Meet Tatum McBride | Actress& Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tatum McBride and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tatum, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued an artistic career because there was just so much about being a performer that I loved. I could always find something new that I found fascinating. There is something about playing different people and delving into the minds of others that allows you to have a greater understanding of humans. Also, the fact that I have been doing this since second grade adds to my passion for it. The moment I decided to be in Alice and Wonderland, the musical, it all just clicked for me. My family encouraged me to keep doing little productions with a small local Theatre company, and that gave me some pretty tough skin from a young age I would say.  One time after a show, a man I had never met before came up to me and said “You’re either going to be an actor or a lawyer”. At the time he had no clue what he meant by that, but as I got older I decided to take it as a compliment. The funniest part was I never took performing as a serious career until my sophomore year of high school. I thought there was no chance I even had a shot at being successful so it just didn’t seem worth it to me. Then I was in a production of Into The Woods as Little Red and I can honestly say that show changed my life and every view I had of the future. I know some people say that your passions don’t have to be your career, and that may be true, but after that show, I just couldn’t see myself doing anything else. Being on stage has changed my life and I hope that maybe I can help change someone else’s with my art. Art and performing is extremely important and makes life interesting and important, I have no issue wanting to be involved with something like that for the rest of my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is always a work in progress honestly. I’m currently still in school so I’m learning a lot, but I have had the experience of being in two professional shows during my college career because of our Co productions. I was a freshman when I had the opportunity to be in Urinetown with Actor’s express, which is still one of my favorite shows I’ve ever done. It was an incredible experience and I learned so much about what it means to be a part of a professional show with professional actors. Since that was my freshman year of college I was basically diving headfirst into the deep end. My performance ended up getting me nominated for a Suzi bass award later that year in 2023. I am still kind of shocked about all of it and I’m very grateful for these opportunities. Imposter syndrome is real and I’ve had to teach myself to not get psyched out about what I have accomplished. Recently I was in my second Actor’s Express show where I worked alongside some really cool people, and developed some new skills in Marie Antoinette. Something I have learned in recent years though is how to handle rejection. I’ve learned that not every role and show is for you and that is okay, I am still teaching myself that! Recently I was able to star in some super fun and impactful short films, which has really peaked my interest in filmmaking. One of my best friends Emma Jean is an insanely talented filmmaker, and she has given me so many projects to work with her on. “Juliette”, which is a really touching queer story that I loved being involved in, was our most recent one. There has been a shift in my theater interests these past few months as well, because I found a serious love for dramaturgy. I’ve always loved history and I also enjoy internet rabbit holes so it just made sense for me to pour that love into something in my field. History and Theater go hand in hand, and I think we are in a time where research is extremely important to art. This last semester I was able to do the dramaturgy for Xanadu at my college which was a blast. I’m hoping to maybe try more writing and directing in the future but I love where I am currently!!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So this is an interesting one because I am honestly still learning so much about Atlanta myself! Fun fact, I am a Florida girl so I’ve only lived here for three years, But I have found some fun places since then!

Coffee is a must for me so we would have to make a few stops throughout the week. One of my favorite places is Taproom Coffee because they have an amazing Honey cinnamon latte. Also, The Daily and Foxtail are some other staples in my book, great coffee and a super fun atmosphere.
Then to eat I would definitely take anyone to North Italia for some of the best spicy vodka pasta ever. We can’t forget about Krog Street market, there are so many amazing food stalls in there it is impossible not to find something good.
For an outing, I am a huge fan of the Beltline. You can enjoy a beautiful day outside and pass tons of small businesses and art installations. There is always something new to find along the walking trail, and since I am always feeling ambitious, I tend to walk to Ponce City Market.
Another place that I love to visit which is also probably a little basic is Little Five Points. Thrifting is probably the main way I get my clothes, and there are so many great vintage stores and cute shops in the area. Oh! Also, Decatur Estate Vintage Market is a great place to spend hours mulling through antiques.
Another little outing idea is a park, any park. There are so many great parks in the area and I just love a fun day outside in the sun!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well for starters, it is so cliche, but my friends and family. I am so unbelievably lucky to have supportive wonderful parents who somehow agreed to let me pursue the arts. My grandparents, my aunts, and my brother are all so amazing and cheer me on constantly. I am also lucky to have so many wonderful friends that encourage me to keep performing and being myself. The Theater community in Atlanta has provided me with so many wonderful people who uplift me and countless others. My friends are so important to me and I couldn’t do any of this without them. I also want to thank Layla, and Gadi for keeping me humble. 
Then I have my college program to thank. These last three years have allowed me to grow and change in ways I didn’t even know were possible. My fellow creative students have been kind enough to include me in their art and let me be a part of something bigger than myself. There are too many people to even name but I want them to all know how important they are. I would like to give a special thanks to Jonathan Nooner who has allowed me to fail miserably but never give up on anything either. Also to Kevin Dew for letting me assistant direct alongside him, and for having an insane amount of faith and trust in my abilities. So much of the person and performer I have become I owe to this program and the people who make it as amazing as possible, and for that I have to give a huge shoutout.
This might be a weird one but I also want to thank the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty for helping me see the importance of acting and films. That movie made me realize that I wanted to make people feel the exact way I did when I watched it. It helped me learn something about the human experience, and the importance of life. The raw talent and emotion in that movie is just impeccable in my opinion. My goal is to hopefully impact someone with my performance to the level that I was impacted by that film.

Instagram: Tatemc15

Image Credits
Casey Gardner Ford ( Marie Antionette, and Urinetown Photos)
Saturnblu Productions( Time Flies Photo)
Barrett Carico (She kills Monsters Photo)
Emma Jean Scott (Juliette behind the scenes photos, and poster)