Originally published on Fynsworth Alley.

Tami Tappan is one of our most frequently asked about singers. Who is she? Where did she come from? What has she done? Rather than ruin the surprises in this introduction, read on and find out! If you are already lost, you can hear Tami on The Stephen Sondheim Album, The Paul Simon Album, and The Fynsworth Alley Christmas Collection.

DL: How did you get started with your career in musical theatre?

TT: I went to Carnegie Mellon University, and I was in the music theatre department. It was the music theatre in the drama department, so it meant that no matter how well you sang or danced, if you didn’t pass your acting classes, “bye bye.” I actually liked it for that aspect, because in Washington, D.C., where I grew up, much like Emily Skinner, I was forced to go into professional theatre, because there was no community theatre in my little hometown of Laurel, MD. I became a character actress there, really. I got into one show in DC, so then whenever a director needed a fifteen year old, they would think “let’s call her and her and her,” so I was able to go literally from musicals in dinner theatre to dramas downtown. I had received a Helen Hayes award for a John Guare show I did downtown. That was my impetus to get into acting professionally. I thought, “if they think I’m good enough, I guess I should give this a shot.”   Continue reading →