Lately, I have been looking for any excuse to learn new accents. I love expanding my dialects and accent repertoire so, this past weekend I had the pleasure of doing a short film that required a Russian Accent. The character I played was a sultry, manipulative woman who uses her talents to persuade a man to fake his own death. The character tied with the accent came so naturally, mainly, because when you drop into a Russian accent people tend to automatically find their inner deviant woman. The witty banter that ensued throughout the day was delightful. I also enjoyed working with the cast and crew who were very professional and such fun! I can’t wait to see the finished project.

I’m going to try and make this a more regular occurrence, so here is some more hip hop by the awesome dancer/choreographer AC!

If you have any suggestions for songs let me know!

more hip hop here

I have been on a lot of auditions lately, but I wanted to share today’s audition in particular. I’d like to preface this with the fact that I don’t really care about whether I get the role or not; the experience in the room was enough for me to be satisfied and confident in what I do…every audition should be that way.

The audition asked for two contrasting monologues along with a three minute artistic statement about yourself. I had no clue what the statement entailed ( they said any median would work…sculptures, instruments, dance etc). I was not sure how to express myself through dance, song or really any facet of entertainment; I decided to just talk to them bluntly, because I figured that my odd quirkiness would be best amplified with me having to talk at all. I walked in and the artistic directors were very kind and reminded me to use this time as a rehearsal and to feel free and safe; sounded like Anthony Meindls studio mission statement( the studio where I study). The monologues went really well, and then it was time for the artistic statement. As I was prepping to talk a bit about my thoughts on acting, it dawned on me….why can’t I talk about it while doing something that I love? I love dancing but that wouldn’t work out…wait..workout. I love to workout! No one is going to be doing an artistic statement while doing Burpees. So that is what I did which led me to sing a 16 bar cut accapella of “There Where You Are” from the musical, The Existents. I didn’t get in my own way, and I let my body and emotions take me where they wanted to go. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of letting go and not caring what anyone thought. Did I lose my breath trying to talk and do Burpees for three minutes? Why yes I did. Did I need to catch my breath before singing? Of course I did! Did I sweat in my audition outfit? Heck yes. Was it worth it? Hell ya it was!

All this to prove that it doesn’t matter what’s going on in your head in the lobby, but once you enter that room. If you can leave everything on the floor of that audition room you should be proud of what you did. I try to learn and grow with every audition, and this one in particular taught me that being me isn’t always going to get me the role, but it will get me noticed and that’s alright with me.

They loved my audition by the way 🙂

I’ve been wanting to get back into dance for a long time now, and my friend, AC wanted to help me out. Today, we started off with hip hop..the kind I’m not familiar with, but he started me off with a nice routine. We played around with it for an hour and this is our finished routine. What do ya think?
click me

I had the opportunity to perform in a thesis film called, In the Basement. Some pictures taken during the filming of the thesis were posted in my previous blog. The concept video is now complete; It’s a teaser for their kickstarter project in order to fund the entire film. Please watch the clip and check out their kickstarter site ( for which I’ll post as soon as it’s up)! Also let me know what you think by commenting below. Thanks and enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/96954249

I recently filmed a short that required me to look battered and thought a little sneak peek would be fun. Here are a few pictures of my “wounds” on set. I’ll send the film once it’s completed.

Here are two of my face; my hair is packed with oil!

Gnarly ya?

Here are two shots during our last scene. It was messy!

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek; more to come next week!

I was just reading about the abduction in Nigeria that occurred April 14th, and it breaks my heart.

I wish I could do more to help these girls out, but for starters I’d like to spread the word.

Please pray for these young girls and their families. There are over 200 young christian girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram Terrorist network. They started marrying these teens to men in the group for $12. Please pray they are protected from these men while the search for these girls continue. Also, Pray for the President of Nigeria, President Jonathan Goodluck in his tactics for finding them;
It’s been two weeks already. Pray for the families strength and perseverance through this agonizing trial.

I have copied a few website videos and hash-tags, so you can also spread the word.

CNN video

Washington Post article

Think Progress

#BringBackOurGirls

#BringBackOurDaughters

The show I’ve been working on since January has come to a close. “Battledrum” gave me a great opportunity to dive into the civil war era like never before, and discover new sides of myself with the roles I played in this musical ( the role of Mother and “General” Cutter). Here are some clips of what the reviewers had to say:

“The songs are entertaining and the ending very well executed. You won’t want to miss that part.”

“Elegantly played by Tara Bopp”

“For “Battledrum” is not just a play about three drummer boys. It is a sensory experience and an education melded together. Indeed, the Sierra Madre Playhouse has teamed with the Sierra Madre Community Foundation to bring busloads of students to weekday productions. This educational outreach will offer tastes of a little-known chapter in history and a taste of live theater to young people.”

“I am not usually a big fan of historical dramas or musicals. Yet I was both entertained and touched by the West Coast Premiere of the musical, Battledrum at the Sierra Madre Playhouse “

“Well written and well acted Battledrum is an enjoyable evening of theatre.”

You can see more at: http://losangeles.bitter-lemons.com/2014/03/18/battledrum-51-bittersweet/#sthash.fR4vJreK.dpuf

Thank you to all who came out to support local theater, and I hope you enjoyed it!

the above picture is me as Mother with my son, Rufus (played by James Simenc in the photo). The picture below was taken backstage as Cutter with the Captain played by Will Cespedes.