Heather Wright
Special to The Journal
Sarah Caraher was nine or ten when her parents took her to see singer Colm Wilkinson at Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia.
The Sarnia girl was already doing some singing and acting in local theater, but seeing the man who starred as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables was a turning point.
“Afterwards, I met Colm Wilkinson and I had bought his CD. He signed it and wrote, ‘Keep Singing, Colm.’ And so I did.”
Caraher joined the Nightingale Chorus and performed at the Imperial Theatre, among other local productions. The Northern Collegiate grad attended St. Clair College in Windsor and then headed west to Vancouver to study theatre arts at university.
That led her back home. Caraher was a cast member in a production of The Church Basement Ladies – A Mighty Fortress is Our Basement, which wraps up today at VPP.
“I’m fairly new (to the stage) and this is a challenging show, it is so fast paced,” she said.
“There are lots of props and lots of food going around. We’re always running.
“But I’m learning so much from my fellow cast mates and the creative team.
Caraher said she loves the rush of being on stage.
“When everyone is out there, it is so exciting. The energy and enthusiasm is really palpable and it makes the experience even more wonderful.”
- The Petrolia Independent