BWW Interviews: Ta'Rea Campbell of SISTER ACT

SISTER ACT starring Ta'Rea Campbell is coming to Blumenthal Performing Arts Ovens Theater, January 8-13. Broadway's musical comedy was nominated for five Tony Awards in 2011. The show features original music by 8-time Oscar winner, Alan Menken (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LITTLE MERMAID, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS). Tickets are now on sale at the Blumenthal Box Office: 704-372-1000.

Ta'Rea Campbell portrays the role of Deloris Van Cartier, the wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look-a convent! Ta'Rea is best known for starring as Nala in the LION KING on Broadway and the national tour and THE BOOK OF MORMON. I caught up with her on tour in Fort Lauderdale. She was under the gun doing press junkets while driving in her car.

LAW: Where are you?

TC: I'm in Fort Lauderdale. I'm going to be performing tonight. I just went to the mall and I bought a yoga mat and shoes.

LAW: Are they good shoes?

TC: They're great shoes!

LAW: When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

TC: I was young. My parents took me to see ANNIE. I started singing "The Sun will come out..." everywhere. I would sing it at the top of the stairs and my family would have to pay me a quarter to get past me on the steps. I also sang in my church choir when I was five-years-old.

LAW: Where were you born and raised?

TC: I was born in Philadelphia. I attended a small performing arts high school in Philadelphia and then I combined singing and acting at Marymount Manhattan College.

LAW: What was your first professional job?

TC: I did a print ad for Pepsi. It was in Jet and Ebony Magazines. I went to the Rite Aid [Drug Store] to get copies. That was great. I was twelve-years-old.

LAW: What was your most memorable acting job?

TC: Playing AIDA on Broadway. I had seen it a year before and then I auditioned and I got the role. That was special.

LAW: Did you audition for Deloris or did they already know your work?

TC: They knew my work, but I had to audition two times. They were great and friendly. The director, Jerry [Zaks] knew my work. He directed me in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.

LAW: Tell me about Deloris Van Cartier. How did you prepare for the role?

TC: Her real name is Doris Carter, but she is Deloris Van Cartier. She appears in not the best clubs and she dates an awful guy. I do many things to prepare for the role. I have to be in good physical shape, and mentally have confidence. I do yoga to warm up.

LAW: What's been your best experience being on the road?

TC: It hasn't come yet. There's a line in the play where Deloris tells the audience she's a hometown girl from Philadelphia. Well I'm from Philadelphia. I'm going to be there in April. My Philadelphia family and friends are going to be in the audience to react to that line. I can't wait.

LAW: What has been your worst experience on the road?

TC: Feeling exhausted. And I can't go to the refrigerator to get food late at night when I'm in a hotel. 'Just missing the comforts of home.

LAW: What's your favorite thing to do when you are back home?

TC: To do nothing. I just sit on the couch and watch TV with my fiancé, my new fiancé, we got engaged last week.

LAW: Best wishes to you.

TC: Thank you. And I love to be with my Chihuahua Beagle mix, Stevie. I miss her a lot when I'm on the road.

LAW: What's your favorite food to cook when you're home?

TC: Spicy chili, homemade sauce and pasta dishes. The spicy food though, isn't good for my voice.

LAW: How long are you on tour?

TC: I started in Toronto, October 3^rd. and my contract is for a year.

LAW: Have you ever been to Charlotte before?

TC: Yes, my aunt lives in Charlotte and I was in Charlotte in AIDA many years ago.

LAW: Is there a difference in the audience reaction, depending on what city you are in?

Linda Ann Watt is a member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA and owns Corlin Productions, a union franchised production house. Through Corlin Productions, Watt has written and directed film, television, documentaries, commercials and educational programs with celebrity guests including Betty White, Nell Carter, Dom DeLuise, Aaron Neville, Tippi Hedren and Sid Caesar. Watt teaches two acting & scene study classes at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center—the Master Class using "Method" techniques and the Workshop Advanced for working actors, directors and writers. Watt has been a recipient of a Grass Roots Arts Project (GAP) Grant 2008-2012, awarded through the Union County Community Arts Council (UCCAC) and the North Carolina Arts Council for an Enrichment Arts Program teaching acting and filmmaking & editing to youth, coordinated though Union County Public School (UCPS). Watt produces lectures featuring entertainment industry and celebrity guests for the Charlotte community. As a past executive board member of Women In Film in Los Angeles, Watt chaired and produced the Academy Awards© Viewing Party four consecutive years, which became an annual top Hollywood event. Watt has appeared in movies, television stage and national commercials. Watt is presently in post-production with her children’s series for Funny Productions, a division of Corlin Productions and she has been asked to direct a feature film "Thirty Day Promise" in late summer. For more information: www.corlinproductions.com

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