Toni Robison-May 

Actress. Writer. Collaborator.

One of my biggest rebellions against my mother was to audition for a play in high school when she had specifically told me I was not allowed to. Well, I did it anyway. And I got in. She came to pick me up from school and in my excited state I forgot all about how she had forbidden me to engage in anything drama-related. I was not supposed to be in drama club, no classes and certainly no high school productions. I bounced into the car to tell her my happy news. I was simultaneously congratulated and grounded. I didn’t care. Now why did she have this stance against acting? To be fair, during the summer I was allowed to do Shakespeare in the Park and audition/participate in their youth company. During those sweet summer days when I was in rehearsals, performances, hearing Shakespeare nonstop, laughing with my new theatre geek friends (yes I use the -re spelling) . . . I felt truly alive. The only other time when I felt so electric was when I was riding horseback. During the school year, my mom didn’t want me doing acting-related activities because she wanted me to focus on more academic pursuits; hence the reason I have taken 8 years of French. Never mind that I haven’t exactly retained 8 years of French language knowledge . . . anyway . . . I know why she did it. My mom knew that as soon as I started down that path of acting, there was no stopping me. She probably saw her daughter steal the show when I was in 6th grade making dolphin noises (yes I do an uncanny dolphin impression), charming the audience & then thought to herself, “Oh no. She has the bug.” In her younger years, my mom lived in New York City as a theatre actress and dancer. I know it was a painful struggle for her. I know she wanted better for me, to protect me. When I got to college, I walked onto campus undecided in my major - education, fashion, equestrian? I sat in on an acting class and 2 seconds later, declared my major. I called my mom. She was so happy for me and she continues to be my biggest supporter. I remember that moment with perfect clarity of saying out loud that this is my dream, my journey and my purpose in life. Here goes.