At what age did you acting?
SJ: I began acting at the age of 8 (Not counting school plays and such). My first professional show was The Sound of Music at Olney Theater Center. I played the youngest, adorable Gretl.
What’s your favorite song to sing?
SJ: My favorite audition song is “The Girl I Mean To Be” from “The Secret Garden”. I also like to sing rock music. Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benetar is one of my favorites.
What’s your favorite broadway show to see?
SJ: I really loved “Something Rotten”. It was one of the most hilarious things I had ever experienced! It was a combination of Shakespeare and Renaissance humor, references to ALMOST EVERY BROADWAY MUSICAL EVER, a whimsically comical plotline, and a very mixed up soothsayer! If you know Shakespeare, and medieval history, AND Broadway shows, (or any combination of those three things), then you will find this show funny, if not ROFLOL (rolling on floor laughing out loud) funny.
What’s your favorite book to read?
SJ: I read a lot of books, so I can’t really say what my favorite is. I really like fantasy novels such as the Lord of the Rings, and I really enjoyed the Harry Potter series. I also reallly love the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series and the Warriors series.
What’s your favorite movie to watch?
SJ: THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY IS EPIC!!!!!!!!
What’s your favorite project that you’ve done?
SJ: One of my favorite shows that I did was Les Miserables, at Good Council High School, even though I only got to do the role of Gavroche twice. That is one of my favorite shows! I actually played a boy for that one, and I performed in every show either as Gavroche or as an ensemble member. There were two other kids who also played Gavroche/ensemble and they also got to perform in every show (being Gavroche twice). There were only six performances in total!
I also had a lot of fun on the Sound of Music National Tour. That was my most recent project, and it took 9 whole months! 5 weeks of rehearsal in New York City, and then a week of tech and previews in Boise, Idaho, and then 6 weeks in Los Angeles, 3 weeks in Dallas, and much more! In that show I played Brigitta, the 9-year-old brutally honest daughter of Captain Vonn Trapp.
What do you do on your free time?
SJ: I like to draw, play Minecraft, dive (NOT scuba diving, pool diving; I am on the Flower Valley dive team in the summer), sometimes play piano or ukulele, play with my siblings, write stories, read books, and various other things that depend on the time of year (such as having lemonade stands with my friends in the summer or snowball fights in the winter).