theinterview
Roswell Cultural Arts Center
On withthe Show! Sarah Chandler brings lifelong love of theater to Roswell Cultural Arts Center
By KATIE VanBRACKLE
katie@northsidewoman.com
J
ust across a shady footbridge from Roswell City Hall lies the Roswell Cultural Arts Center (CAC), a 600-seat house offering a comfortable and intimate theater experience for local residents. Every seat is a good seat, and guests are often able to chat with artists after the show. The Roswell facility has long been the venue of choice for local dance companies, symphonies and the Georgia Ensemble Theatre, which produces five outstanding stage shows each year. Lately, the CAC has expanded beyond its role as a rental house to offer more original productions such as the LIVE! in Roswell concert and performing arts series (www. roswellpresents.com), now in its second year. Blazing the trail in this exciting endeavor is the CAC’s new coordinator, Sarah Chandler, who brings to her position a lifelong love of theater and an extensive background in the performing arts. Chandler, who grew up in Macon, Ga., jokes that her own stage debut was made at the tender age of 6, as
a farmer in the kindergarten production of “Which Came First – the Chicken or the Egg?” But it was a high school English professor who first inspired her to take her theatrical talent seriously, after praising her emotional reading of a literary monologue. Chandler’s love of the theater world was cemented when she attended a musical based on the songs of 1970s performer Harry Chapin. “I found myself weeping during ‘Mr. Tanner,’ and it was the first time that I had that moment of…WOW,” she said. “Theater can change your life and make you feel so many things.” Chandler attended Wesleyan College in Macon where she worked on every play produced by the theater department for four years. She knew that she had found what she wanted to do with her life. By the time she traveled to Virginia Tech to receive her graduate degree in theater management, she had made the decision to focus her energies behind the stage rather that upon it. “My mother envisioned me acting on Broadway, and I’ll admit that was a fleeting dream of mine for a time at Wesleyan, but at some point, I realized that my true talents
The CAC is a beautiful space right here in the heart of Roswell. You can have dinner at your favorite Canton Street restaurant, then stroll over to see a show ... What better way to support the arts in your local community?” Sarah Chandler, Roswell Cultural Arts Center Coordinator
12 | northsidewoman.com | february2014
Sarah Chandler, Roswell Cultural Arts Center Coordinator.
were in the creative process and technical side of theater,” she recalled. “It really helped, though, to have experienced the churning stomach and sweaty palms that come with stage acting. It helped me to become an even better theater creator.” Chandler spent 11 years working nationally and internationally in stage management, most recently in Philadelphia, a city she describes as hugely supportive of the arts. But she felt the strong need to return home to the South, encouraged especially by her beloved grandmother from Marietta who regularly sent newspaper clippings announcing theater opportunities in the metro Atlanta area, with notes attached saying, “You could do this!” When the Roswell Cultural Arts Center position became available, Chandler knew it was the right fit. “This is a great time to be in Roswell,” she said. “This area is exploding with new businesses, a burgeoning arts scene and youthful energy.” G. Morgan Timmis, manager of historic and cultural affairs for the city of Roswell, was pleased to find such a highly qualified candidate to manage the CAC. “Sarah brings great experience and innovative ideas for how to enhance everything about the center,” Timmis said. “I had applicants from across the country for this position. All three of the short-list candidates were from out of state, which I feel is a positive statement about our facility – what we’ve been doing and have the potential to do going forward.” Chandler is already exploring ways for the CAC to be more active in the community, including partnering with local businesses for “Locals Only” events like open mic nights, readings and trivia nights.
► See CHANDLER, Page 28