– Actor SPOTLIGHT: Michelle Knight – Seaside Spotlights Queens of Country in Ted Swindley's THE HONKY TONK ANGELS

"Tonight is all about leavin' and following your dreams. It's also about angels, all kinds of angels, but most importantly Honky Tonk Angels. My name is Angela, Angel-Uh-Get it! And I am not an actress. I am an honest-to-God real housewife from Waxahachie, Texas, and I have three kids, a wonderful mama, and my husband's name is - you guessed it - Bubba!"

So opens Seaside's final winter production, Honky Tonk Angels, by Ted Swindley, the creator of the smash hit Always...Patsy Cline. This tale of three women searching for country music stardom in Nashville spills over with humor and 30 Honky Tonk hit songs, ones that you know and love.

The true stars of this show are the decades of country music's female performers, including Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker and more, whose heartfelt and truthful songs, generally based on their own bittersweet experiences, guide the story of these women who drop everything to follow their hearts.

Michelle Knight, an SMT newcomer and recent graduate of UCF with a BFA in Musical Theater, plays Darlene, a young, simple country girl whose aspirations of becoming a musician lead her away from the widowed father she cares for. As a young performer, Knight identifies with the pursuit of dreams and the sacrifices that naturally follow. She comments below on country music, the themes behind the show, and "the business."

Q: Were you a fan of country music before doing Honky Tonk Angels?

A: I was a fan before, and I am still. Country music is so rich with different styles and amazing lyrics. I don’t see how anyone can cut it out completely.

Q: Give us a short description of the character you play.

A: Darlene is a young, simple, country girl with dreams and aspirations to be a musician. She’s starting out on her own to make something of herself.

Q: Angela, Darlene, and Sue Ellen take big risks to follow their dreams. How do you, as a performer, identify with their experiences? What did you have to give up?

As a performer, basically everything we do is a risk! When you try to make it in this business, you give up stability first and foremost.

You really have to be able to go with the flow.

Q: As a woman in “the business,” what do you think it takes to make it big?

To make it big? Is that the goal? I like to be able to pay my bills while performing - that’s making it big to me. But if we’re talking fame and fortune, I think it’s basically 40% talent, 20% positive attitude and determination, and 40% who you know.