Samantha Karlin is full of energy in the Tower Caf?© on a dreary Monday morning. Expressive and engaging, she takes a few moments to share her thoughts about the center of her busy life: music and theater.
Many will remember Karlin as Yonah in Torn Ticket II's "Children of Eden," as well as Nancy in "A New Brain." But this soprano's beginnings go quite a few years back.
"I was lucky enough to have a professional theater - the Gateway's Candlewood Playhouse [in New Fairfield, Conn.] - just a few minutes from my house," she said. "But they wouldn't cast children younger than eight."
Her older sister played the title role of Annie in the musical when Karlin was about five years old.
"I remember being in the audience and thinking, 'I want to be onstage.' I always knew I wanted to be onstage - it runs in the family!"
Karlin not only made it to the stage, but became a regular in Gateway's productions throughout her school years. Having appeared in shows such as "Carousel" and "Evita" on a professional level, this summer she is getting ready to embark on an international tour of "Titanic" with the company.
Rehearsals begin in July in New York, with tours planned for China and Japan. In addition to traveling and sharing the stage with some great talents, Karlin will experience another type of first-hand benefit: "Getting paid for doing what you love is amazing!"
Karlin described herself as a "more freelance" performer. She has had agents in the past, but most of her roles have come from her own initiative. At Tufts, she has participated in Torn Ticket II, the Opera Ensemble, acting classes, Bare Bodkin skits, short films and voice lessons.
In addition to musicals, Karlin is interested in opera. Recently, she sang the role of Nora in "Riders to the Sea" and Zerlina in scenes from "Don Giovanni" with the Opera Ensemble. She studies voice with Carol Mastrodomenico, and together they work to strengthen and further develop Karlin's soprano range.
"Studying opera is the hardest thing, much more than musical theater," Karlin said.
In addition to developing a stronger vocal foundation, studying arias has prepared Karlin's voice for a greater variety of roles and expression.
Karlin described college theater as "having no limits." In comparison to high school shows, she believes that her experience at Tufts has taken her to higher levels both professionally and interpersonally. "It doesn't matter how avant-garde you are," she said, "there is so much talent here - it's amazing. People at Tufts will go so far. For example, my current director, Brendan Shea, is brilliant."
Of course, the theatrical life is more than just glamour. Karlin acknowledged that show biz can be tough; it is often based on appearances, typecasting, and being in the right place at the right time.
"Luck has a lot to do with it," Karlin said. "Talent is important, of course, but so much of it is timing. The lure of living from what I thrive on is a phenomenal thing."
The bane of an actor's existence? "Auditions!" she laughed. "Singing and nerves don't go well together, being nervous can alter your breathing and vibrato, and you can start pushing it."
To increase confidence at auditions, Karlin encouraged preparing as much as possible. Ultimately, she explained that one needs to convey a seemingly effortless sound - with, of course, lots of hidden endeavor.
Despite spending the majority of her time in Aidekman, at the moment this young star is not planning to major in theater. "The thing about loving theater, as opposed to something like medicine, is that there's no guarantee no matter how good you are. I get to do what I love - but am I going to make it? Who knows?"
Luckily, Karlin has many diverse interests: psychology, writing and increasing bias awareness. With so many varied hobbies, Karlin does not yet know what she wants to do after college, but has some big ideas. "I want to teach children about discrimination before it gets to them; I'm really interested in how children's minds develop, and how to combat prejudices," she said.
For Karlin, the focus of any performance is the audience. "I want to connect with the audience as much as possible. If I'm doing a sad scene and nobody cries, I haven't done my job. Without the audience, theater wouldn't exist!"
Clearly, the stage is a huge part of her identity. "I want to make my voice as beautiful as it can be," she says.
