Kate Lambert – Teachers

By starrymag | June 26, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) With “Teachers” in full production mode, we are really busy because we write, produce and act in the show. So, even if we’re not filming, we are in the writers’ or editing room or on set giving notes. But I am always trying to stay as busy as possible. I’m also working on a couple of writing projects.

 

Q) What is new this season on “Teachers?”

 

A) This season on “Teachers” is really exciting. We see so many big things happen relationship-wise from break ups to new relationships to marriage. We also see a teacher being stalked by an online cosmetics salesperson (which I think we can all relate to), a lice epidemic and a teacher using a diaper to avoid leaving class.

 

Q) As the season progresses, how might dynamics flip or switch?

 

A) My character, Ms. Watson, was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. In the premiere episode, her assets get frozen and she has to, in her words, learn how to “live poor.” She gets into a lot of difficulty trying to get by on a teacher’s salary and has to live life without her trust fund which makes her sees things in a completely different way.

 

Q) Where do you and your character connect, if at all?

 

A) When I created my character, I started with a life event. She’s a second grade teacher and that’s someone who you would expect to be stereotypically sunny, but I wanted to have a teacher who couldn’t be that for the kids at that moment in her life. When the series started she had just gone through a big break up, so she couldn’t tell her students their dreams would work out because she thought life kinda sucked. From there, I developed the character. Some things she and I both share are that we are both really organized and like to do artsy things like crafts.

 

Q) Is there room to improv at all or do you tend to stick solely to the script?

 

A) Our filming days are so packed that we really have to stick to the script. If we get into a scene and a moment isn’t working, then we will rework it on set and pitch lines, etc. But in general, we really stick to the script. A lot of the improv occurs in the writers’ room as we are coming up with the scripts.

 

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that has always come naturally to you or have you had to work at it?

 

A) Thank you! I think it’s hard to teach comedic timing—it’s something you just feel. For me, I really learned a lot and honed it while touring and performing with The Second City. I think timing is really important on stage and if something isn’t working on film, timing can be adjusted—but it can be hard to manufacture.

 

Q) What are some moments fans can look forward to this season on “Teachers?”

 

A) Oh, I don’t want to give too much away! One of my favorite episodes is the field trip episode that is coming up because we learn the sex of Mrs. Adler’s (Kathryn Renee Thomas) baby and also deal with a troublesome imaginary friend. I also love “The Walking Dead”parody episode that deals with lice. As a huge “The Walking Dead”fan, it really makes me laugh.

 

Q) Who are some guest stars we will get to see this season?

 

A) We have so many exciting guest stars, to name a few: Haley Joel Osment, Ed Begley Jr., Alley Mills, Michael Hitchcock, Maribeth Monroe, Mo Collins—so many amazing people who we are so thrilled to work with and have on the show.

 

Q) What makes the series such a perfect fit for TVLand?

 

A) TV Land has been the most incredible network to work with. They offered to buy the series off of the web series and they loved our sense of humor and didn’t want to change it. They could not be more supportive of the show or us pushing boundaries. I feel so grateful to work with them.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the show that has made it such a fan favorite?

 

A) I think the show is a hit with teachers in particular because we say what they wish they could, but they’d get fired. At Fillmore, anything goes. We try to keep things grounded, but we also think the fun of it is going to the place that real life teachers can’t.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

 

A) Of course! It is such a blast being able to watch the shows with fans because, up until that point, the episodes have felt like our little secret since we have been working on them for months. When it finally gets on TV, it is so much fun to hear reactions from everyone watching at home.

 

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure fans know about “Teachers” and your character?

 

A) I think it’s really exciting to have a writers’ room that is predominantly women which is really uncommon in Hollywood. And the whole reason we are doing this show is because we were an improv and sketch group in Chicago and we realized that if we weren’t getting the parts we wanted, we needed to create them and that’s how we started making videos and writing.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I would just say thank you a million times over for supporting us and our sick sense of humor. I am so grateful to do this job every single day and I know I get to do that because of all the people out there who are watching it.