Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Powell.
Hi Sarah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been musical, as far back as I can remember. I started piano lessons when I was 5 and joined the school choir at age 8. From there it was a natural progression into theater, all-state choir competitions, and eventually, becoming a classical voice major in college. I know that I often gravitated towards whatever I excelled at, so by my early 20s, I was in full opera singer mode. The opera industry is notoriously tough, physically demanding, mentally exhausting, and emotionally damaging, at least for me, and I quickly realized that this was not the space I wanted to inhabit. When my husband and I moved back Dallas area, I immersed myself in the theater community and felt more at home.
Over the last few years, life has changed in some big ways, most notably that I became a mother. I have a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-and-a-half-year-old son, so the hours required for rehearsals are not, shall we say, always child friendly. I missed being immersed in the arts, so I pivoted and started producing, first with The Table Co\Lab, a theatre collaborative designed, supported, and led by female-identifying and non-binary people who seek to uplift the voices of marginalized genders. Then in 2021, I became a Creative Producer for the new DFW chapter of La Ti Do Productions, a cabaret series that strives to be a premiere community of cultural and artistic diversity and inclusion through music and spoken word collaboration.
As a producer, I’ve learned to see the theatrical process from a new perspective, and I’ve also been able to see and implement some changes in my own work that I’d love to see industry-wide: childcare/parent-friendly work hours, a mental health first mentality, and diversity at every level of our work. It’s empowering in a way that simply performing has not allowed me to feel.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely some struggles, haha. And there still are some! The hardest thing is money—we always need it, and we never have it. Both The Table and La Ti Do are committed to paying all artist involved in the work that we do. With productions, it’s a constant battle between what we envision and what we can afford to actually build.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known in the community as an arts educator, performer, and producer. I love teaching anything that I have ever struggled with—they say those who can’t do, teach, but that’s not quite right in my opinion—those who can’t do, teach THEMSELVES first, and then pass it on to others. It’s such proud moment when you work on something and have a light bulb moment and then help someone else turn on the same light.
As a producer, I am so proud of both my fledgling companies. The Table produced its first two shows this past year with all female and non-binary creative teams, and La Ti Do DFW is now a Broadway World Award-winning Cabaret!
What matters most to you? Why?
My family and my children’s future. That is why I do what I do: to ensure that the arts are a thriving and healthy sector for my children and the next generation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.latidoproductions.com
- Instagram: @latidoproductions
- Youtube: @latidodc
- Other: www.thetablecolab.com
