{"id":82004,"date":"2013-08-16T08:29:59","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T12:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=82004"},"modified":"2013-08-22T08:27:31","modified_gmt":"2013-08-22T12:27:31","slug":"all-the-worlds-a-stage-for-alumna-talia-thiesfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2013\/08\/all-the-worlds-a-stage-for-alumna-talia-thiesfield\/","title":{"rendered":"All the World’s a Stage for Alumna Talia Thiesfield"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn alumna Talia Thiesfield \u201911 (SFA) is an actress and vocalist who has performed on stages across the country and appeared in numerous films and commercials, alongside musicians and Broadway performers, and on such TV shows as \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live.\u201d In this special to UConn Today, she talks with UConn alum and writer Bessy Reyna \u201970 MA, \u201982 JD about her background, her start in theater, and her work on the stage, which recently included a role in musical mystery \u201cLMNOP\u201d at the Goodspeed Opera House in Chester, Conn.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Talia<\/a>
Talia Thiesfield ’11 (SFA). (Photo by Brian Offidani)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

BR: Where are your parents from? Did they speak Spanish at home?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT:<\/b> My parents are both first-generation Caribbean New Yorkers. My father\u2019s side is from Haiti, and my mother\u2019s side is Puerto Rican. Though Spanish wasn\u2019t spoken regularly in my home, my grandparents and other family members would often speak in Spanish, so I can understand fluently. As far as speaking goes … well … I\u2019m much more fluent in Spanglish. <\/b><\/p>\n

BR: Do you identify yourself as Latina\/Hispanic?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT: <\/b>Claro! I\u2019m a very proud puertorrique\u00f1a!<\/b><\/p>\n

BR: Where did you grow up?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT:<\/b> I was born in Connecticut, though growing up I told people I was from New York City so people would think I was cool. Now that I\u2019m older and have lived in both New York and Los Angeles, I truly appreciate my Connecticut roots. I appreciate the \u201ccountry\u201d life more, and I miss things when I\u2019m gone for too long, like trees and stars.<\/p>\n

BR: When did you become interested in the theater?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT: <\/b>I come from an artistic family. My father is a photographer, and both my parents made sure to expose me to a great deal of music, art, and theater as a child. I remember attending the Hartford Ballet and seeing exhibits at the Wadsworth Atheneum [in Hartford] at an early age. Also, every Sunday my parents would ONLY play either jazz or classical music. My father had box sets of all the classic composers \u2013 Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky … So it was only natural that I had a love of the arts early on. My interest in theater specifically began when I was about 10 years old and watched Audrey Hepburn in the movie version of \u201cMy Fair Lady.\u201d I was singing and doing the accent for weeks, driving my mother nuts. She eventually enrolled me in a theater camp.<\/p>\n

BR: What was your first play? What are the memories you have of that experience? <\/b><\/p>\n

TT: <\/b>Aye, this is one of my mom\u2019s favorite stories! I went to a theater camp at the University of Hartford when I was 10 years old, and we did a production of \u201cThe Wiz.\u201d I desperately wanted to play the part of the lion. I wanted to paint my face and wear the costume, and roar and growl at everyone. I always liked being a character. So, I auditioned. When they announced the roles the next day, I learned I had been cast as Dorothy \u2013 the lead. I was so devastated! I went home and cried for hours. Well, after the first day of rehearsals, let\u2019s just say I got used to being the star pretty quickly! I continued performing with that same group for about five years, and I credit the program director, Tobi Silver, with being the first to encourage my interest and skill for what would be my future career.<\/p>\n

BR: Do you have a favorite playwright or play?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT: <\/b>I am a bit of a Shakespeare buff. I think I read my first Shakespeare play at the age of 8. I also love the plays \u201cSeven Guitars\u201d by August Wilson and \u201cBy The Way, Meet Vera Stark\u201d by Lynn Nottage. I enjoy slice-of-life plays \u2013 shows that give you a peek inside someone else\u2019s world. The musical \u201cIn the Heights\u201d also holds a special place in my heart. Not only is it a heartfelt peek inside the life of Latinos living in New York City, but the whole show really has a heartbeat like a conga! I mean, the sabor<\/i> just really gets into your system. No matter who you are or where you\u2019re from, you fall in love with the characters, their culture, their pride and tenacity.<\/p>\n

\"Talia<\/a>
Talia Thiesfield as Poppi McGregor in ‘LMNOP’ at the Goodspeed Opera House, July 25-Aug. 18, 2013. (Photo by Ari Uzi Co.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BR: You have participated in plays in different places in the U.S.; do you have a favorite theater where you have performed?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT: <\/b>I\u2019ve had the good fortune to work in different theaters around the country, and I\u2019ve found that it is the most unassuming places that are the most enjoyable. In all honesty, I am absolutely loving working for the Goodspeed<\/a> right now. The location in Chester is just stunning, the people are kind and so supportive, and the staff really cares about their team and their actors. I also have very fond memories of the times I\u2019ve worked in the Berkshires [at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Colonial Theater]. It\u2019s always an added bonus to be doing what you love in a beautiful setting.<\/p>\n

BR: Aside from the theater, have you also worked in movies and TV? Do you prefer one type of acting to the other?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT: <\/b>I\u2019ve done film, TV, voiceovers, theater, and live concert performances, and each one has both benefits and disadvantages. The one thing I truly love about doing theater is the opportunity to work on building something from scratch over the course of a longer period of time. Film and television work on a much faster schedule and often don\u2019t require all actors to work with each other. There are some movies where one actor may never even meet another actor if they don\u2019t share a scene together. The director of the show I’m working on now here at the Goodspeed \u2013 Joe Calarco \u2013 said it best on the first day of rehearsal: In the theater, we get to make \u201cinsta-families.\u201d And it\u2019s true! I\u2019ve made lifelong friends while working in the theater and on stage productions. There\u2019s a certain satisfaction in the theater that I think is harder to achieve in other mediums.<\/p>\n

BR: Your next project?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT:<\/b> I have an audition for another show coming up this week, so we will see! I am also in the process of remounting and redeveloping a show I produced and performed in New York last April called \u201cFunky Divas,\u201d which features music made famous by R&B girl groups of the \u201990s.<\/p>\n

BR: What do you do for fun?<\/b><\/p>\n

TT:<\/b> I love television. I\u2019m a bit of a TV junkie, so I catch up on my favorite shows during my free time. I also love trying new food, spending time at the beach, reading, and exploring New York City when I have time. And seeing shows, of course! I have some amazingly talented friends who are doing brilliant work on Broadway. I highly recommend taking the trip to see some of the shows that are running right now. One night at the theater can be life-changing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actress and vocalist Talia Thiesfield ’11 (SFA) talks about her background, her start in theater, and her work on the stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":82011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[117],"class_list":["post-82004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 23:49:06","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82004"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82163,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82004\/revisions\/82163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/82011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82004"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=82004"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=82004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}