BWW Blog: Meet Tara Folio of Auburn University - ASSASSINS is in Session

Hello, new reader. My name is Tara, and since you found your way to this blog, I'm pretty sure that we have something in common: we are most likely head-over-heels in love with theater. My love affair with this amazing world began at the ripe age of two, thanks to a mom who wanted an after school activity for her three daughters, and could never have known that her after school choice would inspire her child to perform in over fifty plays and major in musical theater. Now, because you are reading this blog, I'm assuming that you have at least a small soft spot in your heart for theater, whether you went to see Les Mis once because you (like me) think Eddie Redmayne is a beautiful angel, or you've chosen it as your profession. For your reading pleasure, I have decided to share a little bit of my theater life with the internet, by documenting my final show at Auburn University. Every week I will be posting about my cast's preparation for our production of Assassins, as well as interviewing my fellow cast mates to get their thoughts on the experience. Spoiler alert: Putting on a show like Assassins at a school that boasts it has "the most conservative student body in the country" is surely going to be an interesting journey.

Our rehearsals for this show started last week, which was also our first day back from winter break. I couldn't help but notice some similarities between starting at a new school and starting a new production.

The beginning of a new show always seems to be akin to starting at a new school- you know the basic routine, but the space, the lessons, and even your classmates are brand new. My theater department always starts a new show with a table read, which makes the school comparison all the more appropriate. I always seem to relate back to an excited new student when I sit down at the table. I'm mixed with nervousness and giddiness about what lies ahead in my new adventure, I've organized my script and obsessed over it the way I did with my new school supplies (new binders/folders/pencils-everything must be purple), and I'm ready to meet my fellow classmates. This comparison may seem nerdy, but this is only because instead of being the "Hermione Granger" in the classroom during my elementary school days, I was the "Rachel Berry" in my community theater classes (Don't worry, I have abandoned most of the diva after high school). So I hope you'll follow along as I make my way through this Assassins "school" that I will be attending for the next two months. I promise the lessons I write about will be nothing like the math class that put you to sleep in high school.

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