Cabrini’s comedian: Katina Corrao laughs her way to success

Katina Corrao will never forget her very first Loquitur assignment, a story about the Blue Route.

“I cried for three days,” Corrao said. “I only wanted to write about gossip and horoscopes and there I was with an assignment about this new thing called the Blue Route.”

With encouragement from Dr. Jerry Zurek, Corrao got the story done.

“He made me realize that I could be a journalist right then and there,” Corrao said. “He helped me see that I was living in the real world and doing real things and that I didn’t have to wait until after graduation to get there.”

Corrao graduated from Cabrini College with a degree in English and communication in 1996.

“It was a beautiful time to be a student,” Corrao said. “Instead of texting, we met in person and instead of e-mail we communicated through dry erase boards.”

While at Cabrini, Corrao was the president of Kappa Sigma Omega and involved in student government, campus ministry, Loquitur, the radio station and the theater.

Currently, Corrao is an actress, comedian, writer and editor in New York. She can be found performing, doing stand-up comedy or writing commercials or scripts.

Her first comedy album was released in the fall of 2015.  Upon the day of release, the album reached the No. 1 spot on iTunes Comedy.

Corrao says the beauty of her job is that every day is so different.

“Some days I’m acting in a commercial, writing for TV or getting ready for a stand-up show,” Corrao said. “Then other days I’m in my pajamas all day eating Triscuits out of the box and praying I book a big job.”

Corrao has wanted to be an actress for as long as she can remember. She had always had a specific interest in becoming a commercial actress.

“I can remember being a kid and going into our linen closet and pulling out products to ‘sell’ to our bathroom mirror,” Corrao said. “That’s probably some of my best work.”

It was a theater director who helped Corrao to not only envision her dream, but follow it as well.

“Neal Newman was the theater director at Cabrini while I was there,” Corrao said. “One day he said to me ‘I can tell nothing will make you happy unless you’re performing.’ And he was so right.”

Not only did Newman see Corrao’s passion, he also saw that she needed direction.

“Neal really influenced me and helped me shape my next steps,” Corrao said. “In this kind of career, you really have to find a way that works best for you. You can’t just do ‘A, B and C’ and suddenly become an actress.”

Newman introduced Corrao to the world of improv comedy and encouraged her to train further at The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco after graduation.

Once she was done with the program, she moved from San Francisco to New York City. Looking back now, Corrao recalls the move being quite terrifying.

“Even though I felt like I had the proper tools to move forward, pursuing a comedy career was so much more than just being able to tell a joke,” Corrao said. “I was naïve, away from my family and maybe a tad overly-friendly.”

Corrao says she made a ton of mistakes, but learned more than she ever would have imagined while on the journey of following her dreams.

“My parents and my sister were, and still are, my biggest cheerleaders,” Corrao said. “My Dad passed away a few years ago but even to this day I still feel him rooting for me.”

Looking back on all of the jobs and auditions she has had over the years, Corrao says her favorite part of it all has been performing.

“I’ve had jobs ranging from dressing up as the Tasmanian Devil for Warner Brothers to working the Auto Shows as a product specialist,” Corrao said.

However, with the performances comes having to see certain things on television, which is often times Corrao’s least favorite part of the job.

“I don’t like seeing things on TV that I auditioned for and didn’t get,” Corrao said. “Let’s just say it’s hard for me to watch Cascade commercials.”

With this career field specifically, there can be a lot of rejection, disappointments and challenges. However, Corrao has tried to not let any of these negative aspects affect her attitude.

“I’m actually really grateful for all the mishaps along the way,” Corrao said. “If the journey was easy for me, I might not have as much pride in my career as I do today.”

At this point, for Corrao, comedy has actually become a way to both cope and laugh at life and all of its ups and downs.

“I think I specifically pursued comedy because there was no other choice but to laugh at myself and the challenges that came my way,” Corrao said.

“I don’t ever want to not laugh at myself,” Corrao said. “This career is work, just like any other job. However, it’s a totally different animal.”

Looking back on her time at Cabrini, Corrao recognizes how her time as a student helped her get to where she is now.

“I loved Cathy Yungmann’s video production class,” Corrao said. “She is the best at what she does and I still remember her passion, which made me want to work really hard and impress her.”

“We rotated jobs in her class in order to experience every aspect of production from camera operator to actor to director,” Corrao said. “The equipment we used back then has certainly changed but the confidence she instilled in us is everlasting.”

From video production class to her time with Neal Newman to her first Loquitur story about the Blue Route, Cabrini certainly left its mark on Corrao and helped her to feel a part of something.

“I feel lucky to have had that experience,” Corrao said. “Carter Craigie, beloved Cabrini professor, once sent me a card saying he hoped I was doing well in the big city and he generously placed a $20 bill inside. That’s what it’s like to be a part of Cabrini.”