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.<\/p>\n
What initially motivated you to take up stage performing?<\/strong><\/p>\n The first exposure I had to performing was in Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, when I was in Grade 5.<\/p>\n It\u2019s typical for primary school students to go to Sovereign Hill on school camp.<\/p>\n As a part of the camp experience, the young students attend \u2018school\u2019 on the museum grounds, which involves wearing period-appropriate dress and acting in accordance with the time.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n How would you describe your performance style?<\/p>\n I\u2019m drawn to dramatic pieces from history.<\/p>\n I love period dramas in terms of entertainment and when choosing what to perform.<\/p>\n I also have an entire original novel manuscript tucked away set in WWII England and Germany!<\/p>\n My performance style tends to be naturalistic, and often carries feminist undertones.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This is how I write too.<\/p>\n Which other actors or performers inspire you?<\/strong><\/p>\n My peers are the people who inspire me the most.<\/p>\n I wish I could name some (favourite) actors from the top of my head, and I\u2019m not a stranger to falling in love with certain artists\u2019 performances, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s the people I work with intimately who inspire me.<\/p>\n That\u2019s been the case since I started taking acting classes in Year 7.<\/p>\n Although, Bojana Novakovic in Zinnie Harris\u2019 Macbeth (An Undoing) took my breath away.<\/p>\n What are some highlights you have from your young career so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Getting on that stage and working with the characters I cherish and the people I love dearly was an indescribable experience.<\/p>\n I hope in my future I can find that feeling again.<\/p>\n How did COVID affect your career? Was there little change or did it have a substantial effect?<\/p>\n I considered giving my love for drama away during the peak of COVID and I\u2019m forever grateful I didn\u2019t make that decision.<\/p>\n I can credit that to my late father, who encouraged me to continue.<\/p>\n COVID made acting hard, and I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n