Talking With Krista Hovsepian about Festival Favorite Series “Fête”

This edition of Talking With focuses on actress Krista Hovsepian, who stars as the eccentric, borderline narcissistic youngest sister Kiki in the award-winning sibling rivalry comedy web series, “Fête”.

The five-episode story revolves around three sisters, with each episode taking place on the eldest’s birthday, spanning over five years of “celebrations” or spats depending on how you view it. The dysfunctional siblings each bring their own baggage to the party, including different partners, life situations, challenges, and at least one big surprise.

A proven festival circuit darling, Krista nabbed a nomination for Best Actress at the 2022 British Web Awards and Best Ensemble Cast at the 2022 NYC WebFest. And, more recently she took home the Spotlight Award at the Indie Series Awards in Los Angeles as the creator of the series.

A Canadian native, Krista earned her Masters in Visual and Media Anthropology from the Free University of Berlin, Germany and a BFA in Image Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto. She is the proud recipient of then 2004 Waterloo Region Arts Awards Leading Edge Award for her overall contribution to the local arts community.

To learn more, we are Talking With Krista Hovsepian:

What call you tell us about the web series “Fête”?

KRISTA HOVSEPIAN: It’s a five by five-minute comedy series about three sisters who gather each year to celebrate the eldest sister’s birthday. Audience members get a fly-on-the-wall perspective as we delve into extreme family dysfunction, co-dependency, and the humor that can come from really painful or uncomfortable situations.

As an actor, what helped you the most in bringing Kiki to life?

KH: I realized years ago that my acting really flourished when I got out of my own way, got out of my head. I approached Kiki with an open mind and an open heart, and just kind of let her take over. No judgement, no pre-conceived notions of how she would show up in each moment. I gave myself - and her - the freedom to play. I come from a classical background, and while I’m grateful for my work and training foundations, I have so much more fun when I approach my craft from this place of curiosity and spontaneity versus breaking everything down and trying to micromanage a character into existence.

Do you have any siblings in real life that you squabble with?

KH: I don’t! I’m an only child.

What was your favorite moment from working on the show?

KH: The camaraderie. Being in flow with my co-creators and cast-mates. Nothing beats connecting with a group of deeply creative, loving humans and giving a project the space and nourishment it needs to grow. It’s like simultaneously watching a miracle be birthed right in front of you and playing a part in its creation or evolution.

You also wrote and co-directed the series. Is it difficult to direct yourself? And do you ever think: why did I write that for my character?

KH: I run into problems when I’m under-stimulated. I love having my fingers in as many pots as possible, I’m a pro-level multi-tasker, and I kind of get stuck in my head when I only have one thing to focus on. It benefits me enormously to have a long list of other things to focus on when I’m acting. I can keep my overactive mind focused on checking those boxes while I just allow myself to melt into each moment as the character.

I think directing oneself requires a deep level of self-knowledge and self-trust. To believe in your capabilities, your training, your ability to open the channel and let creativity flow through you… and the ability to step out of ego and see the whole picture in front of you. To be of service to the work instead of getting caught up in how your nose looks or how your voice sounds when you watch the playback. I also like to keep things pretty loose and playful on set. We always ensure we get at least one clean take in the can (i.e. we play it as it’s written in the script first), but I love to encourage ad-libbing and improvisation after that point. If something doesn’t feel right, we pivot in each moment until it does.

The series has been earning lots of awards. Why do you think it’s resonating so well with audiences?

KH: We have an incredible ensemble and production team! That, and I think the show is an amplification of the dysfunction many of us have experienced or witnessed within our own familial structures at one point or another. I try to find the funny in those otherwise overwhelming or traumatic moments, and every single actor on board has done a beautiful job of finding the absurdity and the humor in each heightened moment. Sometimes you just get lucky enough to have a team of ridiculously talented people come together to create pure magic and effortlessly elevate your vision to its next plane of existence.

Do you have plans for another season?

KH: We’re looking at doing a second season - or fleshing the concept out and expanding into a half-hour format. I’d love to use Mia’s birthday party as a point of intersection, following each sister or guest out of the party and dipping in and out of their own events or daily activities. It would be nice to expand upon what makes these characters act out when they’re together, why they trigger each other so deeply.

Are you working on anything else we can look for?

KH: I’m currently co-creating a mockumentary-style half-hour comedy that takes us deep inside the belly of the Spiritual Festival beast. I want to showcase the true benefits of healing and I also want to play around with some of the more eccentric or eclectic types of people you meet “on the path”. The people who get it and the people who don’t. Everything in between. My creative partner and I have discussed including the sort of behind-the-scenes transactional nature of corporate spirituality as part of the narrative too.

What inspires you the most creatively?

KH: Love. That includes the light, the elation, the pain, the grief, the messiness of all that love creates and encompasses. Platonic love. Romantic love. The love that we’re all born of and as. It’s an undeniably powerful driving force and really the only thing that matters. We all came here to love and to create. It’s fascinating to me how many variations there are in terms of how each of us expresses the love that we are.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

KH: If you have - or can create - the opportunity to do what you love, do it. Bet on yourself. Take the leap of faith. Stop worrying about how it’s going to look or if it’s practical or what other people are going to think. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it full-time or as a hobby, in front of an audience or alone in your garage. Tap into what brings you joy and schedule it in if you have to. Give yourself permission to love on that level… to love yourself and humanity enough to want to contribute to the well-being of our planet by embodying your truth and your joy, and just letting it spill out into the world around you. That’s, in my opinion, what a true act of service is.

Connect with Krista Hovsepian at: KristaHovsepian.com Instagram: @alchemyxkrista and @fetetheseries