Sarah Geltz (12) is a student who loves musical theatre here at West. I interviewed her about her passion for acting and theatre.

Q: Are you considering pursuing theatre as a career?

A: Yes. Theatre is actually one of my majors in college.

Q: When did you decide you were really into theatre?

A: Well I did my first show when I was five, and I’d have to say after that I was pretty much hooked.

Q: What kind of feeling do you get being on stage?

A: Well it’s like one of my favorite feelings in the world to be onstage in front of so many people, both friends and strangers, and completely immerse myself in the life of another character and give it a believable performance. It’s exciting, somewhat nerve wracking, and tons of fun.

Q: What would you say has been your favorite show you’ve done?

A: I’d say our spring musical last year, Zombie Prom, has been my favorite show so far because it was the first time I got to be a lead, which was a super cool experience. I played Ms. Strict, who was the evil principal of the high school. It was such a fun role because I got to step out of my comfort zone to play a rude woman who loved to boss everyone around. I also got to be the love interest of one of my best friends, and it was so much fun to do scenes together, my favorite being the tango number we has towards the end. It was such a funny show where out entire cast got along super well.

Q: Would you say Play Prod takes up a lot of your time?

A: Ohhh yeah. Take my schedule right now for example. For our current spring musical, Godspell, we rehearse almost every single day in class during third period, and then after school three times a week for 2-3 hours each time. And once it gets closer to the show, we’ll start having school rehearsals every day for longer periods of time. It’s super time consuming, but I love it.

Q: How do you think your experience has been managing your time with it?

A: I think I’ve gotten pretty good at managing my time, especially with being my third year in Play Prod. You just have to be good about trying to get as much homework done as possible in class, and then working on it right when you get home so you don’t stay up too late. I’m in five AP classes this year on top of Play Prod, but I feel like I’m able to balance both pretty well while still maintaining a social life.

Q: Do you think being in Play Prod has helped you out in other areas?

A: Yeah for sure. I think the biggest thing Play Prod has taught me is communication skills that I can carry with me in life. Being in a group with 30 something completely different individuals, you really learn how to work together as a team, despite certain differences. Everyone in Play Prod might not necessarily be best friends, but in order for a show to be good, everyone has to work together and be on the same page in order to make that happen. The communication skills I’ve learned also extend to how to interact and work with people above you, like our director, vocal teacher, or choreographer. Being kind and respectful to these individuals has gotten me far in Play Prod, and I’ve learned that using those same skills in life with my peers or superiors will get me far as well.

Q: Do you have any advice for younger people who might want to follow the same path as you?

A: Don’t be afraid. It sounds super cliche, but I always hear so many stories of  people being like “I wanted to try out for Play Prod but I was too scared” or people in Play Prod saying “I wish I would’ve auditioned for that solo” or “I wish I would’ve opened up and talked to more people.” Play Prod is a super welcoming environment where we are all truly a family that loves each other. We’re there to learn and grow, not to judge other people. If theatre is something you’re seriously considering pursuing, or even if you just like to sing and want a new group of friends, join play production. It is without a doubt the absolute best decision I made in high school.

  Sarah shows that with hard work, you can do what you love and succeed in school.