Broadway and TV actor Annie Funke moves back to Oklahoma and joins 'The Antelope Party'

Less than a year after moving back to her home state, Broadway, film and television actor Annie Funke is exploring a whole new world, one populated by the colorful characters of Bronies and Pegasisters. 

An Edmond native, Funke, who moved back to the Sooner State in March, is starring in Oklahoma City Repertory Theater's season-opening production of Eric John Meyer's relevant new play "The Antelope Party," with performances through Saturday, Oct. 22, at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

"I had seen a couple of shows at OKC Rep, and I was really, really impressed with them. ... I had worked there several years ago, and 'The Antelope Party' is ... it's a crazy little show. It's a newer play by a great playwright, and it's very timely. It deals with a lot of things that are going on right now, but it deals with them in a kind of surprising way. And I just wanted to be a part of it," Funke told The Oklahoman.

"You certainly do not have to know what Bronies or Pegasisters are — or be a fan of 'My Little Pony' to enjoy this show. ... That's the group that we follow, but everything that is happening to the group are things that are completely universal."

What theater, TV and movie projects has Annie Funke done?

A 2007 University of Oklahoma graduate, Funke made her Broadway bow in the beloved musical "Hairspray" and went on to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in his 2012 Broadway debut with the play "If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet." 

That led to Funke's first foray into film with the 2014 drama "A Most Violent Year," starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, as well as the 2015 movie "The Intern," with Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro.

Although she couldn't talk about her screen projects because of the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike, Funke also has been seen on TV starring as medical examiner Mae Jarvis the spin-off series "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" and made appearances on series like "This Is Us," "Chicago Fire," "Grey's Anatomy" and, most recently, in the final season of the celebrated Oklahoma-made series "Reservation Dogs." 

Funke spoke with The Oklahoman recently about her theatrical experiences, moving back to her home state and more:

Q: What is it about 'The Antelope Party' that made you want to be part of this show?

A: It deals a lot with the power and the danger of groupthink. The fragility of trust is something we talked a lot about in the rehearsal room: who to trust, how to trust. Especially in a political climate like we're in today, it's very, very easy to get sucked into something that feels really good. There's a lot of rhetoric about different things and what feels safe and what is good and what is right. …

The juxtaposition of this beautiful, light, genuine, harmonious community of the Bronies and the Pegasisters and what is happening to the community is very interesting.

Q: At what point did you know that you wanted to perform for a living?

A: My first-grade teacher. Mrs. White, called my mom and said, 'Annie is always asking if we can act out the books in the class. My son runs a children's theater. I think this might be fun for her. Can I take her to see one of his shows?' So, she took me to see my first show ever.

Then, when I was in high school, I was at the Lyric (Theatre) Academy, and I got cast in one of their mainstage shows, 'Grease.' In that show, there were several people brought in from New York, and I think that was the first time that I realized, 'Oh, people do this. And people don't just do Broadway. … There's a lot of different ways to be a successful working actor.' So, I think that was the moment where I was like, 'OK, I'm gonna look into pursuing this for school ... and then move to New York and live the dream.'

Q: How did it go to set off on that dream?

A: After my senior year at OU, I worked at Music Theatre Wichita (in Kansas), and I got my (Actors) Equity card doing 'Hairspray' there. So, I moved to New York with my Equity card ... and the first show that I auditioned for was 'Hairspray.' They were just having an open call, and so I went to the open call for 'Hairspray.' And then a few weeks later, I got a call that they were looking for a standby. ...

It was just opportunity is luck meets preparedness: I had done the show before, I had got my Equity card for doing it. I was the right age, I was the right type, I was the right vocal type.

So, after several more weeks of auditions, I ended up getting the standby for Tracy in 'Hairspray.'

So, it was an unconventional way that that happened, with my first show out of school being a Broadway show.

Q: When you get a Broadway role right out of the gate, how does it go from there?

A: It's that first lesson in what goes up, must come down. I remember, we had our closing night for 'Hairspray,' and it was this beautiful night. … Then the next morning at 6 a.m., I was out on the street waiting to get into an open call for, I think, the 'Grease' national tour.

It's amazing to have those credits behind you, and also, you're always starting over. You're always having to reinvent yourself; you're always having to build on what you have. So, I think that was a real one of the first really illuminating moments in my life of, 'Oh, yeah, every show closes. Every show is going to end and then you're gonna have to start over doing something.'

That's also the beauty of this industry: We always get to start over, we always get to create something new, we always get to find new communities and new artistic families. ... But there is certainly nothing linear or stable or secure about this industry.

Q: You've done not only musical theater but also plays, television and film. Was that one of your goals?

A: It was definitely one of my goals. ... After 'Hairspray,' I did (the San Francisco company of) 'Wicked' for a year. So, I came out of those two years of commercial long-running shows, and I really, really felt like I wanted to do acting. ... But it was like, 'Oh, well, I can't get in the playrooms because I'm a musical theater performer.' ...

Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago had a 12-week summer program … and I was like, 'Maybe if I can get that kind of training, people can look at my resume and not only see, oh, musical theater, but see the name Steppenwolf, that would change things for me. …

When I got back to New York, I really said, 'I want to audition for plays.' ('If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet') was another one that I went to an open call for. ... There were only four of us in the show, and one of them is Jake Gyllenhaal, who obviously, so many people are coming to see him — and so many people in the film industry, which were other rooms that were I had no access to.

So, after being in that show with him, I started to get called in for meetings with TV people and film casting directors.

Q: What should people know about the SAG strike?

A: The streaming model, when it was introduced, completely changed the game. And the SAG contracts, the vocabulary has not been updated to reflect the new model, and, thus, there is not fair pay. Only 12% of our union can make its health insurance right now because of that.  ...

And then (we're fighting for) protections against AI, which could be catastrophic to our entire industry.

Q: Why did you move back to Oklahoma and how has it been?

A: The pandemic fundamentally changed our industry, and self-tapes, which are putting yourself on tape (for auditions) ... that's here to stay. I haven't been in an actual audition room for anything TV or film in three years. ...

It really opened up a whole new opportunity, to live near my family, to live in a different city and, also, at the same time, not give up any dreams of being an actor. So, I still have my reps in New York and L.A., but I am based out of Oklahoma City.

And I'm really proud to be based out of here. I bought a house. I'm trying to get involved in the community and really have that kind of stability and structure that I haven't experienced in this industry. ... I'm excited about everything that's happening in the city, with Prairie Surf (Media). There's filming here, and there is great theater.

'The Antelope Party'

When: Through Oct. 22.

Where: Oklahoma Contemporary's Te AtaTheater, 11 NW 11.

Information: https://www.okcrep.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma actor Annie Funke on SAG strike, new play, moving back to OKC