Actor Sarah Bradnum is already familiar to Wellington audiences from her many pantomime and musical in the town but her name is about to become well known to a much wider audience. Next week she will play the role of Marlene Dietrich in ‘Halbwelt Kultur’, a new musical which is about to open at The New Wimbledon Theatre Studio in London prior to a run in central London.
The play is described as “a musical cabaret which presents snapshot vignettes of seven highly influential women who made their names during Germany’s notorious 1920s Weimar Republic.” The role of Marlene Dietrich promises to reveal “things you never knew about this Hollywood icon.” The in-demand Sarah is also in rehearsal for a production of ‘The London Cuckolds’ by Edward Ravenscroft which opens next month at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington. And after that? “There’s the possibility of a film – to be decided!’ she said.
Since graduating from the Oxford School of Drama in 2011 Sarah has already built up an impressive number of roles both on the stage and in film. Theatre credits include ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, ‘Live Like Pigs’ and ‘Peepshow’ and she appears as Jane Angel in the thriller ‘Scar Tissue, due for cinema release later this year. ‘Lost Existence’, another of her film credits, is now in post-production.
Performance training began early – she started dancing with Wellington Arts Association at the age of three – and from there she took part in twelve pantomimes from the age of eight. Her first and last performances for Wellington Pantomime Group were as the Cat in ‘Dick Whittington’, the latter winning her a Somerset Fellowship of Drama Cinderella Award in 2008. She was also a member of Wellington Operatic Society, performing in ‘Sweet Charity’ and ‘Me and My Girl’.
After school at Kingsmead and Richard Huish and university in Bristol, Sarah began a post-graduate degree in psychology at Exeter University. It was whilst she was studying for her master’s degree that she decided to change track and apply to drama school in 2008, having been involved in performance at university. She moved to London after graduating in 2011.
Asked about her ambitions, she said, “I would love to be able to support myself solely as an actor. I’m not seeking fame; I just enjoy performing. My dream would be to work in the West End and do more film and TV work which I really enjoy. This is a profession where you simply have to be seen to get good roles.”
With ‘Halbwelt Kultur’ about to open and ‘The London Cuckolds’ to follow, Sarah Bradnum – who describes herself as an “actor, guitarist, dancer and fan of Pinot Noir” – may be opening a few celebratory bottles in the weeks ahead.
Gill Paltridge