Q & A With Olivia Sarafina Washington
Paw Patrol Live! “Race to the Rescue” is taking the stage for the first-ever live tour with four performances at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta July 8 through July 9.
Mayor Goodway is played by Atlanta’s Olivia Sarafina Washington. Acting since the age of 10, Washington’s most memorial role to date is Motormoouth Maybelle, which earned her the coveted State of Georgia 2012 Shuler Hensley Award for Best Performance by a Featured Performer.
This week I had the pleasure to interview Olivia Washington and ask her a few questions about her current role in this theatrical performance and more!
Atlanta Southern Family:
How long have you been performing on stage?
Oliva Washington:
Starting at The Children’s School when I was four, I always did the school plays. So I guess you can say forever.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What or Who inspired you to work in theater?
Oliva Washington:
The audience of my 6th grade performance of The Lion King. I played Pumbaa and after that performance so many people came up to me saying how wonderful my performance was. I was a little baffled, I didn’t really think much of it. But, I continued to pursue the performing arts ever since then so I guess the audience’s feedback had something to do with that.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What are some of your past performances?
Oliva Washington:
I graduated from American Musical and Dramatic Academy in May of 2016, so this is my first professional performance. But in middle and high school, I performed a lot. I played Snoopy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, The Duchess in Alice in Wonderland, Trix in The Drowsy Chaperone, Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, Sylvia Fowler in The Women, to name a few.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What was your favorite performance?
Oliva Washington:
That’s tough… I think I’m going to go with Snoopy from You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. I played this role when I was in 8th grade at Woodward Academy. It was just so much fun. I received awards when I played Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, but I genuinely just had the best time playing Snoopy. The cast was super talented and just wonderful human beings. The musical is one of my favorites.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What do you enjoy most about theater performance? What about being ‘on stage’ that interests/excites you the most?
Oliva Washington:
It’s the ability to give all of yourself to the audience. It’s the instant gratification you get when they laugh or clap. It’s the feeling of exhaustion when you walk off the stage after the last show of a three show day and know you gave it everything you had. There is something about live theatre that doesn’t compare to any other type of performance. Maybe it’s the fear of not being able to do another take that puts you 110% into your body and forces you to focus and live in the moment. Whatever it is, it is the most rewarding thing in the world.
Atlanta Southern Family:
Can you describe your role as Mayor Goodway and what it is like performing in Paw Patrol?
Oliva Washington:
Yes! I play the role of the melodramatic, yet lovable, mayor of Adventure Bay – Mayor Goodway! From her exaggerated voice to her groovy dancing, playing this character is the most fun I have ever had on stage. Everything about this character is honestly just a heightened version of myself, which makes it all the more fun to break “the fourth wall” and step off the stage to interact with the kiddos in the audience. I honestly feel like a rockstar when I’m out on stage or in the audience because the kids love PAW Patrol so much. It is one of the most popular kid shows out right now. I’m honored to be apart of this production.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What is your favorite part about playing the role of Mayor Goodway in Paw Patrol Live?
Oliva Washington:
The audience interaction, hands down, is my favorite part about my role in PAW Patrol Live! “Race to the Rescue.” Mayor Goodway goes into the audience to interview the kids towards the end of the show, which is always a blast. I also love that this character is so outgoing and has an entertaining over the top personality. It made her that much more fun developing the character for the stage.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What made you want to try out for this production?
Oliva Washington:
Once I graduated from college in May of 2016, I rented an apartment in New York and started pounding the audition pavement. I was auditioning for everything but mainly cruise ships. I would get a call back or two but nothing further. One day I got an email from Michael Cassara casting, calling me in to audition for Paw Patrol Live. During my last semester at AMDA we have a “Panel Night” where groups of industry professionals come and watch each student perform a monologue and a song. I definitely made a good impression on Mr. Cassara who attended my panel night because next thing I know I am auditioning for this life-changing tour.
After auditioning, I received my first call back and came back two days later to do some monologue work in the actual voice of Mayor Goodway. I left the call back feeling confident that I nailed it. Now all I could do was wait to hear back. One week went by, then two, then three and at this point I am thinking I obviously didn’t get the job. During those weeks of waiting I continued to search for jobs and had acquired multiple part-time jobs in the city as a nanny, hostess, and an AMDA Admission Counselor. It wasn’t until my first day on the job as a nanny when I got the call that I have been offered the role of Mayor Goodway. I honestly almost fainted. I packed my bags, left New York, and signed on to be a part of this incredible Nickelodeon premiere tour.
Atlanta Southern Family:
Who is your favorite actor?
Oliva Washington:
Hmmm…ok…wow. This is tough for me because I don’t really have just one. I love so many people from TV, movies, and stage. I would say that my favorite entertainer/mogul is Queen Latifah. You are probably thinking, “I mean she’s good but what about Viola Davis or Denzel etc?” Let me explain, I love Queen Latifah not because she is the best thespian to ever grace our earth but because of how she has navigated the industry. She has done TV, film, music, commercial, voice over, stage, production, modeling, etc. She has done it all. As a full-figured woman of color, that is incredible! She is an amazing role model and such an inspiration. I want to do everything she has done and that is why she is my favorite.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What is your advice to aspiring actors?
Oliva Washington:
Do it or don’t. If you are not going to go out and give it your all and leave your inhibitions at the door, then stay home. If you are willing to throw yourself out of your comfort zone and use your talents to the best of your ability, then acting is the way to go. It is difficult for a scared actor to succeed. When I was in school and a teacher picked one of my classmates to demonstrate something in front of the class and they would shy away from it because it was embarrassing or something of the sort, it was such a letdown, because I knew they had a lot to offer.
Atlanta Southern Family:
What is one thing that I haven’t asked that you would like to share with our readers?
Oliva Washington:
I learned something while being on tour, which I feel is essential for anyone in the arts to do, sacrifice. In order to be great you have to sacrifice something. Those things may be different from person to person, but it is inevitable. In this case, Mayor Goodway has a very specific and unique voice that I mirror for the live production. Her voice is octaves above my normal speaking voice so doing multiple shows a week requires vocal strength and stamina. On top of that, I have acid reflux (something a lot of singers have that can wear down your cords if you’re not careful). Therefore, I have to be super diligent about what I eat and how loud and often I speak outside of the show. I called my parents one day after a show feeling frustrated about my voice being fatigued, and I told them I ate spicy food (one thing you shouldn’t eat with acid reflux). My mother simply told me I had to cut that out of my diet. I LOVE spicy food and so I replied saying, “But spicy food is my livelihood!” And my dad said, “No Livy, your voice is your livelihood.” Like a ton of bricks it hit me and I paused for a moment. He was so right. My voice, my physical ability to perform is my livelihood. And that’s worth the sacrifice!
The performance schedule is as follows:
Sat., July 8 at 10 a.m., Sat., July 8 at 2 p.m., Sun., July 9 at 10 a.m. and Sun., July 9 at 2 p.m.
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