I recently came across a fascinating article on Playbill.com about Sally Schwab, who currently plays tomboy Betty Jean in the current hit off-Broadway revival of The Marvelous Wonderettes. What fascinated me most about this article was that it highligted an aspect of off-Broadway performing that I was unfamiliar with. I had always assumed that performing off-Broadway was a full time career: Performers do eight shows a week with Mondays off and then spend their free time auditioning for other projects or taking care of personal responsibilities. It never occurred to me that off-Broadway performers could in fact carry a full-time career while also performing in an off-Broadway show.
Sally Schwab is certainly no stranger to the stage. She made her off-Broadway debut in A Broadway Diva Christmas with Maya Days (Rent), Drama Desk Award-Winning Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre), and the legendary Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Horrors). She would latter go on to appear in Back in Pictures as well as the Provincetown Theater's production of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. While she is an accomplished actress at night, during the day, Ms. Schwab is a Global History Teacher at South Bronx Preperatory School. Of course, Ms. Schwab's theatrical background is put to good use at the school. She successfully launched the school's first-ever theatre program and has directed several musicals at the school, including Pippin.
How does Sally Schwab juggle a full time teaching career while taking to the stage as a Wonderette? Be sure to read the amazing article, What's It Like To Do a Two-Show Day and Be a Teacher written by Hannah Vine on playbill.com.