“Just tell the story.”

Those are the words of advice from a fellow actor that resonate through the mind of Laurie Videka Krizka every time she steps on stage to perform with the Beverly Theater Guild or other community theater groups in the Chicago area.

And if industry recognition is any indicator, she tells the story quite well.

Krizka has twice won the Beverly Theater Guild’s Best Performance Award, most recently this year for her portrayal of M’Lynn in “Steel Magnolias.” She also won in 2005 for the role of Rosemary in “Picnic,” and was nominated in 2003 for playing Simone Pistache in “Can-Can.”

The theater’s website states the award goes to “the actor that provides the most professional, the most polished, and the most moving, or the most sensitive, performance of the Annual Season to a degree likely to enhance the reputation of BTG.”

Wayne Wendell, president of the Beverly Theater Guild, said Krizka has accomplished all that.

“Laurie is stunning as an actress. Absolutely stunning. Every time she does something, she is spot on,” he said. “She’s won the award twice so her skills are obvious. She’s a very serious actress, she’s crafted her skills through the years, and she’s a wonderful talent to have with us.”

Krizka is one of the many talented people who prefer community theater to a professional acting career. She is testimony that people looking for quality theater experiences can find them right in their own neighborhoods.

A South Side native, Krizka lives in Homer Glen with her husband, George Krizka. For 31 years she has been employed with Southwest Airlines, where she now manages customer service inquiries. For all that time, she has also had a secondary career on Chicago’s stages, though she never really considered acting professionally.

“Maybe in the back of my mind I thought about it, but I really started this with a passion for what I enjoy, singing and dancing and acting,” Krizka said.

Being realistic, she knew she needed a job with health care benefits and a steady income, and moonlighting in community theater would allow her to pick and choose her creative projects.

Krizka dabbled in acting at Queen of Peace High School, took a drama class at Northern Illinois University, and enrolled in voice lessons in the Loop at the Fine Arts Building, but it was not until 1989, at a relative’s urging, that she went to her first audition, for a role in a Beverly Theater Guild production.

“I auditioned for ‘Funny Girl.’ I didn’t know anyone, and I was very nervous,” said Krizka; “I got cast as one of the four Keeney girls in the show, and therein lies the beginning of my story, and I just couldn’t stop doing it from that show and that moment on.”

The next season, she was cast in a starring role as Velma Kelly in “Chicago.” One review of that production stated that thanks to “impeccable casting, this extravaganza is consistently entertaining.” Since then, she has enjoyed many lead and ensemble roles.

Although she said “it’s an adrenaline rush, a natural high to be out there performing,” she also finds a deeper personal meaning in the experience.

“Our mother passed away when I was fourteen. As the only girl in the family with five brothers, my life changed drastically then. My mother used to sing in the choir at church and I believe she was my inspiration to go into voice lessons and the theater. I think of her often. She is my strength whether I am off or on stage,” Krizka said.

Now, working four 10-hour days each week from home since the pandemic, and helping her 94-year-old father, Krizka, 60, is more selective in the roles she considers. She could not pass up “Steel Magnolias.”

“I thought about taking a more secondary role, but when I read for M’Lynn, I just felt the emotions. I knew that it would be a big undertaking, but I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity because who knows what will come in the future,” said Krizka, noting roles are more limited for older women.

Krizka has never taken a professional acting class and said her own life experiences inspired her performance as M’Lynn, who loses a daughter in the story.

When Krizka was recognized for her performance, she “was humbled and completely overwhelmed.”

“The fact that this affected people the way it did amazed me. I just didn’t realize I was giving off that effect,” she said.

Krizka said another good experience from this production was bonding with the other cast members. Many lived close enough to Homer Glen that they were able to use the Krizka home for rehearsals. Krizka confessed to a good deal of anxiety over this role, especially memorizing all the lines, but the cast came to “rely on each other for comfort and support and cover for each other.”

Plus, they had the amenities of home, including homemade popcorn from a theater-style popcorn machine, prepared by Krizka’s husband.

George Krizka is fully supportive of his wife’s acting career, preferring golf to being on stage himself. He said humorously, “It’s great to have someone take all the attention off you. I can sit in the back row, do whatever I want. My role is to make popcorn and host parties.”

Krizka has worked with the Beverly group for so many years she considers them her “second family,” and in return Wendell said that it is great to have her as part of the group.

“It’s her energy, she’s so vivacious, she just brings a positive aura into the room when she comes in,” he said.

Krizka does not know if she will audition for any roles this season due to her work schedule and family commitments, “but if I can’t be in a show, I definitely will make time to help with the show, working behind the stage or in front of the house.”

That is important, too, because according to Krizka, what it’s really all about is making sure the audience enjoys the story and their experience at the theater.

Carol Flynn is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.