Kathleen Kelleher, Yearbook Photography Editor

Sara Branly, the lead Salvation Road, gives a behind the scenes taste of what it’s like to be apart of Stanton’s latest theater production.

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: Why did you decide to pursue the role of Denise Kozak in Salvation Road?

SARA BRANLY: I wasn’t originally going to try out for the play but Ms. Sacks was pretty adamant about me trying out. I did the musical last year and so I pursued Denise specifically because she had to sing so I figured that was a good fit.

DA: What inspired you to participate in acting?

SB: I think acting just gives people an opportunity to talk in front of people in a way that’s less intimidating because they aren’t themselves, they’re playing a character. I used to be like terrified of talking in front of people and being involved in theater has really changed that for me.

DA: Do you relate to your character in any way?

SB: Yeah, for sure. She’s super environmentally conscious, she plays music, and she wants to go to law school. She’s also super intense, which I relate to on some levels.

DA: How has the preparation for this role impacted you?

SB: It’s definitely weird being Jewish and being in a play about a Christian cult. We don’t have groups like that, it was interesting being in that whole cult mentality thing.

DA: What was the process for you to get into character?

SB: To be honest, I didn’t really have to act all that much with this character because she is a teenage girl, so it was not super hard to get into. Also, everyone around me was so good, so it felt really real.

DA: How do you keep calm and maintain stage presence in front of such a large audience?

SB: I think, honestly, the spotlights are so bright you don’t even notice the people are there. You practice it so many times, you just get into the groove with the people on stage and personally, I don’t worry about the people watching.

DA: How was the production of this play different from previous Stanton College Preparatory School productions?

SB: It was kind of insane. I definitely did not think I was going to be ready, I was surprised when I was. It was such a small production as far as set and that kind of thing goes. I’m used to being in productions with huge costume budgets and giant sets, but this was very minimalistic. A lot of my costumes came out of my closet.

DA: How does it feel to be the central role of the play?

SB: It’s kind of weird, because outside of Stanton I’ve been in leads but I’ve never been in leads here so it was interesting. It’s weird to know people are paying attention to you.

DA: What struggles have you faced throughout the production? What are some highlights?

SB: Some struggles were definitely lines, I had a lot of lines to memorize and not a lot of time. September is also a really busy month, with the play going on and all the other things I had going on, it was just really difficult to devote that much time to one thing, but I’m definitely glad that I did because I really think it paid off. The play was definitely much better than we were expecting it to be.

DA: What are your plans for the future when it comes to theater?

SB: I wanted to be a lawyer, but I definitely want to pursue theater in college, not as a major, but as something to put time into because I think the stage presence developed in acting is very helpful in the future when it comes to things you need to do like commanding a room.

DA: Why do you think Salvation Road was chosen as one of this year’s productions?

SB: I think that after Almost, Maine and Seussical, Mr. Grove wanted something in the middle; something with a small cast and crew but not a black box production, but also not a giant, hundred person musical.

DA: What have you taken away from Salvation Road?

SB: I think that I got a lot closer with the cast. A lot of people I was already good friends with, but I feel like we all got a lot closer spending so much time together. It’s really nice to establish a foundation with people you wouldn’t normally do with.

Q & A: Salvation Road: Sara Branly