10 on Tuesday with SOUTHERN GOTHIC's Sarah Grant

In the immersive, critically-acclaimed SOUTHERN GOTHIC, Sarah Grant plays Ellie, a 1960's housewife with secrets to spare. While Ellie might be a bit more guarded in the play, Sarah had no problem spilling the beans in our 10 on Tuesday. Here's what she had to say.

Show you first auditioned for (and did you get the part)? The first show I remember auditioning for was the musical Me and My Girl in a summer theater program. I'm not sure if the audition was for any role in particular, but I was cast as the seductress, Lady Jacqueline (a fine beginning for a cautious 7th grader in braces). I remember after one of the shows, someone telling me I did a really good job of "staying in character." I didn't fully understand what it meant but concluded that was a good thing!

2) Where are you originally from? I'm originally from the small but wonderful town of North Manchester, Indiana.

3) When did you first know you wanted a career in theater? I knew I wanted to pursue a career in theater the summer after I graduated college. Though I had majored in literature, I had been in a number of productions, and that summer I was cast at The Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. Over the course of that production I realized theater was really the one thing I wanted to pursue.

4) What's your dream role production? Someday, I'd like to be Hamlet.

5) Favorite post-performance haunt? It sort of changes based on the production. In my current show, Southern Gothic, I love hanging out in the lobby afterword (Windy City Playhouse has a great little area there), but my couch works wonderfully well otherwise, or any of the cocktail bars in Logan Square, where I live.

6) Living or dead, who would you drop everything to see perform? I missed Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart when they did Waiting for Godot on Broadway in 2013 and am still regretting it.

7) What's your greatest vice/guilty pleasure? McDonalds.

8) What are you currently listening to/watching/reading? Recently, I discovered the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern. I love it because it's brilliant improv but also because it showcases Chicago talent.

9) The one song you don't ever want to hear someone perform at an audition: The Ice Cream Song. I kind of forget what it is, but I remember not liking it.

10) Describe the Chicago theater community in three words: Cut Your Teeth.

SOUTHERN GOTHIC runs through July 29th at the Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road Tickets, $65-$85 at 773-891-8985 or www.windycityplayhouse.com

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