She's Back!

Ol' Sarah has returned and she's back with a vengence!

But in a good way.  Here's a quick Q&A with our very own dynamite diva, actress Valerie Weingart...

1. How long would you survive on the American frontier?
Not long.  I would probably nag Abe about the bugs, the heat, the constant packing and unpacking... He would be annoyed with me for sure.  

 2. Any desire to travel to Egypt?
I've been mostly satisfied by a visit to the Luxor in Vegas, but I'm always up for international traveling!

3.  What's actually in those sesame cakes you make for ol' Abe?
Flour, water, sesame seeds, and a lot of love (wink, wink).

4. Does it bother you that you do all the cooking, cleaning, and moving, while "Abraham" just tells stories and walks around you?
Nah. He's in charge of the animals, the tribe, the concubines, and listening to the Lord. I get to be my own boss... most of the time. I just like to make him feel a little guilty so he doesn't take me for granted.

5. You've played the part of Sarah in various remounts of the production since January of 2005, has your approach to the role changed over the years?
Now that I'm a wife and mother, I identify with Sarah in different ways.  I used to only feel her deep longing for a child,  but now I understand her devotion to her husband, as well as her fear of losing her son.

6. What's your most memorable performance?
It has to be the time at the Amish Door when we had a medical emergency in the audience and had to wait until the buggy arrived for the Amish lady who had a seizure. Then we picked up right where we left off without a hitch.    (I won't mention the time where I skipped several pages of lines and realized too late that I had shortened the play by about ten minutes!)

7. You once performed part of 34west's "John, His Story" in Ukraine, with a translator.  What was that like?
Very interesting.  The ten minutes I shaved off of Abraham and Sarah were added to my Mary and Martha scene in Ukraine.  The translation made for a very long wait time.

8. What was your first acting role and when?
I was in the chorus of Oklahoma! my freshman year of high school. That opened a whole new world for me and I went on to play the lead in the Crucible the following year.  But my heart belonged to musical theater and I have performed in over 20 musical productions since then.

9. What's your favorite scene in the show and why?
My favorite scene is during Holy God when Abraham returns with Isaac.  It reminds me of God's redeeming love and often my tears are real as I focus on His desire for our trust in His perfect plan.

10. You pluck a chicken on stage, have you ever done that in real life?
Um... Not a chicken.  I assisted with a duck once, but it grossed me out.