Not every lesson we learn in our life is engrained into our minds forever. We remember things like 'look both ways before you cross the street' and most likely every lyric from all your favorite songs in middle school, but good luck recalling the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. The same is true for acting, some things we remember, and some we discard because our brain needed to make more room for all the songs from Hamilton (what a hip reference). If there's one acting lesson I have carried with me all of my life, it's this: You cannot hate the character you are playing. Now if you're portraying a wholesome and pure character like 'Cinderella' or 'Gertrude McFuzz', the task of finding the good in your character is as simple as finding 'Horton the Elephant' in a crowd of Whos. The true test of an actor is finding the positive qualities in absolutely devious characters like the 'Witch' in Into the Woods or 'Orin Scrivello, DDS' in Little Shop. To the outside world these characters seem like the scum of the Earth, but it is the actor's job to closely read into the character and discover the motivation behind the character's dastardly deeds.

There's always more than one side to every story, and this production of Assassins is no different. To make sure I'm covering this show from every possible angle, I've decided to annoy my fellow casemates with a recorder and a series of important questions about their experiences (and I really do mean I annoyed them, considering I followed them around between classes to get their answers).

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.

Before beginning my Disney College Program earlier this year, I knew there was a chance I'd meet people from around the world and become good friends with them. It wasn't until mid March that I had a large group of Australians, New Zealanders, and other performers I was hanging with on my off days. To me, it was completely normal to meet, associate, and spend afternoons with these people at the parks. Through working with Aussies, I've learned about their culture, their language, and their weird habits. It's been incredible to connect with people who have lived different lives, who have travelled and experienced things I never have.

It is hard to believe that I have been living, working, and playing in Walt Disney World for two whole months! It's definitely true when people say 'Time flies when you're having fun.' I know first hand how much fun can be had while participating in the Disney College Program, but I'd like to talk about the less fun parts of it.

It's hard to believe that I've officially been living in Orlando, Florida, working in Disney World for two and a half weeks. I am just now writing about my first few weeks in Disney because when a college student participates in the Disney College Program (DCP) they barely have time to breathe. Don't think I hate being busy, because I absolutely love it. I just did not realize that everything keeps moving when in Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney once said, 'I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing-that it was all started by a mouse.' Believe me when I say I remember, Walt, and I am thanking you now more than ever for creating such an iconic character. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be a twenty year old, in college, majoring in musical theatre, and planning a five month trip to Walt Disney World. Yet, here I am, writing about the initial steps of applying to the Disney College Program; furthermore, I write to describe the four month process of applying to accepting to preparing to packing.