University of St. Thomas-Houston alumna Katherine Rinaldi ’10, with a B.A. in Drama, boasts a successful acting career and joins a cast of other accomplished professional actors on stage with UST students in the University’s current production of “King Charles III.” 

Talking Like the Princess of Wales

“King Charles III” is an intriguing, alternate history play that imagines how the country would react if the king used his legitimate legal power to run Parliament. On stage, Rinaldi plays Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales.

The Celt, who was transplanted from Reno, Nevada, to Houston, Texas, when she was 13, said, “It has been a dream to bring Kate Middleton to the stage. Preparing to play her has been especially interesting because she is a real, living person. To break down her manner of speaking, I worked with our dialect coach, Magdalen Vaughn, and listened to interviews the princess has done.”  

When the Acting Bug Bit

Looking back, Rinaldi pinpoints when she began to think seriously about acting.

“I knew I wanted to pursue acting as more than a hobby when I took my first acting class my freshman year with Sam Havens at UST,” she recalled. “It was one of the most challenging classes I had that semester, and I loved every minute of it.”

Since UST, Rinaldi’s credits include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Shakespeare in the Shade (Titania/Hippolyta), “Shakin’ the Blue Flamingo” - Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.: Unleashed (Anne), “Macbeth” - Creative Movement Practices (Lady Macbeth) and “Sunday on the Rocks” - Cone Man Running Productions (Jessica), and most recently “End of the World” - Cone Man Running Productions (Poppy). Katherine received her B.A. in Drama from the University of St. Thomas-Houston and has studied Meisner and Shakespearean Verse through the Kim Tobin Acting Studio.

‘Small World’ Took Her Back to Her Alma Mater

Describing theatre as the smallest world ever, UST Drama Director Eric Domuret has worked with Rinaldi elsewhere in Houston and when she professionally supported UST productions with her costuming talent.

Domuret said, “This time, Katherine is performing as a professional actress with UST’s newly branded Stoic Theatre, where our current students work alongside pros in our productions. Katherine nailed the audition for Kate Middleton in ‘King Charles III.’ She is an incredible example to the students of work ethic and professionalism.”   

Aiming for Her Aspirations

Full of passion for her work, Rinaldi hopes to continue creating art with her friends and aims to direct more projects.

She said, “I was able to direct my first full-length play, ‘The Melancholy Play,’ by Sarah Ruhl, last year, and it was very fulfilling creatively for me.”

Catch a Rinaldi Performance

You can keep up with Katherine Rinaldi through her Linktree.

But by all means, don’t miss her in “King Charles III,” which runs from April 12 to 20 at MATCH Theatre Center in Midtown. You can marvel at Rinaldi’s “Middleton” by getting your tickets here.  Patrons can type the promo code PIEPER at checkout to get a significantly discounted ticket for only $7.