MEET THE CAST: Tara Giordano

Well...for those of you who I told it was Andrew Frace day, all I can say is that I lied! I sat down to write Andrew's "Meet The Cast" blurb - but I came to find out I don't have enough pictures to add to it and I didn't want to short-change you all! I've heard how "Frace Fans" can be. So - I did a little shifting around, and figured out that I could introduce you all to another AMAZING member of our cast!

Is it possible that they cast one of the nicest girls around to play one of the nastiest characters on stage? Not only is it possible, but she's so good, she makes you want to wring Veruca's neck from the beginning! And the nicest thing about it all is that our Tara Giordano is nothing like Veruca - which goes to show that she is a master of her craft!

But beyond that stage, who is this TARA G. that we speak of? Well, a native of Massachusetts (memory tells me that specifically, it's the Boston area), Tara attended college in New England (I'm going to say Middlebury College in Vermont...but I'm putting it in parenthesis so if it's wrong, I can come back and easily just erase this line so it's as if it was never here at all. Brilliant!) Although I am unsure on just how long she has been in the area, I know she has stayed busy, as a server at Mimi's American Bistro, doing various shows around the area and seemingly always being on the go! I would LOVE to be able to report that she also once worked at the Zoo in DC. I'm pretty sure that she didn't - but I thought it would be fun to include it. And as a little FYI, that I just learned today: Tara performed in Studio Theater's production of 'Bat Boy' a couple of years ago - and it was her FIRST musical ever. (And your mouth dropped open...I know...shocking.)

Outside of work and theater, this red-headed whirlwind is a voracious reader and knitter and is going to be teaching me how to make things on tour. Tara loves to cook, and LOVES onions. Normally I would shun an onion-eater, but since she so willingly eats mine off my plate for me when I pick them out, I forgive her and we go on. And out of everything I have learned about her, I think the 2 MOST fascinating things I've found out are: 1) Tara loves turning circles; and 2) She loves doing 'shadow work' whenever given the chance. (Shadows are the new circles, Tara!)

Tara is an AMAZING actor to watch in action. She's VERY committed to what she is doing, and is always willing to give me extensive notes on things I'm doing wrong. When her portion of the tour comes to an end in December (soft sobs), she is heading to New York to try her hand at the theater gig there. And (I'm back to making predictions here) mark my words that someday soon, she'll be dancing her way through HAIRSPRAY as Penny Pingleton. Because it's true what they say, you CAN'T stop the beat!

And now...give it up for our very own...TARA GIORDANO!