Get The Education You Want When They Say No!

Welcome to another exciting episode of "Dance Colleges & Careers", where we dive into the fascinating world of performing arts. In this episode, we're thrilled to have Megan Tatum, a talented performer and choreographer based in Richmond, Virginia, as our special guest.

Megan's journey in the world of dance began at the prestigious Chesterfield School of Ballet and the School of Richmond Ballet, where she trained under the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus. However, after graduating from a performing arts magnet high school with a major in modern dance choreography and performance, Megan found herself at a crossroads, wondering if dance would still be a part of her future.

Her path took an unexpected turn when she moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, to pursue studies at the College of William and Mary. Initially considering dance as a hobby left behind, Megan discovered her passion for musical theatre and decided to craft a unique major in the Integration of Dance, Music, and Theatre Performance. Alongside, she pursued a double major in Kinesiology and Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Sciences Pre-Physical Therapy.

Megan's journey unfolds with unexpected opportunities during her junior year, leading her to become the dance swing at Busch Gardens and kickstarting her professional performing career. Her talents have graced renowned companies such as Olney Theatre Center, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Barter Theatre, Midtown Arts Center, Virginia Musical Theatre, Riverside Dinner Theatre, and Alluvion Stage Company.

Beyond the stage, Megan has also made a mark in the realm of physical therapy, collaborating with major Broadway and ballet companies, including the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Imagine going backstage on iconic shows like Matilda and Wicked – Megan has experienced it all.

Join us as Megan shares her inspiring journey, from contemplating the end of her dance career to becoming a versatile performer, choreographer, and a behind-the-scenes player in the world of physical therapy for Broadway and ballet. Get ready for an episode filled with passion, resilience, and the magic that happens when one follows their heart in the world of performing arts. Tune in now!

Transcript

Megan Tatum (Miller) Podcast

BRITTANY: [00:00:00] 

[00:00:00] Introduction and Background

BRITTANY: Hi, everyone. Welcome to Dance Colleges and Careers. Today, we have Megan Tatum coming to you from Richmond, Virginia. And Megan and I actually go way, way back. We went to a summer dance intensive together in 2009. We went to NCSA, or, nope, that year it changed to UNCSA.

MEGAN: It did,

BRITTANY: University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Yes. So all of the merch went way on sale. 

[00:00:25] Megan's Initial College Journey

BRITTANY: Megan has a really interesting background because she did not go to college for dance.

She initially went for PT. Is that right?

MEGAN: Yeah, I initially actually started as pre med. Was on doing it ever again. but shifted it around a little bit as I

BRITTANY: Tell us about that. She ended up creating her own major 

MEGAN: Give you some background, it's definitely it's very strange. And I saw that, okay, I made this choice of college, and it's going to really limit my ability to perform. So I'm going to have fun doing it maybe on the side as an extracurricular in college.

And then I'll never dance again. That was the plan.[00:01:00] before that, I actually went to a performing arts high school. we were a magnet school, which was funded by the county, which was great. So none of us had to pay anything, but you had to apply to get in. I was, I went there and did their dance track, which was heavily focused on modern dance, choreography, and performance.

So when I met Brittany, actually at UNCSA, I was the ballet major because I was like, I'd get modern at school. I want to do ballet for the summer. 

BRITTANY: Yeah. 

MEGAN: I picked. and then. 

[00:01:25] Choosing the Right College

MEGAN: Actually, I applied to 13 colleges.

BRITTANY: Okay.

MEGAN: is,

My opinion, too many.

BRITTANY: think I applied to 13 colleges as well. I, yep.

MEGAN: Agreed.

endured the crazy as well. Yeah. It was, I just didn't know what I wanted to do.

Yeah, I was just indecisive. Okay, but you,

And that was the thing too. My, my mom's a nurse, my dad's a banker. very practical. Andin their mind, they were like, Okay, we're going to apply to the academic schools. And then we'll apply to the dance schools. And then some that kind of have both. but they were hoping I would go to a more academic school.

which is where I ended up. I had gotten a [00:02:00] scholarship to a really great ballet program. And then we decided at the last minute, no, not going there. so I went to William and Mary.

BRITTANY: you, why did you decide not to go there?

MEGAN: I really wanted to double major. I knew that I had gotten really great grades in high school and I wanted to do dance plus something else. the College, if it's okay to say it on here, it's, it was Mercyhurst College, which is in Pennsylvania.

BRITTANY: That's the one you turned down.

MEGAN: It is, it's a great school,

BRITTANY: I did an interview there too. They have, I have an episode coming out soon from Mercyhurst. Yeah.

MEGAN: Yes, and also for any dancers coming up. truly I left that audition in tears I was like, I'm not good enough. I will not get into school. And I found out a week later and got a scholarship, which was amazing. So no matter how you think your college auditions go, just keep persevering because truly that was proof it's all going to be okay.

yeah, I was thinking at the time, like maybe I'll do a dance major and I want to do something science. related, but [00:03:00] it was completely impossible at Mercyhurst. It just, it wouldn't work with the schedule because you had to be in so many dance classes. So I could do they were like, you could do a minor, maybe like a Spanish minor, because I was interested in that at the time too.

But then in the end, 

I got into William and Mary,

it's a really rigorous, academic school in Williamsburg, Virginia. for any of you dancers out there that have maybe heard of it, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is also in the same town, like 10 minutes away.

which I did not think about at the time, but that ended up being my first professional performing job.

BRITTANY: . I

MEGAN: Like I still have friends today from that contract that taught me so much. 

BRITTANY: Have a lot of friends who worked at Busch Gardens too, so we have a lot of mutual friends in our, yeah. In our adult lives.

MEGAN: Brittany and I have realized that we left UNCSA and we were like friends, I think we saw each other in New York once.

BRITTANY: Yeah.

MEGAN: then I realized, I see like pictures of you with all of my friends from Busch Gardens,

that year that I was there, I was with Lauren, I was with Kelsey and Eric, now Geibel. I was, [00:04:00] I also met Matt Marberry. 

BRITTANY: They're all performers down here in Orlando.

MEGAN: Yeah, which is just so cool. they came from Virginia, they went to Orlando.

BRITTANY: Yeah.

MEGAN: Perfect

BRITTANY: Are you still performing at Busch Gardens?

MEGAN: so funny enough, comes full circle, I got offered a contract for this summer, for Busch Gardens, and it was actually a singer track.

BRITTANY: look at you.

MEGAN: a lead vocalist track. So truly trying to balance out that triple threat, but, I ended up turning it down cause I was supposed to be in a wedding and then the world exploded,

BRITTANY: Ah,

MEGAN: so truly, it was funny how that all came to be.

but the door is still open. It'll be interesting to see. I would love to work with them again.

BRITTANY: Did that show end up opening?

MEGAN: It did not. I think that they did their final dress rehearsal and then they canceled everything, which was rough.

BRITTANY: Okay, so let's get back to your path going to college. So you ended up at William and Mary in Virginia because it was high academic. 

[00:04:58] Decision to Switch Majors

BRITTANY: So how did you go from [00:05:00] pre med switching to this dance track?

MEGAN: I was pre med and I actually also had joined the modern dance company there. William and Mary at the, at this time only has a dance minor, which you can do, or you can just join their company. It's called Orchesis. a lot of, colleges around the country have an Orchesis, which is like the name of the dance company.

so they had that, I joined that, started pre med, and just realized I don't want to, I didn't want to spend another couple of years at med school immediately after my undergrad. I, it just, I wasn't ready for that. I wanted to get out in the world and I wanted to just get life experience. and when you get on that pre med track, you're riding that train until you get your doctorate and then you become a doctor.

BRITTANY: So I started saying, okay,what about. pre physical therapy. This is another option, it involves a three year doctorate program instead of what could possibly end up being seven [00:06:00] years with medical school and residency and everything. so I started that and it was a pretty easy switch because they're both sciences, and I ended up getting a kinesiology degree.

MEGAN: With PT. And so I switched to kinesiology is truly the study of the body and how it moves. And when I heard that, it clicked. I was like, I can be such a better dancer if I can understand why my body wants to do two pirouettes and not three, or why my flexibility is stuck at a certain plateau.

What is physiologically going on? And then, I just started seeing my dance grow. and with this. pre physical therapy track, I had to do an internship. 

[00:06:39] Internship Experience and Insights

MEGAN: So 19 year old Megan

BRITTANY: started emailing people, during my sophomore year of college. And I basically designed my own internship the summer after my sophomore year.

MEGAN: I moved to New York, having Facebook message, someone saying, Hi, I'm interested in what you do. Can we be friends? Can you help me out? Basically. [00:07:00] And she helped me design an entire summer of internships. my mentor, her name's Marissa. she is a wonderful physical therapist. She was on the road with, wicked as their physical therapist for quite a while.

and then at the time she was just doing, basically. She was seeing kind of everybody for physical therapy. She still had some dancers and stuff, but she saw everybody. So I interned with her some, as well as I contacted all of the other physical therapies companies that represent Broadway shows.

So when a Broadway show opens, the physical therapy companies will come and they'll be invited to watch the. They'll look at the physical demands of the show and they'll say, Hey, I think my company could help represent your dancers. if they do, then they form a contract basically with the physical therapist and the physical therapist will come to the theater about two times a week and they'll do maintenance work on the dancers.

And then if there's a lead or somebody that has a really physically demanding role, they'll schedule outside appointments.

BRITTANY: Okay.

MEGAN: So for instance, I was with a physical therapy company [00:08:00] when Kinky Boots was going on and Billy Porter would come in on his two show days to get physical therapy before he'd go and do two

BRITTANY: Mm hmm.

MEGAN: And then you get maintenance work because of theater as well. So I was just fascinated by seeing this world where, okay, these people are helping these performers just be a better version of themselves, through medicine, through kinesiology and all this stuff. And I loved it. But I decided that. At 19, I wanted to be that person right now, performing.

I basically went back, started my junior year, had started that physical therapy, pre physical therapy kinesiology track, which was great, so I was taking the right classes. but I also said, William and Mary has a dance minor, a theater major that's really focused on academics of theater, so studying theater, researching theater, dramaturgy, but not necessarily doing theater.

BRITTANY: Okay.

MEGAN: I said, let me self design. So William and Mary let me do something called an interdisciplinary major, which it basically means that I took I looked at the [00:09:00] class load that they had and I said I want to pick these different things, and I want to make a major, and I made one called integration of dance, music and theater performance.

BRITTANY: Okay.

MEGAN: Which is the Bachelor of the Arts and I had to basically argue before a board and say, this is why I want to do this. This is why I don't want to transfer because I could have always transferred to another college. I said, No, I want to do this. I know that it's a harder route, but I want to see what's possible.

So I self designed it. and I I made a very drastic, very un Megan like decision at the time.

BRITTANY: Ha

MEGAN: Came back from my junior year and quit the modern company. said I'm going to do what I want to do. And I'm doing it the way that I want to do it, which was just.

Really hard to do in the moment because you're getting all these teachers saying we're from the academic world. we've done this. This is how it's done. and I said no. So I truly I started taking more jazz classes still taking the ballet. I contacted dance studios outside of [00:10:00] William and Mary and said, Hey, can I work in your office a couple hours a week just so that I can take more tap classes so I can take more jazz classes I can just completely immerse myself in it.

and in the middle of that, the Busch Gardens Williamsburg called, October of my junior year of college. 

[00:10:14] First Professional Performing Job

MEGAN: I think it was on fall break at the time. and I had forgotten that I had sent them a video.

BRITTANY: Hmm.

MEGAN: Did not know what a dance reel was at the time. If it hits you in the face, did not know. I sent them, no joke, a 10 minute long dance scholarship video.

BRITTANY: Wow.

MEGAN: if, as you learn about dance reels, don't make it 10 minutes long.

BRITTANY: Yeah, guys, in case you don't know yet, 10 minutes is a little bit long. they always say the first 30 seconds is really what they might watch and then maybe a full minute. 

MEGAN: They said, we're hiring for Christmastown.

We need dancers that can do all different styles. And I was like, sure, I can do it. 

BRITTANY: Could you sing at that

MEGAN: it, did not, just [00:11:00] was applying for a dance track, but my scholarship reel had me doing pointe, jazz. I expressed partnering abilities, although I didn't show it on the video.

BRITTANY: And guys, Megan, you're like five, eight, five, nine.

MEGAN: Oh, I am 5'10 5'11 get the phone call, no joke, from Busch Gardens.

And they said, we're looking at you for a dance position with Christmastown. We're in need of a swing. we need you to be able to do partnering, pointe, contemporary, jazz, and a lot of musical theater. You gotta dance in heels. And I said, I can do that. Very eager. yeah, I can do all of those things.

And they said, okay, we gotta talk to people. and then we're gonna call you back. and I was like, will you call me back in like a week? Something like that. They said, yeah, we'll probably call you back in a week. I hung up the phone, of course, excited, told my mom, because she was having to be there at the time.

They called me back again, and they said, okay, we want to offer you the dance swing position. And the first thing that came out of my mouth was, I'm a full time student, you know that, right? [00:12:00] And they were like, yes, we are aware. at the time I was taking, 20 credit hours. Max credit hours you should take in college is 18.

I don't recommend it, but I have overloaded my schedule because I had just changed my major. And I said, can you work with that? And I said, we need you. yes. And then I said, I'm also 5'11 You do know that, right? Like I can partner with guys that are shorter, but I am 5'11 They were like, we are also aware of that.

Yes. So they truly. now looking back, there was some management things that were happening within Busch Gardens that I was not aware of, and I was the right fit at the right time,

BRITTANY: Yeah, of course.

MEGAN: And that's just how it happened and how it happens with most jobs.

BRITTANY: It's all about that timing Right. Place at the right

MEGAN: Going to school full time, doing that as much as I could, and I was in rehearsals.

I'll never forget the day I leave a chemistry lab and I have three voicemails from my stage manager that says, Hey Megan, I know that you're coming in at this time. If [00:13:00] you can come earlier, that'd be great. We have a dancer that's injured. And I was like, get in my car, got to go to rehearsal because it was just a crazy two, two and a half weeks of rehearsals.

And then we were five shows a day. and I learned trial by fire. I look back now and I could have, I could not have asked for a better first professional performing job. 

[00:13:19] Learning from Professional Performers

MEGAN: because I just, I learned. from everybody around me. I was like, why are you all trying to film your clips from the shows?

And they were like, Oh, cause we have to make dance reels. And I was like, what's a dance reel. And then I learned that's how a lot of us got hired. And that's what I sent a 10 minute version of. I was learning from these people. I was learning what New York auditions were like, I was learning who to take class with.

and so as much as I was loving what I was getting from academia at William and Mary, I learned so much about the professional world from getting that while still being in school.

BRITTANY: Yeah. Him being surrounded by other performers already living that life. 100%.

MEGAN: Exactly. And who were [00:14:00] like, who had, some of them had graduated from college. Some of them decided college was not their path. no one else was from William and Mary. So I was just learning so much from people that I would not have met otherwise. 

[00:14:13] Balancing College and Professional Life

MEGAN: And I was so grateful for it.

and those were the friends that I could call , okay, over spring break, I want to come to New York and I want to just experience an audition. what do I do? Who do I contact? Where do I stay? they were some of the people that were like, Sleep on my couch! Yeah, that's totally fine. and it was just so wonderful.

And then for, my last two years of college, I, cause I did graduate in four years. My diploma is on the wall. I did finish.

BRITTANY: Yes.

MEGAN: But, the next two years, I just, I looked at theaters that were within an hour radius of William and Mary and I said, can I make this work? And so I think by the time I graduated college, I had about five professional musical theater credits, um, which was amazing. I've questioned myself a lot. what if I went to somewhere like Belmont in [00:15:00] Nashville, or what if I had gone to Oklahoma city,

BRITTANY: That's where I went.

MEGAN: what, yeah,

I was like, would I be a better dancer? 

[00:15:06] Reflecting on Personal Growth and Early Career

MEGAN: Would I be a better performer? But I wouldn't be the same person truly at the end of the day. So as, as much as I questioned that, I'm so grateful for the experience and how it just truly taught me to push through and figure your own path. And then the great thing was that I had so many professional credits when I left.

So I was really a step ahead in that. 

[00:15:26] The Value of Being a Swing Performer

MEGAN: I had a swing position, which is something that a lot of people strive for years. And it fell in my lap first thing. 

BRITTANY: learn a lot from being a swing.

MEGAN: if you ever get the opportunity to be a swing, even if it's, even if it's you're building your resume and they're not going to pay you or they're not going to pay you as much, take it.

the experience will be invaluable. And it's such a marketable skill as well. 

BRITTANY: Okay.

That's amazing. 

[00:15:52] Balancing Personal Life and Career in Richmond, Virginia

BRITTANY: you're living in Richmond, Virginia, and a lot of people think I want to be a performer. I want to be a dancer. I have to live in New York or LA, but you've made a work [00:16:00] in Richmond, right?

Do you want to stay or do you see that you have to move out of Richmond in order to be this successful performer that you see in your eye?

MEGAN: Yeah. So very interesting thing. 

[00:16:10] The Impact of Marriage on Career Decisions

MEGAN: I am married. Love my husband. We've been married for two years. I met him the summer after I graduated college. I told him if he had met me before that, I wouldn't have given him the time of day. Cause I just did not have the time,

BRITTANY: Mm

MEGAN: but, I met him afterwards and he's very much based in Richmond.

We joke that it took him. Walking down the aisle with me for us to be in the same location. And then it took a pandemic for us to live in the same place at the same

BRITTANY: Ah!

MEGAN: because I've traveled a lot. So for most of our dating relationship, Richmond was a home base, but I was. getting contracts in Colorado, in Maine, in different parts of Virginia.

You name the location in Virginia, I've likely worked there.

BRITTANY: Mm hmm.

MEGAN: and I've lived in New York a lot of different times. 

[00:16:56] The Pros and Cons of Living in New York

MEGAN: but I always have had this , motto of I go to New York to [00:17:00] leave New York. yes, I would love that Broadway contract. I would love to be dancing with the Rockettes or something like that.

But those things that are building your resume until you get that really great Broadway contract or national tour or whatever it may be, are the things that will take you elsewhere. So I've lived in New York. On and off quite a bit, but I've always been selling elsewhere. So the interesting thing was, is that my husband and I, when we got married, October, 2018, we had made this goal, January, 2020.

We're moving to New York city. We're selling all of our stuff. We're moving to New York city in January, 2020.

BRITTANY: Ha.

MEGAN: it in March. So we're kind of glad we didn't do that. not that New York is not a great place to live out a pandemic. Cause I have friends doing it right now and my hat is off to them.

So I said, I don't know if I want just New York. this past audition season, which for us is usually like January to April ish. I went to New York for a full month. I got a sublet, [00:18:00] February, part of January, part of March. just to see, hey. let me do this on my own and then see, okay, Ben, are we going to move here?

And I realized I can do audition season my own way. I can go do those big auditions if I need to stay longer or I can. 

[00:18:17] The Benefits of Having a Home Base in Richmond

BRITTANY: But for right now, I've really loved how Richmond's been the home base. I can have my car here, which is really nice. It is. I love that about Orlando.

MEGAN: It is. It's nice to have a car.

and then I can also drive to some of those regional auditions. So I've gotten, Olney Theater Center is a place that I've worked, which is in the DC market, with Signature Theater, Arena Theater, which are great theaters. and I got this contract at Olney truly because I drove my car up from Virginia and I auditioned, and they were like, yes, we want her, rather than coming down from New York.

so because I was able to do that because I have my car and so on, it was just really an extra step ahead.

BRITTANY: Because you had a way of transportation.

MEGAN: I did. [00:19:00] Yeah.

BRITTANY: That's what your, that's what your step of head was.

MEGAN: yeah, I had friends in the area too. So some of them were like, yeah, if you get this. You have a place to live too. So I was also able to house myself, which was a huge thing for

BRITTANY: Yeah. That's a huge thing down in Florida as well.

MEGAN: exactly a lot of the regional theaters that are the best ones, they were able to house some actors, but you never really know how many until you get into it.

So for instance, this theater at the time could only house two actors. You're doing South Pacific. There's already only about five girls in the show. It's not going to be one of the girls.

BRITTANY: Yeah,

MEGAN: that was a great thing. And I got to work with amazing Broadway director, amazing Broadway choreographer. I got to dance captain the show.

I learned so much and it was because. I wasn't from New York. So it's definitely really interesting. It's allowed me to also get a lot of EMC points.

But I, I've loved being able to be local to Richmond and get all these [00:20:00] opportunities, that I wouldn't have had necessarily maybe if I was in New York.

BRITTANY: Yeah, or it may be in a bigger pot of people.

MEGAN: exactly. And I've been so grateful. I've gotten to the end of some amazing auditions in New York on callbacks for national tours that really feel, it's interesting because those feel like career milestones, even though it's not. Something I can put on my resume. and so I have to continue reminding myself to, just like when you got that phone call from Busch Gardens when you were like 20 years old in college.

 It's all career milestones and those are things that you have to celebrate as well. Not just, okay great, I got this really awesome role and I can put on my resume. because that's just one thing in the grand scheme of it all.

BRITTANY: Yeah. 

[00:20:41] The Importance of Video Submissions in Auditions

BRITTANY: Okay, so you mentioned that you've received a lot of work via video. And so I'm assuming you've learned a little bit more about video submissions since your 10 minute video.

MEGAN: Yes. Oh yes.

BRITTANY: can you elaborate on that, these jobs you've received from video?

Any do's and don'ts you have about these video submissions? 

[00:20:58] Tips for Creating an Effective Dance Reel

MEGAN: I [00:21:00] realized is, the more you can keep your videos up to date, the better. I told my husband yesterday , one of my videos was suggested on his YouTube and I was like, I got to update that. It's too old. when a video is like. beyond three years, good time to update it. Even if you're adding in just one, two little small things and it still has older clips, it's a good time to update because it's telling the, audition panel, whoever's watching your video, Oh, this wasn't a skill that they had five years ago and they can't do it anymore.

you want to make sure that they know, I know certain directors that say, Oh yeah, I always check the date. If the date's like 2017, 2016, I get a red flag and I wonder, but now the other thing about that is too is, Whenever you can compile short little videos, do it. we are in the day and age of the smartphone.

Gotta love it. your iPhone camera is great. Make sure you film it horizontally. You're good to go. and what I've done is show. The best [00:22:00] you. there are certain things , Oh man, I can't do eight turns. I just can't, but can I show them a clean double? Can I show them a clean triple?

can I show you good extension? What shows me off the best? And then get clips of that. A great reel is showing a variety of things. So if you do pointe Okay. Throw in 10 seconds a pointe If you do modern, throw in some good floor work. Whatever you do, if you do partnering, put the partnering in there.

That is a huge thing. I, when I was at Busch Gardens, funny enough, one of the guys in one of the shows was five, five reminder, I'm five 11, also wearing three inch heels.

BRITTANY: And a swing, so working with all the partners.

MEGAN: where are you with all the partners? and there was tons of shoulder sits me and the guy that was five, five could do the shoulder sit.

if he had done worse, I know, but he had to be strong enough to get me up there too. I'm muscle. Like you had to get me up there. So most of the time they would do it, but if he was tired [00:23:00] or if it was like the fifth show of the day, they'd be like, okay, let's do the safety track. No lifts because Megan was somebody that's five, five.

So it was always really funny to hear that, but show them that you can do these skills. so for instance, my, my dance reel currently is starts off headshot so that they know clearly who you are. And then I feel like I saw another dancer do, truly, so please don't think that this is just me, is if you've got some really sweet dance photos, have them at the end.

It's a really fun rapid fire way to show a reminder, I can do all these different styles and I look great doing them. And then finish

BRITTANY: And look how beautiful I am, too. 100%.

MEGAN: you're doing. If you're doing a musical or if you get hired on a cruise ship or a theme park or anything like that, your audition sometimes is going to be harder than what you were asked to do. yeah, I literally have seen shows that I've not been cast in and was like, they made us do triples in the audition. These girls are just standing there. What's up, guys?

I was called back [00:24:00] earlier this year for Tuakon. Big theater out in Utah. Wonderful contract. I went in as a singer, and got called back, and then sang again. And then got called back again to go to the dance call. And I get to the dance call back and literally Brittany, the same thing happens.

They're like what they turn, what to turn, jump split. And I was , looking around realizing I'm the only singer here. I was like, thankfully that I started my career as a dancer first and still in a lot of ways, consider myself a dancer first. but I've continued to train in voice so that I can have that leg up.

I can go in for those auditions feeling confident as well. But I was like, Okay. You know what did not book that show also didn't happen, but that's okay. But I went, I'm proud of myself because I got here as a singer.

If you can have it in a dance reel, you're having an amazing turn day, throw that iPhone in the front of the dance studio, show them you can do it, because you can, with two, three weeks of [00:25:00] rehearsal, you absolutely can,

BRITTANY: Yeah. And in a previous episode, I was just talking with Don Mirrault out of Las Vegas, and he was talking about as a dancer first, and then when you go in and you're able to be that singer first, and then you get called back again as a singer, and then you get to go back as the dancer. You walk in that room feeling like a million bucks.

MEGAN: That sounds like you were in a strange situation. And you don't usually go in like that as a singer. usually throw you in with the dancers, trial by fire,

BRITTANY: that, that was a little brutal, but luckily you are a dancer, so I'm sure you were fabulous, 

MEGAN: So grateful for that summer at NCSA.

BRITTANY: . 

[00:25:36] The Journey of Self-Designed College Program

BRITTANY: Is there anything else, any last, little piece of advice you think these students need to hear about?

MEGAN: 

[00:25:42] The Importance of Perseverance and Embracing Your Unique Path

MEGAN: I'm 27 now. So I feel like I've had a lot of these really like full circle moments, especially in the past couple of years, just realizing what I thought was like the worst possible thing at the moment that I'm like crying on my bedroom floor about because I've had those moments.

I've had those [00:26:00] moments. There was a bigger picture that I just couldn't see because I was so stuck in the minutiae of what was going on. William and Mary, where I went to college, they assign all of the freshmen a, professor basically. So you can talk with them, say, Hey, this is what I'm thinking about studying all of this stuff.

The professor that I was assigned, was the scenic design theater professor. I went into his office the first week of school, literally, baby freshman, William and Mary, week one, and I said, I really like dance, I really like Broadway, I wanna be a doctor,I don't really know how to make all that work, but I want to make it all work.

He looked at me and he said, you should transfer. And I was crushed. I had already struggled with the decision of where to go to college. I had applied to 13 of them. I figured, I think I'm doing the right thing. And this professor told me to transfer. And that professor was in the room when I graduated with a bachelor of the sciences and integration of dance, music, and theater performance, and a bachelor of the [00:27:00] arts in kinesiology, previsible therapy.

and it was just a moment in which I proved to myself I could do it when he told me I couldn't. And I did it my own way, and that was okay. And so many times I've questioned, if I'd gone there, would I be on Broadway? Or if I'd done this thing, would I have reached these goals that I wanted?

And I said, no. Like, all of these things happen to the way that they should. the summer after I graduated from college, I had, I told you, I'd gotten a lot of these professional gigs already. I had Five professional credits on my resume. I had my 12 EMC points in my backpack. I was ready to go and I was not hired for anything that summer.

I had gotten a couple offers and they just fell throughthat was the summer that I met my husband cause I weaseled my way into choreographing a show in Richmond that I happened to be in as well. And. I met him and everything happens for a reason, even when you can't see it in the moment and you're crushed by it.

and that's constantly something I'm reminding myself. so [00:28:00] if you're applying to colleges, if you're trying to find that professional gig, just keep persevering. keep putting in the work day in, day out, and it will pay off because that's what it's all about.

BRITTANY: Yeah, because your path is, it's different than everyone else's and it doesn't have to be the same.

MEGAN: Exactly. And no matter how many people I asked, how'd you do it? I want to do it like you. How'd you do it? I had to do it my own way and that's okay too. And I'm still figuring that out. There's a long road to go.

BRITTANY: always. Always, for anybody listening to this episode, who wants to create the same type of path as you, 

MEGAN: yeah, they're a liberal arts school like William and Mary is a lot of them have an interdisciplinary studies is what it's usually called. And from there you can self designed so if you want to take aspects of. a athletic training degree and combine that with a dance degree.

they can work with you to do that. and so that's just a matter of checking into your school. Cause I don't think that there is a specific college that has. Like the track that I [00:29:00] self designed, but I think it is possible at a lot of colleges. because with interdisciplinary studies, you can truly combine just about anything.

If you can justify why you want to do it, and you can basically tell a panel of people, in that school,this is why I want to do it. you'll get it. So I know people that, Like did English and medieval literature, like that was an interdisciplinary study they did

BRITTANY: Yeah, that makes

MEGAN: but for dance and for theater, because a lot of academic schools, specifically, the theater department is very separate from the dance department.

So an interdisciplinary study is a great thing to look into if you want to combine those.

BRITTANY: Okay, and then do you know if anybody after you was able to latch on to the program you did and able to follow that creation of the program?

MEGAN: Yeah, honestly, no.

BRITTANY: No idea.

MEGAN: I no idea. I was definitely the [00:30:00] oddball in the theater department a

BRITTANY: that's cool. That's cool.

MEGAN: because I was a dancer. So I definitely left it there still have, I saw one of my dance professors actually a couple weeks ago. Because I happen to be in Williamsburg passing through,and I stopped in to see her, and she said, you came in as such a strong dancer and we haven't had somebody that has come in like you that wanted to do theater.

So they do definitely keep it in their mind, though, because if they meet somebody that says, Hey, I'm interested in this. I'd like to do this. They'll definitely let them know because, there was actually a performer. She was in Wicked for a couple years. She was usually a dancer first, but she went to a singing audition for Wicked and she booked a singer track and then also played the Nessa track, if you know the show.

and So I called her up. She's about 15 years older than me or so. and she did just a normal theater degree. but she was probably the kind of the closest to me since. So who [00:31:00] knows, maybe 10 years from now there will be another person that wants to do a degree like mine. But, I'm happy to help support them when they do.

BRITTANY: 

[00:31:07] Reaching Out for Advice and Support

BRITTANY: Megan, if someone needs some advice where can they reach out to you? 

MEGAN: My website is the best thing, but you can go on there and you can hit contact. It goes right to my email. it's www. megantatum.com. and I would love to just help advise. I've had a path that has led me down different tracks truly because I've emailed people and been like, help, please.

I want to do what you're doing. I'm interested in, I want to learn. A couple years ago, I did Chorus Line and I emailed the girl who was in the Revival production on Broadway that had the track that I said, can I learn from you? And I called her up on the phone the next day and we had a lovely chat.

And so it was just a matter of reaching out. You can learn so much and I'm happy to share whatever knowledge I have, as I continue to learn and grow too. So I would love to reach out, hear from you guys. Feel free to do [00:32:00] that.

BRITTANY: That's amazing. thanks so much for sharing with us today, Megan, we really learned a lot of great information and saw an amazing new world of your dance career.

MEGAN: Thank you so much, Brittany. I so appreciate it.