When one thinks of a great performer, their origin is imagined as some explosion of talent seen once a decade, with an intense calling to the profession. Most of the time, the backstory falls a little more on the mundane side. In Reid Tomasson’s case, it was as simple as his parents saying:

     “Want to try theater?”

     “Sure”

     And his acting career began. 

     His 2010 performance in“Seussical” at St. Bede Academy served as a precursor to the next 10 years spent acting, directing, and working with local theaters and performances. 

     Theater is generally considered both a stressful and rewarding hobby. Tomasson confirms it, saying that connecting with so many people in such a short period of time before a show and connecting with the audience was the best part. 

     On the other side of it, the negatives are how time consuming it is, with long rehearsals multiple times a week, and having to deal with tech week. In terms of theater interfering with schoolwork, it isn’t a problem for him.

      “As long as you’re smart about how you delegate your hours it’s not too difficult,” said Tomasson. 

     On top of being time consuming, the stress is a lot to handle. He marked this in a quote about the burned out feeling one can get, saying “You think, god I want a break, and when you’re taking a break you think, god I wanna get back into it”. 

     After acting in multiple shows and working on a couple kids’ shows here and there, he directed a full show, “First Date,” at Stage 212 this last winter. The production was a clear success, nearly selling out every night. 

     While he performs at IVCC shows now, he doesn’t plan to continue in acting for the rest of his life. His goal is to eventually work in the film industry. When asked about theater and its usefulness for those involved, Tomasson stated, “While it helps my field especially, it helps everyone with public speaking and working with others as well.”