The Rural We: Tara Franklin
Well known to area audiences for her stage work, Tara Franklin is taking on two new roles at the Chester Theatre Company.
Longtime local theater-goers may recognize Tara Franklin from the many productions she’s appeared in. A Dalton native, she attended New York University and apprenticed with the then Berkshire Theatre Festival (now the Berkshire Theatre Group) and became an artist in residence. She received an MFA at UConn and lived in Chicago. Next up was New York, where she taught, acted and had a child. Now living in Williamstown with her son and husband, James Barry (also an actor), she has just been named the associate artistic director and director of education for the Chester Theatre Company in Chester, Mass.
In 2016, when it was time for our son to go to school, we realized we weren’t happy with the public school in our neighborhood (in Brooklyn). As actors, we felt we could work anywhere. We settled in Williamstown, and I started teaching as an adjunct at Smith, and also at Berkshire Theatre Group. I also acted at Chester Theatre in the summers, and developed a great relationship with that theater and Daniel Elihu Kramer, the producing artistic director.
At Chester, there hadn’t been a director of education before, and Daniel wanted me to take over an artistic role, as well. I was going to direct a show this summer, but because an actor had to drop out of one of them, I'm also going to be taking over the role in On the Exhale, a one-woman show written in the wake of the events at Sandy Hook.
My main focus is going to be investing my time and energy in the internship program. We have seven interns every summer, including two in stage management and three working in the administrative offices but also assisting the director. As far as the other part of my position, it’s been exciting to work with Daniel in choosing the season and who we want to work with us. Being an actor, you don’t often get to see that side of it. It takes a year to build a season. It means going to auditions, selecting actors, putting together the stage management team. It’s a really satisfying project.
It’s going to be a challenge to do the one-woman show and my other jobs at the same time. My main concern is making sure I’m not neglecting the education aspect this summer. The three-week rehearsal time is going to be pretty intense, but I’m working on my lines every day right now. Fortunately, I’m good at time management and a good multitasker.
I feel so lucky that I have three artistic homes. The Berkshire Theatre Group has sort of fostered me through this business ever since I was young, and I will thank them forever for that. It’s exciting to have a new home at Chester Theatre, where I have the ability to make decisions about the productions and internship program. And at Smith, I get to teach college-age students throughout the year.
When we decided to move here, people asked us, 'What are you going to do out there?' I said I’d probably work a lot more, and I have. New York is tough. You do your time, then you know when it’s time to move on. I’ve never regretted moving out of the city. It’s better for my son, and great for me.
