Secret Lives: On the Line, In the Spotlight

For Katelyn France, every phone call is a chance to connect and every performance is a chance to understand.

A communications center operator with OhioHealth Protective Services, France is often the first voice patients, visitors and associates hear when they reach out for help or information. After hours, she takes on a different role, exploring new perspectives through local theater.

“I believe that theater is a gym for empathy,” France said. “You get to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes and go be somewhere else and go be somebody else for a little bit.”

That sense of empathy, she said, carries over into her work at OhioHealth.

“It’s an exercise in understanding what someone else’s life might look like,” she said. “That’s important because I need to have empathy for the people I talk to on the phone here.”

France earned her degree in theater and has since immersed herself in the Columbus arts scene, acting, writing and even directing. She’s worked with several local community theatres and has taken part in a Shakespeare and Autism program, which uses sensory drama games to engage children and young adults on the spectrum.

Her improvisation background also plays a big part in her daily work.

“A lot of improv is playing to the top of your intelligence,” she said. “That’s what you have to do every day, too, because I don’t know every single thing. It helps you think outside of the box.”

France turns to the stage to recharge and rediscover what inspires her.

“Having another sort of identity beyond work is really important,” she said. “When I have rehearsals I'm like, ‘Oh man, I get to go do this because this is what I like to do. This is what I have fun doing.’”

Currently, France is acting in and assistant directing Fools by Neil Simon with Aethereal Jest Arts Council. The production opens Nov. 14. Learn more at aetherealjest.com.

Secret Lives is an ongoing series that shares the unusual past careers and unique hobbies of OhioHealth associates, physicians and volunteers.