Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Elizabeth Wallis.
Hi Sarah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started acting when I was a young kid, growing up in Pensacola, FL. I used to make my sister and friends put on shows with me. I was obsessed with wearing all of my neighbor’s hand-me-down dance costumes and creating wild stories and characters about them. In middle school, I joined a show choir and got to perform and tour around all over the US (and a couple of international trips!) and I was totally hooked. I continued to perform and study theatre in high school and then I attended the Savannah College of Art & Design, where I graduated with a major in Performing Arts and a minor in music.
While I was at SCAD, I also studied all kinds of visual arts and found a love for working with my hands in programs like Metals & Jewelry. I still use those skills today in my pottery and crafts!
After SCAD, I came to Atlanta for the Professional Acting Internship at Actor’s Express and jumped right into the deep end of every single job in the theatre. The experience was incredible. I made fantastic connections and lifelong friends.
I thought I would leave Atlanta after that, but the longer I stayed, the more I fell in love with the city. There’s always more to discover and it feels important to my identity as a southern artist to be in this place where so much exceptional work is happening.
So, I stuck around and was freelancing all over the city and after a while found my way on stage at the Alliance Theatre. I had an incredible experience working there as an actor and once the show ended, I just kind of… never left. They hired me to do little odd jobs like selling merch for big musicals, and I eventually made my way to the 3rd floor where the magic of the Education Department happens. Initially, I helped with their summer drama camps, from facilitating carpool to helping students manage the big feelings that theatre can bring. Then I blinked and 9 years had passed and I found myself running the adult acting program and overseeing all out-of-school programs for middle & high school students. I learned SO much about myself and the Atlanta community in my time there and I truly believe that time shaped who I am as an artist and a human.
In 2020, I felt like the time had come to shift my creative lens back onto my work as an individual artist, so I ventured out again into the world of freelance acting & teaching artistry (and started to dabble in ceramics along the way!). I’ve loved every minute of it and I am in constant awe of the talent and heart that this community has to offer.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly… is it ever smooth? I don’t think it can be to do this kind of work. I wish it was more smooth. I teach students all over the city (and country, virtually) and I do my best to help them avoid the struggles that this life can bring. Unfortunately, our society seems to put tremendous value on the art and very little on the artist. Our role is to provide catharsis, a mirror, an opening up, a channel to our empathy and humanity, and most of us give all of these gifts while wondering how we’re going to pay our bills every month. It doesn’t seem right.
But aside from the financial difficulty of being an artist in the American south, I have to say that I’ve been incredibly lucky. Or maybe just incredibly persistent? Or maybe they go hand in hand. The community of artists here in Atlanta are so open and giving of their time and their knowledge. It’s what really makes me proud to call Atlanta home.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I call myself many things professionally: actor, voice-over talent, teaching artist, burgeoning ceramics artist, director & producer of education programs & performances…
I think what sets me apart is my curiosity for every facet of my art form. (And I say art form because even though I do many different things, to me it is all connected in some amazing, magical way). I love to know how things work and I find power and understanding in empathy. For me, that means not only empathizing with the characters I play but with all of the other humans who are bringing these stories to life.
I have seen firsthand the power that storytelling has to change people’s lives and open their minds, so it’s no light thing for me. That doesn’t mean you won’t get a healthy dose of comedy & joy when you work with me (to be sure!), but it does mean that I give my whole self to every project. I’m always working to grow and learn as an artist and a human.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think there are a couple of big shifts coming. In film/ TV we are experiencing the era of a million streaming services, all of them working hard to create their own content that will make them stand out from the crowd. I think consumers are getting tired of paying for too many choices, so some big shift is coming and whatever it is will impact the content as well as the structure.
The world of theatre is very different. It relies so heavily on funding from governments & donors that anytime there is economic uncertainty, we hear people say things like “this is the end!” or “no one wants to go to a play anymore!” I have to say, though, coming out of pandemic closures all I want to do is go to live theatre. I can’t get enough. I want to sit in the dark with a room full of strangers and experience something in real time that will never happen again. Theatre has a power that no other art form has in that way, which is why I think it will persevere. It’s also why we have to make sure that it does. We’ll have to wait and see.
I also think that the key to everyone’s success and growth must be a continued push to center the voices and stories of people who have been traditionally left out of mainstream storytelling. It is essential that these voices are present not only on our stages and screens but also in positions of power and influence throughout producing organizations. Innovation comes from diverse perspectives in everything from content to financial sustainability. That’s the future that will thrive and the future I want to be a part of.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sarahelizabethwallis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_elizabeth_wallis/
Image Credits
Casey Gardner Ford, Greg Mooney, Jerry Siegel
