Louisa Krause

Currently: Playing the tragic title character in the Signature Theatre Company's production of Charles Mee's Iphigenia 2.0, a controversial re-imagining of Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis.

Hometown: Falls Church, Virginia

Island Dancer: Krause's early days were spent training at the Washington School of Ballet. A favorite memory: dancing The Nutcracker as Clara opposite her brother Nathaniel as Fritz. The spirited young actress credits her unusual heritage with her drive to dance, as her father hails from Okinawa, Japan. "I feel like the culture's in my blood—like, maybe a leg is Okinawan," she says with a laugh, patting her left side. "The whole island dances! That's how I came into the world dancing, maybe. It's such a healthy little place; I'm so lucky I get to travel there."

She's the Man! At her local public high school, Krause was awestruck by the ambitious productions being offered, and dance quickly took a back seat. Soon, her resume included contemporary works like Side Show as conjoined twin Violet Hilton, Equus as Dora Strang and Amadeus as Mozart's wife, Constanze. "I was so blessed 'cause I got to do such a range of characters. I really feel like that's where I got all my training," she remembers fondly. "Senior year, I played Rabbi Azrael in A Dybbuk in competition. Nobody knew I was a girl—they actually believed I was this guy, and I ended up winning a Best Actor award. It was amazing!"

Taking a Chance: Post-graduation, Krause enrolled in Carnegie Mellon's famed drama program. Yet her gut told her it was time to take a chance. "I just felt different, like I was ready," she says. "I felt like I had the training and I just wanted to do it. So I took a leave of absence. My teachers were actually really supportive and encouraged me to give it a shot!" A stint as a slave dancer in a summer stock Aida landed Krause her Equity card, which in turn led regional jobs before her off-Broadway debut this past summer in Neil LaBute's In a Dark, Dark House opposite Frederick Weller, no less. "I believe in fate, and I trust that I'm being guided," she says of her hot streak of jobs. "I just know—I feel like I'm on this right path."

A Twist on Tragedy: Iphigenia 2.0 is a radical rethinking of the Greek tragedy in which General Agamemnon Tom Nelis lures daughter Iphigenia Krause and wife Clytemnestra Kate Mulgrew to his camp as his soldiers demand he sacrifice his child to prove he understands the cost of war. The play's use of contemporary language, music and dance, all within a surreal, post-modern setting, inspires a wide range of reactions. "It's really a show in which the audience doesn't know what hits them," Krause muses, "because it goes from A to X to B. Sometimes we'll have houses that love us, and other times, at the end, it's just silence, clap, clap clap…we'll leave, and more people will start clapping, like, 'Wait, we DO like you!' and we'll have to come out again." Yet the variety of responses doesn't bother the young actress: "The energy is always different, which makes every performance different. I feed off that; it keeps me on my toes. Even though it's a tragedy, I am energized at the end of the show."

Character World: A unique tradition Krause has begun involves giving her dressing room a theme related to the world of her character. In a Dark, Dark House saw her as a mini-golf attendant, inspiring her to create her own "clubhouse" backstage. "I took some of the lights hanging on the golf course set and hung them in my dressing room," she remembers, "and had stickers and things I colored. I'd just walk right out of my little clubhouse onstage, into the scene." Her collage-themed Iphigenia dressing room delves into the personal life of her character, whom Krause lovingly refers to as "Iphie": "I have this whole Mayan culture civilization project that I made, like Iphie's studying for a quiz she's gonna do in summer school."

Brother & Sister: Now settling into a midtown apartment, Krause spends her free time at dance and Pilates classes and exploring Trader Joe's in Union Square. "I have to learn to cook!" she cries. She's not sure what's on tap after Iphigenia, though one longer-term goal is clear: "My younger brother is amazing; we've always been involved in the arts together. He's at Carnegie Mellon now, majoring in directing. I know we'll work together someday. I hope he comes to New York!" Take note, Nathaniel—your talented sister is here and waiting for you!