Take Your Blog Reader To Work Day: Cara Cooper

It's been quite a while since we did one of these. I believe the last one was Gwen's interview with Todd from Fafarazzi.

Anyway, the point of Take Your Blog Reader To Work Day is to bring you interviews with interesting, innovative, provocative, and sometimes unruly people out in the world living their dreams and being successful at it.

Today, please welcome Broadway performer Cara Cooper, who is currently traveling the country in the National Tour of Spamalot. Previously shows include the original Broadway casts of Legally Blonde, The Wedding Singer, All Shook Up, and Urban Cowboy. Oh, and she also played my daughter in the Sparta High School production of Fiddler on the Roof a long, long time ago. LOL!

Amanda: Cara, thanks for joining Fictionistas today. One of our favorite themes here is following your dreams. How did you get started in your career?

Cara: Well, I guess I officially got my start in the performing arts when I was about a year old and I was cast in a "Huggies" commercial. When it came time to shoot, however, I had learned how to walk and wouldn't crawl for the spot like the director wanted...so I was fired, ha! I did bounce back and do several commercials after that, but as I got older, I got sick of going in and out of NY so I quit showbiz. Who knew that years later I would attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts for musical theater and start all over again in the "biz" I was lucky enough to have an agent see me perform in a show in college and immediately start to freelance with me. I booked my first show before I graduated and actually left school a couple of weeks early (and finished my school work while I was rehearsing the show). So I didn't get to walk in my graduation, but that night I was performing in a production of "A Chorus Line" playing Val and living my dream.

Amanda: What has been your favorite role? Your favorite show?

Cara: Hmmmm...this is always a tough one. I have had the opportunity to play so many different parts and understudy even more, and each one means something different to me. I always learn something new about myself and my craft with every role I play. I don't know if I could choose. As far as favorite shows are concerned, it's the same story. That wasn't a very good answer was it? Sorry!

Amanda: What type of training is needed to make it on Broadway?

Cara: Everyone's road to Broadway is different so it is difficult to say. First and foremost though, you have to have a thick skin! You have to be willing to be rejected so many times before you get there. So perseverance is key. Of course, training is of the utmost importance as well. I spent so much of my youth dancing and that training has definitely been a huge factor in my Broadway career. Training in just dancing however, is not enough. You have to be a triple threat - a singer, a dancer, and most importantly an actor. You have to be able to tell stories through music, movement, and dialogue. And truly, the training never, ends. I am still taking classes, trying to better myself and my craft.

Amanda: What is a typical day like for you?

Cara: Well, right now, I am on the National Tour of Spamalot with my husband. My days are usually focused on working out, exploring whatever city it is that we are performing in and taking care of my dog, Lucy, taking her on walks and to the park. Around 5pm I try to sit for a bit and get a little rest before my "work day" begins. I get to the theater an hour before the show starts in order to get ready. In addition, I am an understudy in this show so once every two weeks I have a 4 hour rehearsal on a non matinee day, and when we are putting new people into the show, we will also have rehearsals then. After the show, my husband and I might watch a movie or get together with cast mates, but we try to go to bed at a decent hour which is hard to do because your adrenaline is running from performing. It sounds like a very leisurely life, but it takes alot of energy to do 8 shows a week so it is necessary to have the time to rest.

The difference when I am working on Broadway is that many of my days are also spent auditioning for new shows, so life gets alot more busy.

Amanda: Think back to good ol' Sparta High. Did you see yourself living a different life than you are now?

Cara: I definitely dreamt of being on Broadway, but I am not sure I fully understood what that meant. I am part of a truly tremendous community of artists and individuals and I feel so lucky for that. I also never dreamt that I would meet my future husband while doing a show, and that 6 years after we met we would be traveling the country together working in the same show and sharing a passion for what we do.

Amanda: If you could go back in time and tell TeenCara one really cool thing about her future, what would that be?

Cara: That she would perform on the Tony Awards! I always remember watching them with my family and just thinking that maybe someday I would get to do that, and I did!

Amanda: OK, fine. Now you're making me jealous. I always wanted to perform on the Tonys! Anyway, moving on. We talk about prom a lot on this blog, do you have a good prom story?

Cara: Hmmm...this is a tough one. I definitely loved the prom, getting dressed up and putting on makeup and everything. I am not sure that I have a good story about it....sorry.... again!

Amanda: Our signature interview question. You're stranded on a deserted island and your iPod only has 3 songs on it. What do you hope they are?

Cara: Oh geez! This is really tough. Well, they would have to be three really different songs...one would be "Electricity" from Billy Elliot the musical. I am obsessed with that show right now. The way Billy expresses what if feels like to dance really sums up the feelings that got me involved in the performing arts. Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides" would be a really great song to reflect on while stuck in the middle of the ocean. And the last spot would go to Jason Mraz's "The Remedy" to keep me from worrying about getting off the island!

Amanda: Do you have anything you want to plug?

Cara: I would just encourage everyone to support the arts!!!!! See a show at your community theater, a national tour, on Broadway, or put one on yourself!

***

Thanks for joining us, Cara! And since you refused to elaborate on prom, here's a picture of us from dance class 20 years ago...MWAHAHA!



(I'm second from the right on the front row, and Cara is two down from me -- the blonde in the middle.)

Take Your Blog Reader to Work: Welcome Nathan Bransford

We're starting a new blog feature at Fictionistas called Take Your Blog Reader to Work Day in which we shall go forth and find you interesting, innovative, provacative and sometimes unruly people out in the world living their dreams and being successful at it. We've discussed following your dreams on the blog before--but in case you weren't paying attention--the gist of it is: you should totally do it.

Today we are showcasing literary agent Nathan Bransford with the Curtis Brown, Ltd. agency. He also has a fantastic blog for all things writerly. Whether you are looking for representation or not, you'll find something there you like (especially if you like The Hills). Nathan was also up for a prestigious award at Gawker.com--but I'll let him fill you in on that one.

Nathan, thank you for joining us today. For our readers unfamiliar with the publishing industry, what is a literary agent? What is your favorite part of the job?

A literary agent fulfills such a wide range of functions it’s difficult to summarize. Basically we manage every facet of the publishing process for the author. We submit book projects to the editors we have carefully chosen and networked with, we negotiate offers and contracts using our experience and expertise, we make sure every part of the book process is taken care of, we explore subrights and licensing opportunities, and ultimately we help build the author’s career. We also provide editorial and marketing guidance, and, of course, therapy.

I love just about every aspect of the job, but it’s particularly gratifying to know that I’m contributing, in my own way, to making great books happen. I also love working with my clients, who are all wonderful.

What is a typical day like?

I get in around 8:00 and send and read e-mails most of the day. I’ll follow-up with publishers on tasks that need to be accomplished and money that needs to be sent, I’ll prepare projects for submission and follow up on others, negotiate contracts, answer queries… lots of staring at the computer. I head home around 5:00 and do all my reading during nights and weekends. I try and squeeze in a lunch break in there, which is typically when I blog.

When did you decide you wanted to be a literary agent and what drew you to the field?

When I took creative writing classes in college I found that I enjoyed critiquing manuscripts more than I enjoyed the actual writing part, so I knew I wanted to go into publishing. I moved to San Francisco and saw a job opening for an assistant to the President of Curtis Brown, which was ridiculously serendipitous because there are very few publishing jobs in San Francisco and I landed with Peter Ginsberg, one of the best agents in publishing. He has been an incredible mentor for me. I started in the San Francisco office, moved to New York for a few years to get that experience, and now I’m back here in San Francisco.

When you think back to your high school years, are you surprised at the turns your life has made? Is this where you expected to be?

When I was in high school I actually thought I wanted to work in the movie business in some non-acting capacity, but I think I ultimately made a good choice because my personality is much more suited to the publishing industry.

You are pretty young in relation to the rest of your industry. Has that helped or hindered the forward momentum of your career?

It’s tough being a young person in publishing, I’m not going to lie. This industry is not growing very quickly, if at all, and there is a great deal of competition for every project. Meanwhile, it feels like there are more and more agents every day. So not only am I competing with the other young people in publishing, I’m also up against people who have been in the industry for a very long time. Now, that said, I’ve been very blessed with wonderful mentors who have been very supportive of me, I feel like I can hold my own against those other agents, and I definitely feel that my familiarity with technology has helped me. I’m very pleased with how far I’ve come, but this industry is not one for the impatient.

How do you feel about the Gawker poll? And how many times can we vote without being called a stalker?

I was 50% flattered and 50% horrified. I had no idea about any of it until someone sent me the link. Voting is finished and I seem to have come in second, but, you know, sometimes you win by losing.

(Edited by Gwen to add: It isn't for lack of my votes that he didn't win. I have more than one computer. Just sayin.)

What was life like for Nathan Bransford when he was 16? Were you a happy guy? Jock, Nerd, Artist? If you could pick a character from any teen movie or television show out there, which character represents teen-you the most? Bonus points if you pick someone from the 80's.


I grew up in a very small farming town and went to school with pretty much the exact same people from kindergarten all through high school, so we didn’t really segregate ourselves into types. We knew each other far too well for that. I’d say I was a nerd who didn’t get stuffed in the trash can, and I got along with most everyone. I played some sports (not too hard at a school of 400) and did extra-curriculars to the point of exhaustion. As far as a character from a teen movie…. Hmmm… I’d probably go with that kid from Can’t Hardly Wait who goes from a nerd to being cool at the party back to being a nerd again.


We ask all our guests to provide us with a prom picture from their high school days. Feel free to attach. No really, I'm serious.


Sorry, those records are permanently sealed.


If you went back in time to visit your teen self, what random piece of advice would you tell TeenNathan?


Teen Nathan, you should learn all you can about farming while you’re in Colusa because when you go out into the real world and people have random questions about farming because your parents are farmers, they get really confused when you don’t know very much.


If you were stranded on a deserted island and your iPod had only three songs on it, which would you hope they were?


Wow, that’s a tough one! I figure I’ll be there a while so I guess I better choose long songs:
“To Here Knows When” – My Bloody Valentine
“I Heard You Looking” – Yo La Tengo
“Etude in E (#3)” – Frederic Chopin


Use this space to plug whatever you want:


Please visit my blog! And thanks very much for this opportunity.