A star is born
Talbott is from McLean, Va., and grew up as an only child. Her earliest acting experience was at a summer theater program for children in which she played a bee. Although she forgot her lines on stage, the experience failed to deter her from pursuing acting. She enjoyed doing impersonations of family members and used her active imagination to create her own games. Talbott described herself as a goofy kid who invented improvisational games with her friends. "But I could also be very serious and seem older than my age," she said, recalling the time when she refused her mother's help on a puzzle because she wanted to complete it herself. "I guess that sort of shows how I was in school-always a hard worker. And I suppose you could say I was also a bit of a perfectionist."
Talbott's acting abilities were first noticed by her middle school teacher and mentor, whom she referred to as "T. McKinley." T. McKinley wrote plays with Talbott in mind for the lead role. One of his plays was titled "Fire and Sword," a displacement narrative that involved two modern-day cleaning ladies who ended up as characters in the myth of Prometheus. Acting became a way for Talbott to express herself and gain confidence to overcome her shyness. She continued acting in high school and even started directing one-scene acts in director workshops.
Talbott attended the Holton-Arms School, a private all-girls high school in Bethesda, Md. There were about 80 girls in her class, many of whom she thought were incredibly smart and gifted. "Our class was a theater class. Many girls were so talented. I felt like I had to audition for everything and show that I should get roles too," she said. Talbott played many supporting roles, becoming a character actor who took on comedic, extreme characters. She landed her first high school lead in "The Madwoman of Chaillot," written by the French playwright Jean Giraudoux. Talbott acted in about two plays per year during high school and participated in director workshops. "I felt like I was always in a production. I really loved doing it," she said. She also showed an aptitude for music, playing the piano and singing in chorus and a cappella.
Stealing the show
She enrolled at Amherst because she wanted "a small school, individual attention from professors and not being taught by grad students." She had considered the University of Virginia until a tour guide told her that theater was the University's weakest department. Like many students, Talbott did not come to the College with a specific major in mind. Her main goal was to obtain a strong liberal arts education, taking advantage of the open curriculum to explore her interests in English, psychology and the natural sciences. She decided to major in theater and dance only after she discovered that she enjoyed taking the core classes offered by the department.
Talbott took Action and Character and Rehearsal with Professor Lobdell, receiving top grades in both. She also took a playwriting course with Playwright-in-Residence Constance Congdon, her thesis advisor for playwriting. Professor Congdon praised Talbott for her acting and writing abilities, stating that "[Honora] was invaluable as an actor and her plays were unusual in their mature subject matter."
Talbott displayed her acting talents through her roles in on-campus theater productions and her extensive extracurricular involvement with Mr. Gad's. With incredible versatility, she portrayed a variety of characters ranging from a beautiful seductress in Congdon's contemporary adaptation of Molière's "The Misanthrope" to a grieving mother in "Torn" by Annie McRae '04. The latter won her the well-deserved Raymond Keith Bryant Prize, which is given to a student who gave the best performance of the year in a play. In her review of "Torn," Senior Staff Writer of The Amherst Student Jennifer Salcido '05 wrote that Talbott "absolutely stole the show with her heartwrenching portrayal of Lucinda, who finds herself completely paralyzed-spending most of her days writing to her dead daughter in a journal, grasping at straws to understand." Talbott's success as an actress is due to the fact that she approaches her roles with maturity and empathy for her characters.
"I admire Honora's dedication to acting as an art," said Benjamin Schweizer '09, who has worked with Talbott in Mr. Gad's. "She has very high expectations of herself and of any actors she works with, which raises the standards of any performance that she is involved in. She leads by example and gives a lot of herself physically and emotionally to any show. Improv is all about being able to trust who you're on stage with, because trust enables you to take risks-I always feel that on stage I can trust Honora for support in any scene; she is a very unselfish actor."
Talbott is admired for her willingness to take on challenging, hilariously extreme characters in her improvisational routines. Her sense of humor and outgoing personality make her a delight to work with. "She adds spice and life to any social gathering; she's always a lot of fun, and has the capacity to make other people feel relaxed and enjoy themselves," said Bree Barton '07, her close friend and fellow member of Mr. Gad's. "She's also a natural leader; she's been the Gad's director for the last month or so, and she's very gifted in keeping things organized and under control."
'Circle' takes center stage
Talbott's outstanding work with her thesis adds to her list of accomplishments. She began working on "Half-way 'Round the Circle" the summer before her senior year. At first, she had doubts about writing the play. "I took one playwriting class. I enjoyed writing but I didn't know if I could write a play," she said. "I was very nervous about it but I got support."
"Half-way 'Round the Circle" is a play about a young woman with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and the destabilizing effects her illness has had on her personal relationships. Talbott wanted her play to explore the meaning of mental illness and its devastating effects, as well as the inadequacies of mental health institutions. "Mental illness is a very interesting subject," said Talbott. "A person in my family has Borderline, so I thought it's a story that should be told," She read and spoke to a psychologist about the disease, putting much thought and research into the writing process.
Writing the play presented Talbott with the challenge of balancing the emotional intensity of the subject matter with humor. She was worried that what she wrote was too intense for the audience and had to create scenes of humor without trivializing the realities of BPD. "Honora's thesis is totally hers. I advised her in that I encouraged her to write about something personal and when she began sending me material, I could tell that she had picked the right story," said Congdon. "We met a few times before rehearsals started, but the piece was very strong from the beginning."
Talbott rehearsed her play with Professor Lobdell and her co-star Brian Lewis '08, who is also a member of Mr. Gad's and had previously worked with Talbott in "Three Days in Hell" by Jonathan Wemette '05. Even though she wrote the play and understood its characters, it was still difficult and emotionally draining for Talbott to portray them. She had to break down on stage and show her dark side, often switching between moments of emotional intensity to moments of unsettling humor. "We both worked hard and also had a lot of fun," said Lewis. "Honora knows when to focus, but also when to relax and laugh, which made intense rehearsals much easier."
The play opened to a receptive audience and received enthusiastic reviews. "Honora has a very commanding stage presence and is a mesmerizing performer: it's difficult to take your eyes off of her," said Barton, who attended the performance twice. "I got to participate in a staged reading of one of the earlier drafts of the play, and I was extremely moved by its power and raw emotional impact. I remember thinking, 'Wow, Honora really got it right.' She's got a great sense for that kind of thing. The fact that there were moments of humor was great, too. It not only gave Honora a chance to showcase her comedic abilities, but provided a nice break from the play's heavy and serious dramatic moments."
Talbott was grateful for the opportunity to create her own work and inform her audiences about BPD. "I definitely felt that I grew up a lot with my thesis and became a better actor," she said, reflecting on the process.
She leaves the College with an extensive résumé of memorable performances and many fond memories. "Gad's was a big part of my life. We performed every week-I'll definitely miss that," said Talbott. "We were able to make people laugh and make each other laugh at the same time."
After graduation, she plans to study at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco during the summer and pursue acting professionally. She hopes to eventually attend graduate school and obtain a Master of Fine Arts in acting. She also hopes to pursue her interest in film and television, an interest that was sparked by her working at Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Television, a major production company in Los Angeles, the summer before her junior year. Her career goal is to act in theater, film and television.
"I don't ever see myself as a big star, but I definitely want to be able to act in these different [media]," she said, finding it an encouraging sign that the award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus graduated from her high school. With regard to her future in the film and television industry, Talbott is open to options, considering even the possibility of working as a casting director or television writer.
She finds immense encouragement from her parents, who have always supported her in her pursuit of acting. "My parents have probably been to almost every production I've been in," she said.
In spite of the fact that luck plays a large role in success as a performing artist, Talbott's multiple talents will certainly bring her far. "I will say I am going to watch very closely," said Lobdell. "It's going to be fascinating."