Cry It Out

Three new moms from different backgrounds bond over parenting babies. Simple? Friendship, marriage, careers are anything but simple in Cry It Out, a comedy with dark edges. Cry It Out takes an honest look at the absurdities of navigating women’s choices, family life, and job security in modern day America.

What is Cry It Out about?

The show is about parenthood and the shared challenges all new parents face. It also addresses class differences and how parents face different challenges based on their socioeconomic status.

Tell me about your character, Lina.

Lina may end up being one of my favorite characters that I’ve played! She is brash, blunt, and curses probably more than she should. But she is also a wonderful friend to Jessie. Lina is the type of person who loves fiercely, but you also don’t want to get on her bad side.

What makes this show fit so well in Theatre B’s repertoire?

There is a description for Cry it Out that I think describes it perfectly – “A comedy with dark edges.” Theatre B tends to specialize in shows with dark edges. This show will make you laugh, but there are moments that will also break your heart. It’s also a perfect B show because you will probably leave it thinking — thinking about what’s next for the characters, thinking about the themes, and thinking differently about parenthood and the pressures put on mothers.

What is your favorite line from the show?

There are two lines:

Lina’s line – “This is our rodeo. The vaginas are in charge now, and we vaginas know what to do.”

I also love Jessie’s last line of the show. I can’t say what it is, but I think it will stick with everyone.

Do you relate to any of the characters?

It’s hard to relate to just one of the women in the show. At first glance, I related more to Jessie, because I definitely tried to do everything by the book when I was a new mom, but now that I have two kids who are a little older (9 and 7), I can relate a lot more to all of the parents in the show. I think everyone who sees the show, even if they aren’t parents, will find a little bit of themselves in every character.

Any standout memories from rehearsals so far?

1. Getting to play with the playset and figure out all the ways two grown women can sit (or partially sit) on it together. Plus, the playset has a slide!
2. There have been numerous rehearsals where Maren and I are working on our scenes together and then both of us get texts notifying us that something is going wrong at home with our kids. We’re just two moms who are juggling our kids and life, trying to get through our scenes about two moms who are juggling their babies and life.
3. Missy, who plays Adrienne, is one of my best friends in real life. Our characters are two VERY different people. It takes a lot of focus to get through our scenes together without cracking each other up.

What is your theatrical background?

I’ve been doing theatre almost my whole life and have a degree in Theatre from Augsburg University. I used to perform in musicals primarily, but have been doing just plays for the past few years. My first show with Theatre B was Boys’ Life, which was a loooong time ago; I believe one of their first few seasons. I’ve also performed in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Hand to God, The Moors, assistant directed Church and State, and just closed Blackbird. I became an ensemble member in 2017 (I think!).