"Your Worth and Joy Can’t be Solely Dependent on Booking Roles" - Chatting with Sarah Joy Kane

Sarah Joy Kane is an actress that you never forget, be it working with her or watching her perform. I first met her many years ago when we worked for a children's touring company in New Jersey, but that was truly only one stop on this young lady's fun and adventurous career.

Since then, she has performed in New York City at Feinstein's/54 Below, The Players Theatre, NYU Tisch, and Tada! Theatre. She has toured Internationally and Nationally with Surflight Theatre, National Theatre for Children, Missoula Children's Theatre, The Continental Singers, and American Family Theatre. Some of her regional credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie Dillmount), South Pacific (Janet MacGregor), Kiss Me, Kate (Lois/Bianca), and She Loves Me (Ilona Ritter).

There is no better feeling in the world than seeing people you have worked with, people who you consider friends, shine in this industry, and right now, I can truly say that Sarah's light is shining very bright. I am very happy to have the chance to interview Mrs. Kane!

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an actress?

From a really young age, my siblings and friends would ask me to “do the funny voices” and “silly expressions” and I loved making them laugh. The attention wasn’t bad either haha! My dad’s a pastor, and I remember him asking my sister and me to sing this song for our congregation when I was about 8. My sister ended up running off the stage while I continued to milk the song and do an encore (now I cringe thinking about this!) I was hooked!

Are there any teachers or mentors in your life who truly helped you become the wonderful artist you are today?

I was fortunate enough to have an amazing drama teacher in high school back in Oregon who supported me and encouraged me in my passion. She was honest and open about the industry but never tried to discourage or belittle my dreams. We still talk to this day and are getting together this summer when she visits NYC!

What were some things you did to keep your spirits up as a performer during Quarantine?

Tik-tok! Haha, it started out as a silly thing to do in order to pass the time during the lockdown, but it kind of developed into this really great outlet for artistic creation and connecting with other performers! I make musical theatre content mostly with covers of songs and silly satirical videos of the musical theatre moments we all know like rejection and waiting for auditions at Pearl.

Are there any roles, shows, or moments in your career that stick out and will always be near and dear to your heart?

For about 5 years, my husband and I toured across the US, Canada, and Italy with several different theatre companies and had some amazing moments both artistically and as humans connecting and creating with other people! For two of those years, we toured with Missoula Children’s Theatre in which just my Husband and I would arrive at a new city every week and in 6 days teach and perform an hour-long musical (full with sets and costumes) with 60+ kids that we also cast! It was exhausting, stressful, chaotic, and absolutely magical!

What advice would you give any young aspiring artist?

I think performing and storytelling are about connecting with other people in such a powerful way. It’s about finding a commonality that really makes them feel understood and uplifted! Performing is such a gift in that it allows us to be kids again and play and create! The advice I would give is to do just that, create and play! In this time especially, there are so many platforms for creators to make art and get it out to the world! Not everything I first try works or is good right away (and some just plain flop), but as you begin to create, it starts you on this amazing journey of ideas and play that can be so fulfilling!

Start a YouTube channel, make funny tik-toks, or just record some ideas you have with friends over zoom! I’ve realized that casting folks are aware of what we as actors are creating and sharing, and on multiple occasions, I’ve been so excited to book things based on a random tik-tok or YouTube video of mine they came across! Also, know who you are aside from being a performer. Your worth and joy can’t be solely dependent on booking roles because the rejection in this industry can get to you if you aren't grounded and aware of the amazing person you are outside of being on the stage!

If you would like to learn more about Sarah, make sure you visit her official website at - www.sarahjoykane.com