Local artist profile: Sammy Johnston

THIS week we chat with Sammy Johnston, an emerging local stage performer who considered giving away her love for drama during COVID but has come out the other side more determined than ever.

What initially motivated you to take up stage performing?

The first exposure I had to performing was in Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, when I was in Grade 5.

It’s typical for primary school students to go to Sovereign Hill on school camp.

As a part of the camp experience, the young students attend ‘school’ on the museum grounds, which involves wearing period-appropriate dress and acting in accordance with the time.

I took this in my stride and I loved every minute of the experience – I would argue this is where both my love of performing and my love of history came from.

How would you describe your performance style?

I’m drawn to dramatic pieces from history.

I love period dramas in terms of entertainment and when choosing what to perform.

I also have an entire original novel manuscript tucked away set in WWII England and Germany!

My performance style tends to be naturalistic, and often carries feminist undertones.

I love playing female characters who are strong but do not rub their strength in your face – they do not have to put men down to be powerful.

This is how I write too.

Which other actors or performers inspire you?

My peers are the people who inspire me the most.

I wish I could name some (favourite) actors from the top of my head, and I’m not a stranger to falling in love with certain artists’ performances, but at the end of the day, it’s the people I work with intimately who inspire me.

That’s been the case since I started taking acting classes in Year 7.

Although, Bojana Novakovic in Zinnie Harris’ Macbeth (An Undoing) took my breath away.

What are some highlights you have from your young career so far?

At the end of 2021 I wrote an original script with my closest friends, which eventuated into a performance and later inspired my aforementioned manuscript.

Getting on that stage and working with the characters I cherish and the people I love dearly was an indescribable experience.

I hope in my future I can find that feeling again.

How did COVID affect your career? Was there little change or did it have a substantial effect?

I considered giving my love for drama away during the peak of COVID and I’m forever grateful I didn’t make that decision.

I can credit that to my late father, who encouraged me to continue.

COVID made acting hard, and I’m sure you can imagine remote classes were not great, but since COVID I started really caring about my work as an aspiring actress, as opposed to it being a fun distraction.

Can people check out your work online?

If you search YouTube for Academy of Creative Arts showcases from (the) years 2021-2022, you can find me scattered throughout.

Do you have any performances coming up in the near future?

I’m focusing on Year 12 at the moment but I will be performing to examiners in my VCE Theatre Studies final. I hope to get into the Victorian College of the Arts.

What would you say to young regional aspiring stage performers or actors who are thinking of making a go of the creative life?

If you are truly passionate, then go for it. And work hard. Hard work and raw passion are all you need.