Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 17, 1995 TAG: 9501180024
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JONATHAN HUNLEY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Well, it has been real - at least more real than living at home - as I have to figure out my own schedule of studying, laundry and goofing around (not necessarily in that order).
But I have come to understand that college, while a step in the right direction, is not The Real World.
That's for people with more guts than me.
Christy Tennant is one of these people. The daughter of Bob and Joyce Tennant of Roanoke County, Christy, 19, is a professional actress.
The 1993 Cave Spring High School graduate attended Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., for a year before quitting to take the part of the princess in "The Frog Prince" with Theatre IV of Richmond.
Leaving school wasn't a half-baked idea for Tennant, though. She wouldn't have left if she hadn't had a job. And she recommends that no one leave school without a "plan."
Inherent in her plan was her parents' blessing.
"They really believe strongly in this," said Tennant, who acknowledged that she wouldn't have gone the show business route "without their faith and support."
Tennant said she'll definitely go back to school some day.
"I like to learn," she said, adding that when she has children she'll want to be able to tell them she went to college.
And learn she has. While I may have to clean my room and wash my clothes myself, my parents paid a large sum to The College of William and Mary to ensure that I have a roof over my noggin, hot water for as many showers as I want and the means to play Grateful Dead tunes on my stereo 24 hours a day. Tennant, on the other side of the coin, has to pay rent and utilities out of her own piggy bank.
"It's expensive being in The Real World," she said. "I can honestly say I live paycheck to paycheck."
Boggling to my mind was the idea that when Tennant is paid, she immediately divides the check among all the bills she must cover. When I get a check, my money is split up, too, but into categories like CDs, pizza and coffee; not rent, water and electricity.
For entertainment, Tennant said she used to jog to the local library near her place, read all the current magazines and jog back home.
"It's two miles of jogging and lots of reading. You find cheap ways to entertain yourself when you're broke," she said.
Tennant's life on the road was no picnic, either. While I was at school this semester, she traveled to the Midwest and along the East Coast. The tour even made two stops in Roanoke.
While she remains proud of her accomplishments on tour with "The Frog Prince" - playing such venues as the Grand Ole Opry, where she met Crystal Gayle and the Statler Brothers - Tennant said she sometimes felt lonely as the youngest and only female member of the four-person cast.
Some of the places where she stayed on tour make my dorm room look surprisingly clean as well. When the tour arrived at the motel, the cast was greeted by a sign with a misspelling that Tennant said wasn't far from the truth.
"Welcome. Check our Special Rats," it read.
The other place bore a sign inside that proclaimed, "We do not guarantee hot water."
As if these circumstances weren't enough, Tennant learned about her grandmother's death one night on the tour.
"I found out 15 minutes before a show," she explained, citing a real-life instance of "The show must go on."
Listening to Tennant tell about her hardships made me forget about my petty troubles at college. Where I would complain about failing a test or staying up too late, she faced much greater challenges with ease, all the while thinking of others.
When the group would perform at a school and the cast would eat lunch with students, she would always sit by the kid who was eating alone, she said. And ask her about her cat, Smidgen, and she'll tell you how she found the tiny kitten in New Orleans that she kept for four nights before sending it to the warmth of her parents' home.
Christy Tennant is one of those people who's simply good to be around. She deserves to find the best part she can as she looks for work now that "The Frog Prince" tour has ended.
Let's hope one day people will jog to the library and read about her in their magazines.
by CNB