Press

Red Carpet - The Wrestler Los Angeles Premiere:

Photograph by Frazer Harrison
(click on image for larger version)

The Wrestler Red Carpet

Darren Aronofsky, Mickey Rourke, Michael Cimino, and Kim Swennen at the AFI Fest 2008 Centerpiece Gala Screening of "The Wrestler" - November 6, 2008.

Photos and Reviews from Scarcity:

Photographs by Lisa Francesca Gallo
(click on image for larger version) Scarcity 2

Scarcity 1 * The LA Times calls it a "crackling presentation" in which:

"Under Kappy Kilburn's direction, each person is so fully dimensional that we can always see goodness, no matter how twisted out of shape it has become."

* LA Weekly gave Scarcity a "Go", and WeHo news reports:

"Each cast member deserves accolades. You care about these people, even like them, despite their self-destructive behavior[...]

Kim Swennen does stunning work in the challenging role of teacher Ellen, who is too smart to understand that the poor have pride. Swennen avoids judgments. You’ll find yourself thinking about her performance afterwards, wondering how she pulled off a character that would be merely a “heavy” in the hands of a lesser actress."

* Will Call adds, "performances are superb and make this play worth seeing. [...] Kappy Kilburn directs the exceptionally talented cast."

Photos and Reviews from The Comedy of Errors:

Photographs by Nicole Disson
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* The LA Times noted:

"They've met the play's challenges. [...] When the visiting Antipholus becomes enamored of the sister of his supposed wife, the spurned spouse (Kim Swennen) responds to the trauma by stuffing herself with ice cream, impressively maintaining the meter even with her mouth full."

They also call it a playful, angst-free rendering" and add that "West and his energetic cast revel in their romp."

Comedy of Errors 2
* Los Angeles' LA Splash Magazine says:

"Applause for Swennen’s risk as she allows vulnerability to her beauty. Several times she brings Adriana’s insecurity to a chill. Tremendous power."

* Stagescenela.com adds:

"West’s cast is so uniformly good that it’s hard to pick favorites, but the lovely Swennen is particularly adept at making Shakespearean English sound somehow contemporary."

Photos and Reviews from The Uneasy Chair:

All photographs by David Bazemore
(click on image for larger version) Uneasy Chair 5

* The Santa Barbara Independent reported the Top Five Reasons to see The Uneasy Chair, stating as number 4:

"Because it provides a funny role for a beautiful young actress. Kim Swennen plays Alexandrina Crosbie, the unmarried niece of Miss Pickles. Swennen just finished a run as Cecily in a Los Angeles production of Tom Stoppard’s Travesties, where she received a slew of excellent reviews. Her classical acting training in London should help with the accent, and her cum laude degree from Yale lends a certain frisson to her stunning good looks. Think Nicole Kidman with the mind of a world-class scientist."

* The Independent in its review said:

"The Uneasy Chair, the latest Ensemble Theatre production, is one of the most bizarre, at times funniest, and best-acted plays you’re likely to see."
"Kim Swennen’s classical English training shines through, enveloping her character’s entitled façade."

* Santa Barbara's NoozHawk lauded: "The actors [...] are uniformly excellent. [...] Kim Swennen [is] appealing in the ingenue role."

* The Santa Barbara News-Press stated:

"Ms Swennen captures both Alexandrina's cool-headed resolve that her mission in life is to wed a wealthy gentleman, and also the silly little whims that distract her from that mission."
"The comic timing of this cast is as reliable as Big Ben [...] all are capable of playing the broad and subtle comedy in the script."

Photos and Reviews from Travesties:

All photographs by Maia Rosenfeld Photography

Travesties 2 Travesties 3 * Backstage West said:

"Portraying Carr's paramour and eventual wife, Kim Swennen (as Cecily) is delicious, and her striptease performed to revolutionary dogma must be applauded."

* LA Weekly rated Travesties a "Go", and ReviewPlays.com raved, "The cast is uniformly captivating."