Teresa Langford
Quick note from Peter: Teresa is a member of the 2019/2020 Professional Training Company at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, an elite year-long program at one of the nation’s finest regional theatres nurturing artists in their artistic growth, facilitating professional connections, and providing performance opportunities in the Mainstage season, as well as the Humana Festival of New American Plays.
Beyond that, Teresa is a gift of a human. Her talent is enormous, her creativity is refreshing, and her humanity is inspiring. As Teresa mourns the loss of the end of her apprenticeship, you’ll find she’s pivoted gracefully into gratitude, perspective, and a goal of connecting with Rihanna. (We’re rooting for you, T!) We’re all searching for meaning and purpose as we deal with the grief of the moments we’re losing. Teresa teaches us how to do that with insightful words, a celebration of life, and some memes that are far too relatable.
What were you looking forward to that you lost because of COVID-19?
Oof. Definitely the experience of attending and performing in the 44th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. As a member of the 2019/2020 Professional Training Company, me and my 37 other company members traveled from all over the country (leaving our friends, families, jobs) to spend our year leading up to this one event. To lose out on what that meant for me and my friends was sad.
Overcoming a challenging year within our company, from personal events to the institutional restructuring, the Humana Festival was our celebration of the spirit at Actors Theatre, and a moment where the entire nation’s eyes were on the work of OUR family in Louisville. Having made it through the bulk of our crew work and individual tracks in our disciplines, we were told from staff and apprentices past that the Festival was the thing: the memories made, doorways opened to future work (specifically for actors, a chance to showcase in front of professionals and obtain potential representation/auditions/job offers), parties and openings and art, and drinks at good ol’ BBC with some of the country’s leading theatre-makers. For me personally, no matter what challenges I faced, nothing would compare to the whirlwind of joy that March and April would bring — to celebrate our community, celebrate my company of apprentices and our blood/sweat/and tears (literally), and to celebrate the TRULY incredible stories that were being told by our collaborators (seriously the lineup was insane). I felt so lucky to share the lounge with the artists I looked up to and have only read about and now I was rehearsing RIGHT next to them — I MEAN!!!! It was built up so high for all of us and the whole year people kept saying, “just wait until Humana”, and I felt so honored to be a part of the work that was being done. Also, not going to lie, after spending years in New York as a non-equity actor with no representation, I was also excited to ride the momentum of it all to level up my own artistic career.
It was really devastating for all of us to have it unravel so quickly. For a lot of us, me included, it meant packing up my apartment in 24 hours and getting on an airplane without saying goodbye. Because of what we were hearing about New York and information was all over the place, I was afraid for the health of my family, for the travel bans that might happen, and for contracting the virus. Not having that celebration, that closure, to properly honor the work everyone at Actors Theatre had accomplished was the hardest part. Being together for the past seven months, it was my greatest joy to celebrate my fellow actors and dramaturgs and directors and designers and watch them grow. It was no one’s fault (except MISS RONA), but when I got home and let myself journal and process what had occurred, for me it felt like we were all robbed of our opportunity to be seen and celebrated. I was unable to say goodbye to more than half the people who I met let alone to the work we had all put our hearts and souls into for so long.
What is something (a thought, a family member, a hope, a piece of art, a meme, a song, ANYTHING) that is getting you through?
The moment I re-entered living with my parents (Oh! Forgot to mention that we were all on living stipends from the theatre and food stamps being apprentices, so I would say the majority of my company is back in with mom and dad!), I bought a journal. For me, it has been my saving grace. Being able to process my anxiety, the news, the dynamics of (as an adult woman who the last time lived with her parents was HIGH SCHOOL) living with my entire immediate family has been INVALUABLE. I’m really trying to not put pressure on myself to be grinding right now. My tendency when I feel out of control is to try and hyper control (relationships, self-taping, content creating, exercise, etc.) and I feel like as an artist, the days where I sit in my sweatpants on my parent’s front porch watching hours of Love is Blind can be as important for me as working out twice before noon, memorizing 3 Shakespeare monologues in one day, writing a play, and listening to 8 hours of actor podcasts and taking copious notes on how they “made it” (no joke I did this, and I realize now typing this the extent of my neuroses).In conclusion, my journal. Also, FaceTiming my f-ing friends and family!! Oh, and also all of the tweets/memes about talking to inanimate objects during quarantine. I have to laugh. *see below at bottom feature*
What do you think has an opportunity to change as a result of this time to reset?
I think what’s so exciting right now is theatre artists finding new and ways to keep what we do alive. People are down to collaborate and engage. I’ve been in live-stream masterclasses with people like Suzan Lori Parks for playwrighting, Jeremy O’Harris liked one of my tweets (this is stupid but it meant A GREAT DEAL TO ME), and I’ve been tuning into “Instagram lives” of agents and managers and casting directors (shout out to Kat & Peter and their NoMarking Panel!!!) talking about the business. I’m like, WHEN would I ever have thought that I’d be asking SUZAN LORI PARKS a question on ZOOM about my chaotic COVID play????? It feels like to me, artists right now (or at least the artists I’m looking to, though I haven’t been able to reach my queen Rihanna…yet), are hugging and cradling each other through the interwebs — holding each others’ art up via Zoom reading, or self-tape workshop, or even just validating each other in Instagram DMs that they, too, have spent the last three days eating lasagna in their bathtubs. There’s so much access right now and desire to connect that I really hope continues when this is all over. In one of my productivity spirals, I came across a keynote speech by Todd London on HowlRound that he was supposed to deliver for Kansas City Rep’s New Works Festival. In the speech there was a part that literally moved me to tears: “At the same time, I know that the people who make theatre, raised on risk, accustomed to crisis, and trained in improvisation, are also the perfect crew to have around when making a new, healthier, more just and beautiful world. And also plays.”
Artists are scrappy and gritty! Storytelling plays an ENORMOUS part in helping build and question the values of the world we live in. I hope this reset allows for us to continue that work, make it ACCESSIBLE to EVERYONE, and provide entertainment, empathy, and opportunities for dialogue and community. That’s a world and a job I’d sign up to be a part of for sure!!!
Anything else you'd like our readers to know during this time?
Please support your local restaurant workers. It’s so cliche, but as a New York City bartender, I can say most of the people that I have worked with over my years are struggling creatives. Don’t be racist.
Wash your hands.
Watch this little girl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CDT0cwGKxY
Quarantine Quickly:
Favorite snack: This is so bizarre, but I’m living with my brother in law (who grew up in Thailand) and I’ve been BINGING his homemade curry.
Home workout routine (you know, if you're into that): As a high functioning anxious person I am most DEFINITELY into that!!! My local gym’s live streams and Zoom workshops have been SAVING MY LIFE (shout out Krank Brooklyn for driving kettlebells to peoples homes and Lysol-ing them) #shamelessplug
What are you watching: What am I NOT watching. I’ve been simultaneously binging Jack Ryan on Amazon and Succession (holy shit how am I so late to the game on this!!), and absolutely ABUSING my brothers Disney Plus account he so graciously shared with me.
What you are reading: I’ve got In the Pockets of Small Gods by my favorite spoken word poet, Anis Mojgani and I’m a couple chapters into The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. With a play or an acting book in the rotation every now and again.
Yes or no… Out of pajamas before noon?: Absolutely not. Also, bras only permitted temporarily for workout purposes only and then discarded.
