Sophie Sawyer was just 4-years-old when she took the stage with her first Pre-Act show, Rugrats, in 2005.
“I don’t remember it at that age,” she joked, “but I obviously loved it and kept going.”
Now, 15 years and 30 shows later, Sophie is graduating from high school and heading to college, having just completed her final show with KidzAct: You Can’t Take It With You. And while she’s not sure she’ll pursue anything related to theatre, she’s taking with her invaluable skills and lessons that will apply in any career field.
“Wherever I go, even if it’s not theatre, those things are ingrained in me,” she said.
Sophie has performed mostly in musicals during her KidzAct career, but also took improv classes over the years. Her mentor Jessica Walck has described her as a generous actor, one who is the first to congratulate a peer for earning a coveted role.
“Sophie is a huge team player,” said Walck, who directed You Can’t Take It With You. “We’ll be sad to see her go this year.”
Sophie said ending with You Can’t Take It With You allowed her to go out on a high note. The show was the first play KidzAct has performed, as opposed to a musical, and Sophie got to shine.
“I’m strongest in my acting,” she said. “For me it goes acting, singing, dancing.”
Yet preparing for the show was a bittersweet experience knowing the end was near.
“The whole time going through rehearsals over and over it’s like this is the last time I’m doing this and this,” she said. “But it was the perfect way to end it.”
Through her 15 years in the program, Sophie said she built relationships with her teachers and friendships with her classmates. And she came into her own as an individual outside the theater.
“I’m more extroverted, I’m more confident,” she said. “It’s given me something to do all this time.
And because of improv, I think quickly on my feet and work really well in that type of high-pressure environment.”
Sophie plans to major in Human Development at Eckerd College in the fall. She hopes to become a teacher but is keeping theater open as an option.
“Teaching is very theatrical as well,” she said. “You’re thinking on your feet and keeping the environment fun for students.”
Sophie’s grandmother, Susan Kay Sawyer, said Sophie has grown as a person and become a role model to other actors.
“She’s learned how to get along with people, she’s made friends and learned a lot about herself,” she said. “I’m sure she’ll do something with theatre, even if it’s years later.”
