Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Biddle.
Hi Sarah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was 7 years old, my mother and two grandmothers took me to see Annie at The Playhouse in Wilmington, DE, where I am from. We were seated second row center and I was completely mesmerized for the entire show. When curtain call was over and the lights came up, I was frozen to my seat with my arms crossed. I was pouting because I was not up there with them! I decided at that moment: my dream was to perform on stage.
So my musical theatre training began: dance classes that included ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and musical theatre, vocal lessons, acting lessons, summer camps, piano lessons, audition bootcamps, workshops in New York, the list goes on and on. I started auditioning for the local dinner theatres in Delaware and worked at many from a young age. In high school, I started booking professional gigs and performed throughout my four years while maintaining perfect attendance. I was also a varsity athlete, so I was not able to perform in my high school musicals, though I always wanted to. I was still voted “Best Actress” of my high school even without performing on campus – a huge surprise to me!
When I applied to college at 18 years old, it was without a doubt what I desired to study: Musical Theatre, duh! This dream was met with supportive arms from my parents with one caveat: I could study Musical Theatre if I also pursued another degree as a backup. I couldn’t have agreed to these stipulations faster – done! I was going to be a Musical Theatre and Marketing major at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Those four years were met with hard work, successes, failures, and dreams coming true. I was lucky enough to book shows either at the university or locally all four years and found profound joy in those moments. A particularly memorable moment for me was being cast as the lead role in The Drowsy Chaperone playing opposite my best friend in the world, Helen Hayes award winner, Jimmy Mavrikes.
Senior spring was met with the anxiety and uncertainty of what comes next until the phone rang from my dream job at the time: I was cast as one of four Acting Apprentices at The Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, PA where I would be going on tour to perform educational programs for students in the tri-state area about bullying, acceptance, history, and gun violence. In addition to the tour, we were cast in multiple shows at The Walnut during the season and taught in their Theatre School. I played the title role of Pinkalicious in Pinkalicious the Musical where children dressed in pink lined up down the whole city block to take their pictures with me after each performance! This job was life changing for me in more ways than I can express, but the most meaningful is that I met the love of my life, my husband Patrick Shane, who was also an acting apprentice.
After the apprenticeship, I worked professionally on stage at many regional theatres and taught theatre for several years, obtaining my union status to become a member of Actor’s Equity Association. The hustle of auditioning and rejection led me to want to try something different; I applied to the MBA program at Saint Joseph’s University and was off to pursue the next dream. I was able to continue performing and teaching while working towards this degree. After I completed my MBA, I was offered a full-time role in the Marketing department at The Walnut Street Theatre. Just as quickly as my dreams were coming true, they were pulled out from under me when I was laid off during the pandemic a few years later. The layoff really knocked my confidence and self-worth. I was lost, sad, and didn’t know where to turn. Something that did spark joy during this time was virtually teaching private voice lessons to my students. I was able to continue singing and remain connected with my students.
As Maria in The Sound of Music says, “when the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” I was offered a role in the Digital Marketing department at Ensemble Arts Philly and The Philadelphia Orchestra, or as you Baltimoreans may know it, The Kimmel Center, where I still am today.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would not classify my journey as a smooth road. As I was talking through my career journey earlier, there were so many ups and downs it’s hard to keep track! Working as an actor, you are forced to develop a thick skin to handle the constant rejection and feeling like you aren’t good enough. It also takes a long time to come to terms with pivoting your dreams! I felt like a failure for a very long time for “giving up” on my performing career. I’m not saying I will never perform again, I do hope I will have the opportunity one day, but my career is trending in another direction at this time. My biggest advice is to remain flexible to change and keep an open mind to continue learning every day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As the Digital Marketing Manager at Ensemble Arts Philly, I create digital marketing campaigns to promote Philadelphia’s center for arts and culture including, but not limited to, Broadway, Comedy, Dance, Jazz, Family, Orchestra, and many other performances. I deeply resonate with the mission of my organization: to share the transformative power of the performing arts and arts education with the widest possible audience while carrying out our values of being authentic, collaborative, exceptional, and inclusive. Some of my favorite performances I have worked on in my time so far have been Samara Joy, Hamilton, John Mulaney, Audra McDonald with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Wicked, Nikki Glaser, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Come From Away, Freestyle Love Supreme with Lin Manuel Miranda, watching Yannick Nézet-Séguin conduct The Philadelphia Orchestra, Company; I could go on and on! I have a collection of all my Playbills from work that are hung up at my desk. I still pinch myself sometimes when I’m designing a digital element for one of these blockbuster shows!
In addition to my work at Ensemble Arts, I am a college professor at Saint Joseph’s University where I teach Entertainment Marketing. Teaching at SJU has been a deeply rewarding experience where I have made meaningful connections with students and have helped some obtain internships and full time employment. It has been a great honor to understand the perspective of college students during this unprecedented time in history. Education is incredibly important to me and is essential to growth and development for all ages. My students have taught me just as much as I have, hopefully, taught them.
It is my professional honor to sit on two boards: Saint Joseph’s University Marketing Advisory Board and Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival Board. Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival fosters and encourages women in the performing arts by offering unique opportunities for exposure, professional, artistic, and personal development and a platform for performance; inclusive of our BIPOC, non-binary, and trans community members.
If you have the chance to support or interact with local arts organizations, please do!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
None of my dreams would have come true if it were not for the love and support from my Mom and Dad, Mary Liz and Bob Biddle, who drove my sister and I back and forth from Delaware to New York, Philly, and Washington DC every week for lessons, auditions, rehearsals, and performances; sacrificing so much. My sister Kristina Biddle and brother in-law Austin Barr, my husband Patrick Shane, my grandmother’s who drove me to every piano lesson, Theresa Panunto and Naomi Biddle, my supportive family and friends, teachers, directors, and mentors who took chances on me. A special shoutout to my perfect dog, Pesto the Pug, who brings me joy every single day.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_biddle/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-biddle-mba-86b44478/
Image Credits
Morgan Horell, Barbara O Photography, Mark Garvin, and Kyle English
