Mercer Artist: Talented sophomore lands a lead

The world of acting can be pretty daunting for some people. But when Tiara Watkins, a sophomore transfer student, came to auditions for Mercer Theatre’s upcoming show, “The Christians,” she ended up landing a lead role.

Watkins has been participating in theater since her freshman year of high school. She has performed in a wide range of shows, with varying degrees of roles. During her first show, Watkins said she only had two lines. By the time she was a senior in high school, she was competing in Literary, a speech and recitation competition, and going to Thescon, a nationwide theater conference.

Watkins said that in high school, she was more reserved and quiet. This resulted in her having to constantly show her director that she could be a good actor.

“I learned that everyone’s not gonna like what you do,” Watkins said.

At her previous college, University of West Georgia, Watkins also participated in theater, where she won several awards for acting. She said she really enjoyed portraying Alma in West Georgia’s production of “Mother Hicks.”

Watkins feels like she has been able to adapt to being in a show here at Mercer, and feels quite at home at Tattnall Square Center for the Arts. She is very excited to be working on this show and is very interested in the character she will be portraying.

“I play the Congregant, her name is Jenny, and she is a member who is very dedicated to the church. She gives a lot, and she’s very invested… she’s gone through a lot and she has some financial issues,” Watkins said. “She is kinda, more understanding of what the Pastor is trying to say and is just trying to get answers.”

Watkins is a huge fan of theater and loves being a part of it. She said that her favorite part of theater is the performance.

“Performing and everything, I just love it,” she said. “It’s just fun to dive in and get to know the character and show the audience you love this character too.”

Watkins said she would pursue a career in acting if she could.

“Hopefully if things work out in my favor I will definitely do it,” Watkins said. “I definitely know I want to work in film and television for sure. So whether that’s writing or producing or the business side of it...something. I am going to do something with it.”

Watkins said that it is important to learn the behind-the-scenes and technical aspects of theater so that even if you don’t make it as an actor, you still have knowledge about it. For people who are aspiring actors, or are unsure if they want to pursue acting, Watkins said the best advice is to just audition.

“Please do it. I think it’s better to just go ahead and do it instead of wonder like ‘oh I should have done that’... just do it. Because if it’s something that you want to do, chances are you’re gonna like it,” Watkins said.

Watkins will perform in “The Christians” starting on Feb. 21 at Tattnall Square Center for the Arts. For more information, you can visit Tattnall’s website (tattnall.mercer.edu) or find Mercer University Theatre on Facebook.