Plano East grad makes it in NYC

Cat Migliaccio is a woman of many talents.

When she isn't acting or doing voice over roles for movies, the Plano East graduate can be found honing in on her balloon animal specialist skills, clowning around with face painting and magic for kids, or writing and producing her own acting material.

Since graduating from the University of Oklahoma, the Richardson native has made a career out of making people smile. Now, she has taken her acting on the road to Manhattan, and hopes to one day have her own sitcom.

"After I graduated in 2008 I said, 'you know what? I'm going to move to New York," said Cat, 28. "I had saved up lot money, and I always knew I was going to go to there."

The comedienne was a performer with the U.S. Actors Company in Dallas, traveling all over Texas doing mystery theater and performing at Rover Dramawerks in Plano. The work she did in Texas prepared her for a career in the Big Apple, a point Cat said will make her a Texas girl at heart.

In addition to her work outside of high school, Cat's experience with Plano East's award-winning theater teacher Lisa Hale helped lay the groundwork for her work ethic. Hale -- who retired from East last year -- taught the importance of being responsible, showing up and being prepared, values that define an actor's professional worth in New York, Cat said.

"One thing I learned is that you have to really commit to your scripts, your pieces, your monologues, you have to hold yourself accountable," she said. "In class we would get scripts or scenes and if you weren't there for your partner, you guys didn't have a chance to rehearse. Missing that rehearsal, that valuable time, it really showed. High school really prepared me to be on top of my game. If you don't want it the next person does, everybody is replaceable."

Cat's first taste of New York's comedic scene came when a friend invited her to perform at an open mic night. It was there that she met her mentor, who introduced her to venues like the Magnet Theater, the Peoples Improv Theater and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.

"Once I opened my mouth and took a breath everything was OK," Cat said. "I had some jokes and tested them out and the people were laughing more out of pity than thinking I was funny. From there, I started meeting casting directors and agents and they said, 'you're funny.'"

Aside from her Plano acting roots, Cat also credits social media outlets for helping her rise to stardom, using sites like Facebook, Twitter, FunnyorDie.com, and her blog (catmigliaccio.blogspot.com) to disseminate her material. The outlets have been extremely effective in reaching out to people her age, as proven by media giants such as MTV and VH-1, for whom a few of Cat's friends work for and spend most of their time fishing YouTube for new show ideas, she said.

Two of the web series that she currently stars in, Morning Cup and Game Night: at Saddle Ranch Estates, have quickly increased her following and helped her become a recognizable face within in the comedy industry, as well as on the streets of New York.

"New media is really a new push for a lot of people," she said. "For me, when I walk around now people actually notice me. I find now, when I go to places, people will approach me and start quoting the characters I played on the web series."

Cat's exuberance on film takes the form of many characters, from "beauty queen to trailer trash," supplying an arsenal of energetic and somewhat off-beat comedic relief. Tapping into her adoration for Lucille Ball and Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig, Cat wants her audiences to know she is more than just entertaining. She wants her talents to make waves in the comedic industry.

"I've found that you've really got to showcase what you can do, and I think these women wanted to do their own thing to prove women are funny," she said. "It's still kind of a man's world so it's hard for women to come out and say, 'look at me, I'm funny.' You have to prove it."

Cat's newest projects include a voice over role in a CIG animation film called Pandorum Age Chronicles, which Cat said is currently going through a title chance and is expected to be released in 2014. She will also star in a feature film entitled Beverly and Blanche, in which Cat will play the role of Beverly. The romantic spoof comedy is expected to be released sometime next year.

"Being from Texas, it was scary," said Cat, who also has relatives living in McKinney. "I want to let every actor in Texas know they can do it, though; the city's not as scary as everybody makes it seem. There are a lot of support groups, and there are actually a lot people from Texas here in New York City. We tend to migrate together, so it turns out you're not alone."

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