Hometown: Elliott City, MD
Education: BM in Musical Theatre from The Catholic University of America
Select Credits: Enid Hoopes in the national tour of Legally Blonde, Patsy in Always, Patsy Cline at Toby's Dinner Theatre, Cochina in Ferdinand the Bull at Imagination Stage
Why theater?: The act of getting a bunch of real live humans in a room together to play pretend and tell stories...that's a craaazy powerful thing! I've loved performing since I was a kid, and as I grew up I really came to appreciate how theatre promotes community and helps us realize our shared humanity. There's nothing else like it!
Who do you play in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical?: I play a bunch of different characters! My main character is Clarisse, daughter of Ares, but I also play Katie Gardiner, Mrs. Dodds, and a very sassy squirrel, among others!
Tell us about The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical: Oh, man. The Lightning Thief is a story about Percy Jackson, who finds out right in the middle of growing up that Greek gods are real and one of them is his dad! This, plus all the monster attacks and a quest where the fate of the world pretty much hangs in the balance, makes for a pretty complicated year for Percy...and we do it all live on stage!! The music rocks, the cast is amazing, and the show is hilarious and touching and totally taps into what it really feels like to be a teenager...trying to find your identity while feeling trapped in between childhood and the "real" adult world.
What is it like being a part of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical?: It. Is. So. Much. Fun! We don't use any "Hollywood" type special effects to portray all the crazy epic stuff that happens to Percy and his friends...so as a company of actors (and under the brilliant guidance of our director, Stephen Brackett, and choreographer Patrick McCollum), we've figured out ways to make things like flying shoes and bus explosions come to life using just our bodies and found objects from our set. Stuff like that is my absolute favorite kind of creative challenge!
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: My favorite kind of theater embraces theatricality, inspires conversation around what divides and unites us as human beings, and doesn't shy away from good, silly fun when it's called for :) I'm always trying to consume as much art from as many diverse sources as possible to feed my own artistic pursuits...at the theatre, I'm loving anything Lin Manuel or Joe Iconis is doing these days, I'm watching a ton (too much? nah...) of great TV (some of my favs recently have been Mad Men, Fleabag, Love), I love catching live music in the city and checking out art exhibits...anything and everything!
Any roles you’re dying to play?: My absolute favorite projects to work on as an actor are new works...so I like to say that all of my dream roles are ones that haven't been written yet!
What’s your favorite showtune?: Ooo...these days, I gotta say "My Shot." It's a modern masterpiece!!
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I'm a big fan of Great Comet...I'd love to get to collaborate with Dave Malloy, the composer, or Rachel Chavkin, the director!
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: In my dreams, I'd have Lena Hall play me (I mean...she's literally the coolest...) aaaand it would be called...hmm....how about we quote the Bard on this one and say "Though She Be But Little, She is Fierce"? Hah that was hard!
If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I've always kicked myself for missing Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman
What show have you recommended to your friends?: Come From Away! So beautiful. A must see...but bring tissues.
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Ya know, I put a lot of effort into eating right and staying in shape, but there's just something about the neon orange cheese dust they put on Cheetos, etc, that just gets me every time...
What’s up next?: I do a lot of work in the voice over world, so once Lightning Thief closes, I'll be getting back to that and maybe taking a trip to Europe this summer!
Fore more on Sarah Beth, visit www.sarahbethpfeifer.com