BWW Blog: Tara Folio - Actors Don't Get Summer Vacation

The hardest lesson to learn as a newly graduated theatre nerd, is that actors do not get a summer vacation. I was able to snag a few weeks of rest between shows, but now it's time for less Netflix and chill, and more rehearsals and performances. That's right readers, it's time for summer stock. If the first day of Assassins was like starting a new school (Have you not read my posts about my time in Assassins? Shame on you!), then beginning summer stock will be like the first day of camp. For the next two months I will be singing, dancing, acting, learning, building, striking, and everything in between. When I'm not in rehearsals, I'll be performing; when I'm not performing, I'll be in the company house napping (just kidding, we all know theatre kids thrive on glitter and Hamilton, not sleep). All new theatrical adventures come with fresh hurdles and challenges, and this experience has already raised a few, especially when it comes to flexibility. Now, I'm not talking about the ability to perfect a tilt and slide into a middle split (but in musical theatre that never hurts), I'm talking about mental flexibility and the ability to trust your decisions. I am about to move to a new state, a new zip code, a new city, a new theater, where I will only know one person. I will have my best friend and a pair of character shoes and not much else (ok, that's a little dramatic, I have packed all the basic necessities, but you get the picture). At first the thought of just picking up and moving terrified me; I would dodge my friends' questions about my job because frankly, I didn't have the answers myself. Gradually, I've learned to grasp this idea of the unknown, and now the thought of traveling to a new place to begin my first job as a professional thrills me. I've realized that being comfortable with the unknown will prove extremely beneficial, considering after this summer I am moving to New York with no job and no return ticket home. This flexibility is something all actors deal with, and if it is embraced it can make life a little more exciting. So, Interlakes Theatre Company, I am ready for you and whatever this summer has to offer. Next stop, New Hampshire...