Meet Bekah Medford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bekah Medford.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bekah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I guess this sounds kind of cliche but for as long as I remember I have been performing. I believe I was Jesus in a Church Christmas play though that’s not where I caught the bug, My mom put my sister and me in competitive dance. Thought that ended after several years of hissy fits while pulling our hair into buns, it is what allowed me to be in my first full show as Alice in the Alice in Wonderland ballet and I never stopped. I spent my summers in performing arts camps, and evenings after school in voice lessons, and took part in any school or community theatre plays I could get my hands on. I was very lucky my parents were so willingly to drive me and my sister around to our different activities.

I attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA and the theatre program there truly changed my life. Steven Jones, who recently passed away, led a theatre program that felt professional, challenging and motivating. He was one of my first professors who treated me like an adult and not only pushed me to be better but taught me how to push myself. This is a skill I definitely found useful in college and even more in the “real” world. His passion for theatre speaks to me in that over half of my friends from that theatre program are working professionally in the entertainment field. Thank you, Jones!

Fast forward, I ended attending Young Harris College in North Georgia with a scholarship in Musical Theatre… While it is a beautiful campus in the middle of the mountains, there wasn’t much work to be down theatre wise outside of the school. I was eager to be doing more and ended up doing Character Performance for a semester at Disney World. The rest of my college experience was a full adventure. I got the chance to be Home Coming Queen (which is still crazy to me.) I was the President of our Drama Society, a Fraternity Sweetheart, lead in several Musical and straight plays, and just an all around busy person.

I graduated and jumped into an Apprenticeship with Georgia Ensemble Theatre, a professional theatre in Roswell, GA that I am lucky to call home. I have since performed or worked with other professional theatre including: Dunwoody’s Stage Door, The Weird Sisters, Serenbe, Gypsy Theatre, TellTales, and others. Most people view theatre as an evening event, but I spent several years touring to elementary schools in Junie B. Jones the Musical with GET or as The Tooth fairy.

Currently, I am working on jumping into the Film world and I am loving it. I am taking classes, creating my own art and feel like I am growing so much as a person. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for not only my career but all my fellow Atlanta Actors!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think the biggest struggle for me was after leaving college and my theatre apprenticeship I had always been used to being a part of a community that I saw pretty much every day. Once I was on my own, I felt a lack of identity. I wasn’t actually sure where I fit in or what my purpose was to people around me. As professional performers, we are constantly jumping between projects and jobs. While this is a great thing because it means we are working, it’s a struggle because our “community” often shifts around a bit. Adjusting to this is hard, it takes commitment to maintaining friendships and connections even once you switch projects. I’m lucky to be involved with Shakespeare On Draught which is one of my favorite communities in ATL. We all are working performers who come together to create art every few months just because we love it. Come join us if you’re looking for a great community and see some hilarious, under-rehearsed Shakespeare!

Bekah Medford – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
So anyone who knows me know I work ALL the jobs! Theatre performers honestly don’t get paid what they should so most of us do work several other jobs. Currently, I am balancing five different jobs along with whatever theatre/film gigs I get. They range from being a Tooth Fairy at Elementary schools to Directing kids at the Marcus Jewish Center — all of them performance-related in some way. Though jumping around to different places can be a struggle with Atlanta traffic, I find so much meaning in my other jobs. One of my jobs I find most meaningful is being a Standardized Patient for Emory University. Emory hires actors to portray different medical conditions for their med students. From dealing with teenagers, overdoses, or mental health cases, I think this is extremely important because you cannot teach bedside manner in books. It needs to be experienced!

Working all these jobs, I am able to interact with so many different types of people. As a performer, I feel like this helps me relate to any different character I get the chance to play. People who know me as a friend typically want to see me do comedy because I, for the most part, am sweet and quirky. BUT I feel like working on characters that most people find mean or heartbroken are characters that I can really dive into. I love figuring out what makes a character tick or why they are the way they are. I feel like doing this for the characters I play also helps me understand people around me as well.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I thinking defining success is hard. I just try and think about how at the end of my life I want to look back and be happy. I apply that to each day as well. Of course, things will happen that make me sad, or angry or hurt but if I can find the people and activities that bring me joy surrounding those other feelings I will feel “successful.” So I will continue to work my several jobs and pursue my dream career, doing the best I can do while surrounding my self with people I love because I know that if I look back on THAT life, I will smile.

Contact Info:

• Email: Bekah.Medford@gmail.com
• Instagram: @bekmedford
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bekah.medford

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