We recently interviewed the one and only Sarah McKinley Austin, actress extraordinaire of the Once and Matilda National Tours as well as Pamela’s First Musical. She is an incredibly talented performer and at such a young age has accomplished so much. These are edited excerpts from the interview. Thank you, Sarah!
S: I love theater because it is fun pretending to be different characters and I love to sing and dance. I never get bored!
BC: Tell us about Matilda and Once and what it was like to be on tour.
S: The tours were total opposites. In Once, I had a small role that didn't require extra rehearsals. I was able to do my school work at night during the show and did lots of sight-seeing during the day. However, I was the only child on tour so I didn't have friends my age to hang out with between shows. In Matilda, I became friends with all of the kids and we had such a blast traveling and performing together. I didn't get to sight-see as much because I had more rehearsals and I had to do my school work during the day since I had a bigger role in the show.
BC: Do you have any dream roles?
S: Yes, I would love to be Regina George in Mean Girls on Broadway. I would also love to be Elphaba in Wicked!
BC: What have you been up to during this time?
S: Aside from doing school work online, I have been taking online voice, dance and acting lessons. I also love to paint! My aunt recently moved here to live near us and I love spending time with her.
BC: Who are your role models in theatre?
S: I have worked with amazing professionals in Once, Matilda and Pamela's First Musical, as well as my wonderful voice teacher, Jeannine Rowden. They are all great role models for me! Since I'm obsessed with Mean Girls, I admire Taylor Louderman and I saw her perform on Broadway.
BC: Have you faced any challenges being so young in the industry?
S: I think a huge challenge for me and other kids in the industry are managing school work on top of doing as many as 8 shows a week. It is a big responsibility to get all the school work done and also to stay healthy for your performances.
BC:What is your favorite part of what you do?
S: I love getting to know other professional actors and performing for live audiences.
BC: What’s next up for you?
S: This fall, I will be a freshman in high school. I will be continuing to take lessons and auditions for musical theater.
BC: Favorite theatre-related memory?
S: When I was on the Matilda tour, a group of kids from the show were playing a game called "The Floor is Lava." I sat on a water fountain at the hotel to get off the floor. The fountain fell off the wall and water started pouring out of the pipes. We tried to fix it but it just kept getting worse. We ran to the front desk and informed them that the water fountain randomly fell off the wall and that we had no idea how this happened. Our acting skills came in handy--they totally believed us! (see photo attached of Sarah standing next to the broken water fountain)
BC: Do you have any advice for other young people interested in working in theatre?
S: Look for performing opportunities in your school or community and just have fun with it!