Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Kromer.
Hi Tara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Florida and while my family moved around quite a bit when I was a child, I spent most of my upbringing in Winston-Salem, NC. I was always involved in the arts- playing instruments, drawing and painting, and watching my parents’ favorite movie musicals as a kid. Often the new kid, and quite a tomboy, I found growing up in the Bible Belt to be quite an experience. My family was very involved in our church, but its occasional sermon about the sins of homosexuality never quite sat right with me. An overachiever in high school, I threw myself into the arts- specifically band and choral music and drama but knew that my family was planning a move to Florida to be closer to family after my graduation. I wound up back in Tampa, starting college at USF, but North Carolina felt more like home to me at that point than Florida did, and on a summer visit I applied to UNCGreensboro to pursue their BFA in Theatre Education. It wasn’t long before I discovered that I was thriving more in the rehearsal room than I felt I would in the K-12 classroom, and I ended up changing my program of study to pursue a BA in Theatre. I loved the idea of being a multidisciplinary artist and was eager to learn all I could about the production process. I spent hours building scenery and painting and learning about the process through stage management and assistant directing, all with the goal of one day pursuing a directing career.
After college, I worked at a dinner theatre for a year, putting all of my interests into practice: I stage managed, built sets and props, designed and programmed sound, maintained lighting, worked the box office occasionally… waited tables occasionally, and taught acting classes. For an eager, early career jack-of-all-trades, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but became an education on the need to draw the line when employers try to keep adding responsibilities without adding additional compensation. Upon leaving that company, I spent a formative summer as an assistant directing intern at the Hangar Theatre’s Lab Company. Soon thereafter, I found that assistant directing wasn’t giving me as much practical experience (or earning potential) as stage management did, and my occupation became learning as much as I could from seasoned directors by being behind the table as a stage manager. I spent about 8 years working in stage management and supplementing my income with freelance work in props and electrics, working in the Carolinas, and landing back in Florida at Seaside Music Theatre [SMT] (where I found a great community that helped me feel okay with coming out and living my best queer life). When SMT shut down, I moved to Chicago and worked for various companies, working as a props artisan at Steppenwolf Theatre by day and an electrician at Chicago Shakes by night, until someone I’d met at SMT, who had also landed in Chi-town, called me up with an offer to stage manage a show for Congo Square Theatre Company, which gained me membership into Actors Equity. After my first Chicago winter, however, I was eager to find warmer climes and headed back down south, becoming the resident SM at the Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville for nearly 3 years.
While I enjoyed my time as a stage manager, I found myself itching to get back to my original goal and shift gears to refocus my career and pursue directing. With the guidance of some old SMT friends, I found my way into the MFA program in Theatre For Young Audiences at UCF, where I focused my studies on Directing and also furthered my practice as a sound designer. During my final year as a grad student, I began freelancing at UCF’s partner organization, Orlando Repertory Theatre, as a props designer for extra income, and eventually, a staff position was created, and I became their resident props and puppetry designer. This position has allowed me some great internal directing opportunities (on TYA shows like A Year With Frog and Toad, The Giver, Miracle in Bedford Falls, and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow), and has provided a good degree of flexibility for me to pursue freelance work in the area as a director and sound designer. In the years since my time at UCF, my work as a director has been seen on stages in Central Florida at the Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol, Orlando Shakes, Orlando Fringe, Theatre West End, the Ensemble Company at Penguin Point, the Athens Theatre, and even back to my old stomping grounds at the Hippodrome. I’ve also directed and served as an adjunct professor at UCF and Daytona State College. During this time, I’ve found myself most drawn to work that explores the world through the experiences of the marginalized- especially embracing camp, queer narratives, and stories that carry a message of authenticity and acceptance. I’ve had the great fortune to exercise my craft through small and large-scale musical theatre, dramatic and comedic plays, and I love to explore new work. I am grateful for my family, my amazing partner, my two beautiful dogs, and all of the amazing friends and collaborators that I’ve made along the way!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Trying to make a career in the arts is never an easy path. Student debt, imposter syndrome, difficulty finding opportunities that pay a living wage, having to hustle from your full-time job to your other gigs and trying to find a good work/life balance, making time for yourself and your loved ones, and always striving to continue learning and honing your craft… these struggles are real. In the last few years especially, the pandemic and the racial reckoning continue to change our industry, culture, and economy radically- and these factors have challenged artists to become more adaptable, to embrace change, and to continue striving to do work that causes people to think about the world around them, empathize with those from different walks of life, and sometimes to provide an entertaining escape from the realities of living through these times.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Quite a bit of my most recent work as a director has involved feminist and queer themes: I’ve always been drawn to camp and drag as an artform, musical theatre, parody, and satire. When I was a grad student, shifting into directing as a discipline, I started out on plays that explored the experience of being “othered”: pieces like “And Then Came Tango” and “Birds of A Feather”(both about gay penguins who adopt an egg and raise a hatchling), “For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls”, “Dog Sees God,” and “Doubt, A Parable.” When I started working professionally, some of the titles that I was most excited to tackle followed in this vein: “It Shoulda Been You” (at Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol), “Violet” (at the Garden Theatre), “Fun Home” (at Theatre West End), and “Perfect Arrangement” (at the Ensemble Company at Penguin Point) are among the productions that bring me the most pride. My upcoming production of “The Prom” (playing this February 9th-26th at Theatre South Playhouse) has also been very exciting to dive into. It’s been delightful to see more representation of queer masc women in recent years, and stories that show characters from marginalized communities overcoming obstacles and living authentically have always been my heartsong. I’ve arrived at a point in my own story where I’m only allowing myself to spend the precious resource of time on shows that really resonate with me and that my personal experience can truly speak to.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think it’s important to be resilient and determined if you want to pursue a career in the performing arts. I have managed to work exclusively in theatre (production and education) for my entire career- not because I have a fancy degree from an Ivy League drama program or because I come from a wealthy family who can afford to pay my way: I’ve gone to state schools and come from a middle-class upbringing… The versatility of a broad skillset and a deep love for telling stories onstage have brought me to this point- and I’m always looking forward to the next project, the next challenge, and the next opportunity- because I know I still have quite a way to go. Humility is also hugely important- as a director, I can’t be so pretentious as to presume that my idea is the best idea in the room- so it’s my job to create an environment where everyone is brave enough to bring their best ideas to the table and to lead the production to a cohesive final culmination of the best ideas of the collective.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tarakromer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarakromer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkromer/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tektheshow
Image Credits
Mike Kitaiff
McKenzie Lackey
Steven Miller
Brian Sumner
Lena Feliciano
