Sean Maximo Campos, Ashley Capos and Max Campos
Ashley Campos has worked with Barter Theatre both onstage and behind the scenes since 2006. Sean Maximo Campos has been a member of the Barter Resident Acting Company since 2006. Audiences may remember him from “The Wizard of Oz,” “Unnecessary Farce,” “Cabaret,” “Doubting Thomas,” “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” “The Fantasticks,” “Dial “M” for Murder,” “Tarzan,” “The 39 Steps” and others.
A! Magazine for the Arts: How does a person balance an acting career with parenting?Whatare the challenges and the rewards? How are you coping with the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus?
Sean and Ashley Campos: Just like any career, being a parent in the performing arts has its blessings and challenges. Being in the resident company at Barter hasmade it possible for us to have some semblance of a “normal” life by providing steady enough work that allows us to put down roots (something many actors only dream of). After years of following the work and spending months apart for gigs, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we arrived in Abingdon in 2006 for a three-month contract to dance in“Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Here was a group of families and individuals who were dedicated to serving the community through art, and we had to be a part of it. Richard Rose and Katy Brown brought us into the fold, and our lives were eternally changed for the better.
When we’reup and running, wetypically work six days a week with Mondays off and a 12 hour span of day, so scheduling family time is a big priority and challenge. Our sacred times are the drive to school in the morning and dinner, which allow us to check in and talk about the day. While pregnant and once Max was born, Ashley shifted more to the creative and production side of Barter, which allowed a little more flexibility outside of the rigid eight-show-a-week performance schedule. We’ve spent many years doing the “baby-pass-off” as one parent rushes home from the shop in just enough time for the other parent to run off to a show. As Max has grown, it has become easier for him to spend time in rehearsals with us, allowing us to take advantage of our five to 10-minute breaks to snuggle, wrestle and play. We’re also blessed with a wonderful group of friends, co-workers and local high school students that care for Max like he is their own when both of us are on stage.
While coronavirus pandemic has had devastating effects on our industry and the ability to do our jobs, the time together for our family has been incredibly precious. Our family and friends gently warned us how fast life would move once our kiddo entered school (and boy, were they right), so having the time to take a breath and rediscover each other is something we’ll never forget.
We feel strongly that Max’s proximity to theater has greatly enriched his life and viewpoint. Through our involvement with Barter, he has met people from all around the country, of different races, religions, and experiences. Being actors has helped foster empathy for us, and we are grateful for the broad world viewthat it has given Max. We hope that exposure to all different kinds of people will deepen Max’s inherent kindness and thoughtfulness
A! Magazine: Give us a brief profile of your child — his age, interests and pursuits.Is he interested in acting?Do you encourage him to pursue acting?
Campos: Maximo Campos, age 6, is a sparkling little rising first grader. His favorite subjects are math, PE, art and music. He loves books, Legos, his cats, everything superhero, and has quite the collection of costumes and props. He and Sean each have stage combat practice swords and fight some incredible battles to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. Favorite family activities are playing video games together, eating at great restaurants and going to the beach.
Max says that he wants to be an actor and fight choreographer when he gets older, and his dream roles are Chip and Lumiere in “Beauty and the Beast” (though he admits he would have to work on his accents). I don’t know that we have actively encouraged him to be interested in performing, but he has grown up in rehearsals and us running lines, reviewing songs and choreographingin the living room, so I suppose it was inevitable for at least a little while. He’s still young enough that he thinks his parents’ jobs are cool. Ultimately, we hope to help him get the best training in whatever field he is interested in, but if we ever do get to share the stage as a family, it will be cherished indeed.
