Growing up in Hollidaysburg, Betsy Padamonsky performed in her first show at the Mishler Theatre at the age of five.  She was Molly in Annie. That's when it happened...she was bitten by the acting bug.  After that, her parents kept taking her to auditions for plays at the local theatres.  In addition to doing a lot of shows at The Mishler, she also performed quite a bit at Allegheny Highlands Regional Theatre at Cresson Lake.

 

She remembers, "I just always knew that it was what I wanted to do." She continued to do a lot of shows in high school and a few shows at Penn State Altoona.  Then, she went to Point Park University in Pittsburgh for musical theatre.  Of course, she ended up doing a lot of shows including both school productions as well as professional theatre.

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She relates that this is an industry where you are always growing, always learning and always trying to get better.

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Once she finished school, she did some jobs in New York City and ended up landing a cruise ship job.  So, she went on the cruise ship and began performing across the world.  While on this journey of a lifetime, she ended up meeting her future husband.  She remembers, "I wasn't there to fall in love...I was there to work."

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She ended up staying for seven years.  She said that she and her husband stayed together and were able to work and perform and see the world together.  "It was quite an unexpected turn of events, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me."...

 

 

To read Betsy's complete interview, check out the upcoming book release They Came From Blair County.

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**The information for this article was obtained through a phone interview with Betsy Padamonsky

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** All photos are from the personal collection of Betsy Padamonsky's