We’d love to introduce you to one of our incredible TBG staff members, Emily Thaler! Read our interview with her below…
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What do you enjoy most about working at TBG?
ET: The thing I enjoy most about The Barrow Group is the community. It is a community of artists who are there to support each other. The Barrow Group feels like home.
I have studied here since 2015, and ever since then, it has been a place for me to create, write, learn, teach, work, and grow. Not only as an actor, but also as a person. This place reminds you to be yourself and that “you are enough.”
What is your favorite class you’ve taken at TBG?
ET: I think my favorite and/or most memorable class was my Beginner I! I had been acting my entire life, but I was new to the city and had never taken an acting class outside of my college courses so I decided to start from the beginning. It wasn’t until I started using the Barrow Group tools that I realized how easy acting can be. The tools freed me up to just listen and take in every moment and just react as I naturally would.
A specific moment comes to mind: I was performing a scene in class where my scene partner and I were waking up in bed after a long night out. I was of course trying to “act tired” and “hung over.” I decided to stretch, like I would in the morning, but then I accidentally pushed the bed away from the wall, and I let out a little scream. My partner and I burst out laughing and then had a great run of the scene. I learned that this “accident” actually worked really well under the circumstances! It helped me forget about my nerves, and just react in the moment to what was happening.
What is a project that you’ve been a part of that you are proud of?
ET: I just finished a production of The Winter’s Tale that I am incredibly proud of. I co-produced it with my Shakespeare company, Barefoot Shakespeare. We get to perform every year at Summit Rock in Central Park, which is considered the highest natural elevation in the park and was once home to Seneca Village.
I feel so honored to be able to play outside in the park every summer in such a beautiful space and with so many talented artists. It was a role I have wanted to play for a long time, and it felt incredible to bring the character of Hermione to life and, if you know the play, back to life again!
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To take Emily’s favorite class, try Beginner I: The Basics, starting as soon as 9/11 and on various dates all year!
Check out TBG’s full schedule of classes!