Center Stage: Conquering Audition Nerves & Canine Co-Stars

It takes guts to step onto a stage. It takes even more when your co-star has four paws and no script. Discover why taking a brave leap is always worth it.

Sierra stepping into character as the formidable (and easily scandalized) Ambassador's Wife in Murder Aboard the SS Jungle Queen. (Photo by Hans Creative Studios)

If you were in the audience for the maiden voyage of Broadway Maricopa’s Jungle Queen, you absolutely remember Helen Thomas. The Ambassador’s Wife was unapologetically pompous, demanded only the finest things, and was rarely seen without her prized, fluffy companion, Fifi.

But behind the expensive wardrobe and the elite attitude is Sierra—a Maricopa mom who spends her days juggling the beautiful chaos of a household of four kids, running her local dog-training business, and chasing her personal passions.

Stepping into the high-maintenance shoes of the Ambassador's Wife was a hilarious departure from her daily reality. “It was out of my normal realm of what I am,” Sierra laughs. “But it was really fun to have a space to open up and commit to that kind of role without actually being that kind of person.”

The Leap of Faith

Seeing Sierra command the stage with such bold confidence, you would never guess that stepping into the audition room in the first place was a nerve-wracking decision.

Like so many locals reading this right now, Sierra battled those nagging "What if?" thoughts. What if I'm not good enough? What if I mess up? What if I simply don't have the time? As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, the anxiety of committing to a production on top of parenting and running a business was very real.

But she took a deep breath and went for it anyway. To her relief, she quickly discovered that Broadway Maricopa wasn't looking for robotic perfection, and the directors fundamentally understood her balancing act.

“They understand parent life and just life in general,” Sierra notes, highlighting how the leadership accommodates busy families while still fiercely protecting the quality of the final show.

With her scheduling anxieties eased, Sierra was able to fully embrace the community aspect of the theater. That magic started at the very first table read for Jungle Queen. Sitting in a room with over forty local cast members, hearing the script out loud, and experiencing the massive plot twists together served as an incredible icebreaker. But the true family bond? That was forged over the following weeks—sweating through rehearsals together, figuring out blocking, and cheering each other on.

(Photos by Hans Creative Studios)

Finding the Voice (And the Puppy)

With her nerves settled and a supportive cast behind her, Sierra focused on building her character. To find the voice of such an elite, hard-to-please woman, she borrowed aristocratic mannerisms from a relative with very classy taste.

“She had a very nice pair of earrings that she offered me... but mentioned she can only wear gold,” Sierra recalls. In reality, her relative simply has an allergy to metals like silver—but taken completely out of context, that off-hand comment became the comedic anchor for her character’s worldview. “I thought, 'Oh, I can only wear gold. My dog can only wear gold.'”

Her quick thinking was put to the ultimate test when the directors threw her a massive curveball. Fifi the dog wasn't going to be a stuffed prop; she was going to be a live puppy.

Handling live animals under stage lights is famously unpredictable, but fortunately, Sierra’s day job came to the rescue. As the owner of Wildflower Paws, her professional dog-training background made her the perfect person to handle the furry co-star.

Even so, live theater happens in real-time. During the chaotic climax of the show—where tables are flipped and the set descends into madness—the puppy understandably got a little spooked. In the original script, the dog was actually supposed to run off during a specific scene. But in a live dinner-theater setting, letting a puppy loose around catering tables was a disaster waiting to happen.

The solution? Sierra held the dog tighter and projected the script's intended emotion directly onto the perfectly calm animal. “Look what you’ve done now, you’ve upset Fifi!” she would exclaim. It added a brilliant layer of out-of-touch comedy to the character. Behind the scenes, Fifi became the ultimate cast morale booster, with actors regularly visiting her backstage bed to decompress between scenes.

(Photos by Hans Creative Studios)

The Yellow Brick Road is Waiting

The leap of faith paid off. The quality of Jungle Queen was so high that Sierra soon found herself experiencing a mild brush with local fame.

“I've had complete strangers in public come up and say they think they know me from somewhere,” she smiles. Once they start piecing it together, Sierra gets to happily confirm that she was indeed the snooty Ambassador's Wife from the murder mystery. “Just knowing that that's the kind of quality Broadway Maricopa provides... I want to be a part of something that is providing the community with such amazing productions.”

With the jungle now in the rearview mirror, Sierra is trading it for the Yellow Brick Road. She is stepping right back into the audition room this week for The Wizard of Oz.

Is she still nervous? Of course. But her advice to anyone sitting at home right now, debating whether or not they should try out, is simple:

“Just do it.”

“Show them that willingness to be flexible and to be vulnerable,” she advises. “You don't need to worry about trying to portray a certain character... just go for the experience, put yourself out there, and see what you might discover.”

Auditions for The Wizard of Oz are happening THIS WEEK! If you are reading this on Tuesday morning and feeling that flutter of nervous excitement, this is your sign to push past the "what ifs."

👇 Take a breath, make a bold choice, and claim your audition slot for TONIGHT (May 5th), or join us for the second round next week on May 11th or 12th!

[CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR YOUR AUDITION SLOT]