Drama Queens, a five-star arts journal focusing on female artists

Interview by Jen Bush

Sarah Rosa enthusiastically lends her talents to the cast of the exciting new musical opening on August 18th, A Symphony for Portland.  It’s safe to say her heart is in the arts.  “What can I say about being an artist that hasn’t already been said? I can tell you, as an artist, I think it requires a certain level of passion and enjoyment for any of the arts, and I honestly think I have a lot of passion that makes up for my lack of experience.” This is Ms. Rosa’s first on on a professional stage.

When crafting a character Ms. Rosa’s creative process consists of research and trying different things until the character feels complete.  “My creative process is pretty standard. I’d say, it requires lot of research, as well as experimenting with types of looks & personality I bring to my own characters. I always go over it in my head, what works well and what doesn’t quite stick.”

Ms. Rosa was drawn to this play because of the characters and the unique way in which they are portrayed.  “To me, this play is about the underdogs. I don’t often see works about the struggling homeless, which is surprising considering that I live in New York. Poverty and young runaways is such an important topic that I feel, isn’t talked about enough. Seeing this play show the unsuspecting strength of such hardened people, being brought together as they hurdled on is both commendable and fascinating.”

A play with serious subject matter sometimes gives the actors an added sense of responsibility to execute the material more sensitively.  Ms. Rosa concurs.  “Oh, absolutely. I think representation is important. Especially when such a topic is dealing with the current issues of today. The world isn’t perfect and this play, exactly shows that, when we step into this world of the outsiders most people tend to ignore. It’s such a humane subject, and it has certainly changed the way I view things.”

Covid is far from over, but the performing arts have returned with a myriad of feelings from cast, crew and audience members about its’ return.   “It’s nerve wracking. I want to give the audience a good show, without worry over exposure. I will says, with vaccines and proper precaution (such as taking tests, wearing masks when needed, etc.) helps a ton. I’m truly grateful to preform despite these rough times.

There are also a multitude of ideas about what theatre should look like post-covid.  “I will say it… safe. We all enjoy the theatre and if we want to see more works on the stage, ideally safety precautions will have to be focused just as much as performances. We all want to be safe and healthy, and to achieve that, I believe, some guidelines need to be made and followed to insure the health of the everyone on stage and in the audience.”

Ms. Rosa is not sure what’s next, but she is on the right path to secure future employment in the arts.  With her wealth of passion and enthusiasm, she would be a welcome addition to any project.  “What’s next?  That’s a good question. I’m hoping a lot more projects. I am practicing honing my craft and will hope to apply that to any future projects that may come my way. With this experience, I’d be grateful to showcase other important issues or even something suited to my own strengths.”