Volunteer Spotlight: Sharon Delong
Taproot Theatre’s volunteers play a vital role in helping TTC to continue providing you with excellent theatre in a welcoming environment. To say thanks, we’d like to shed a little light on the people who serve us with energy and dedication. This edition’s Spotlight Volunteer is Sharon Delong, who started volunteering at Taproot Theatre 16 years ago.
Q: First of all, thanks for being such a dedicated volunteer. What made you want to start volunteering, and what keeps you coming back year after year?
A: We did not know anything about Taproot until we went to see our pastor's daughter, Marianne Savell, in the first production of Smoke on the Mountain in 1992. We absolutely loved it! It's still one of our favorite shows. Even being 'theater novices,’ we were impressed with both the quality and the intimacy of the performance. It's hard for me to remember for sure, but I think there was a note in the program about volunteer opportunities. Everything about our first experience made us feel like this was something we would like to support. Looking back on it, I know that it was God's leading because our lives have been changed by our association with Taproot. Our lives have been changed by our association with Taproot. The more people we got to know there and the more time we have spent working with them, the more we feel like part of a family. Now I cannot imagine not being involved with Taproot and volunteering whenever I can.
Q: You’re also an actress; what are some of your favorite roles?
A: I am an actress only because of Taproot’s Acting Studio, and I love it. I have worked at several community theatres in the area for the past 7 years. Since retiring 6 years ago, I have been in about 3 shows per year: straight plays and musicals, comedies and dramas, all types of roles. One of my favorite roles was Mrs. Savage in The Curious Savage. I first saw the play performed at Taproot many years ago, and the actress who played Mrs. Savage became a role model for me. I enjoy playing strong women; some similar to me and some very different. I also like to learn and use different accents. One of the characters that I have loved watching and would like to have a chance to play is Betty in The Foreigner. She's so much fun.
Q: If you could see any TTC production from the past again, which would it be?
A: I love all of the Sanders family shows and I'm glad that they have been repeated and that we get to see a new one (Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming) this season. The show that I could never see enough and would love to see again is Boomers. Maybe it's because I'm a boomer and I could relate to it, but I just couldn't stop singing along with it every night.
Q: Finally, tell us something unusual about you that people at TTC would like to know.
A: Something that most people don't know is that while I was in college in east Texas, I raced our women's dorm's go-kart. I found out about the go-kart race and team my first year_, helped drive and work on the kart my second and third years, and was in charge of the team my senior year when I raced and helped a friend (the designer) build a new—and winning—go-kart. It was one of the highlights of my college years and was very hard to leave behind when I graduated.
Would you like to join Taproot Theatre Company’s team of amazing volunteers? There are opportunities for ushers, house managers, concessions managers, mailing crews, costuming assistants and more! For more information on these and other volunteer opportunities, call 206.529.3655 or click here.
