Tara Franklin

Tara Franklin is a Lecturer in the Department of Theatre at Smith College, teaching acting and serving as a guest director for the department. She concurrently works as a professional actor and holds dual leadership roles as associate artistic director and director of education at the Chester Theatre Company in Chester, Massachusetts.

Her academic credentials include:

• M.F.A. from the University of Connecticut
• B.F.A. from New York University Tisch School of the Arts

Her professional expertise spans Acting (specializing in Suzuki Method training), Theatre Directing, and Theatre Education. She has extensive experience in both Classical Theatre (Shakespearean works, Greek tragedies) and Contemporary Theatre (new American plays, experimental performance). Her pedagogical focus includes Movement for the Theatre, Theatre History, and actor training methodologies developed through 20 years of professional stage experience across major U.S. theatre companies.

Her artistic recognition includes:

• Berkshire Theatre Critics Association award for best solo performance (2019) for "On The Exhale"

As an educator and administrator, Franklin recruits and supervises college interns in production, stage management, and arts administration at Chester Theatre Company. She previously directed Berkshire Theatre Group's apprentice program (2013-present), training emerging actors in Suzuki Method techniques each summer while teaching at institutions including Berkshire Community College and Montclair State University.