FringeHIGH Artist Profile: Sarah Walker Thornton, Actor
Meet Sarah Walker Thornton
Sarah Walker Thornton plays Rosalind in BAMA Theater Company’s gender-bending production of As You Like It.
The Stats
What’s next on your Netflix queue?
I actually try to forget my queue so that it’s a surprise when I open the movie envelope! But I think it might be either Greenberg starring Ben Stiller or The Last Station with Helen Mirren (one of my favorite actors!) .
What’s playing on your iPod right now?
I love the James Taylor and Carole King CD of their recent tour, Live at the Troubadour. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Regina Spektor, and Dave Matthews Band (since I just saw them in concert at Citi Field!)
Last good book you read was…
I just finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It is an amazing book.
Favorite restaurant in the city?
Mojave and Watawa in Astoria, Yum Yum Bangkok, and I’m always game for a milkshake at Five Napkin Burger!
All-time, hands-down favorite piece of theater?
Well, my favorite plays (Shakespeare excepted) are Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, and Chekhov’s The Seagull. But I saw a production of Macbeth as a child that made me want to be an actor, so that’s one that sticks with me.
Why Sarah Loves the Fringe and the Arts
What’s the best thing about Fringe?
There is an incredible feeling of community in the Fringe among the artists involved and the audiences. Everyone is there to enjoy the artistic experience together, and that is really special.
What’s the #1 reason people should come see your show?
BAMA does Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it before. We really love what we do, and the audience gets to share in the fun with us. For people who are Shakespeare fans, you will really enjoy the simplicity and creative story-telling, and for people who are tentative about Shakespeare, you will be surprised at how much you understand and enjoy it!
Do you have any Opening Night rituals?
Well, this isn’t specific to opening nights, but before every show I lay down on my yoga block for a while with my ipod in my ears. It helps me ground myself a bit and shake away some of those jitters. I also like to jump around and dance a bit in the dressing room just to get my energy up!
What are the craziest performance conditions you’ve had to work under?
I have a history of having to do really fast costume changes in almost every show I’ve been in. There have been shows where I’ve literally run offstage and had five people jump me and start painting me with silver paint while I’m running to the other side of the stage, or one person starts strapping me into body harnesses while another rips one wig off my head and puts another one on. I’ve gone from a 12-year-old kid to a giant spider in minutes, a housemaid to a mermaid, overalls into a giant ham costume, a housewife to a ghost… It goes on and on! BAMA Theatre Company embraces the idea of changing characters without having to change my clothes at all, which is a very welcome idea!
How did you get involved with the arts?
My father is an actor, so I’ve really grown up in the theatre. I was lucky enough to see a lot of theatre as a child, and the community within the walls of the theatre became a family to me. I was acting professionally by the time I was 11-years-old, and I just fell in love with it. Who would have thought back then that I’d be here in NYC preparing to play one of Shakespeare’s few leading heroines? Rosalind is a gift, and I’m thrilled to get to know her. I’m especially lucky to be playing this role with such an incredible company of actors and friends. We are having a blast!
Learn more at the FringeHIGH web page and buy your tickets to As You Like It today!
