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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the individuals who share them and do not necessarily represent Nielsen IQ. Note that this podcast discusses sensitive topics that may be triggering for some. For more information specific to this episode, see the episode description.   

Jake Conlon: Hi everyone and welcome to the My Story, Our Voices Podcast, a core component of NielsenIQ’s DEI Learning Series, Me and You. My name is Jake Conlon, and if this is your first time tuning in then let me tell you what this podcast is all about. In a nutshell, it’s about stories. Your stories. We think stories are important because when we tell them we open the door and allow others to see the experiences that shaped us, that challenged us and helped us grow. By doing this, we can create a culture where open dialogue is encouraged, and we can have a space to discuss important topics in a transparent and courageous manner. So, minimize that e-mail tab, new your chat and take a little break to listen to a Nielsen IQ.

James Anderson: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of NIQ My Story, Our Voices Podcast, sponsored by our DEI team. My name is James Anderson. My pronouns are he and him, and I currently work as a senior analyst in the manufacturing side here, out of the Toronto office. I’m joined today on this episode by my co-host, Funda Kalemci. Funda, how are you doing today?

Funda Kalemci: Hi James, I’m doing great and I’m really looking forward to our conversation today. So, hello everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in. I’m Funda and I am the global leader for diversity, equity, inclusion and well-being at NIQ.

James Anderson: And I’m also very excited today because we have terrific guest, today. Who’s going to be sharing a really, really interesting story with us. I think, I think, it’ll be something we can all relate to. You know, one of those stories where, you know, things change unexpectedly and we’re all sort of forced to pivot. Our guest today will be Sarah Dickey and she currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her current role with NIQ is as a project manager for our Bases team. She originally lived in Chicago and in, sort of, her quote-unquote, “previous life”, earlier life, she was heavily involved outside of work [life] in theater, mostly behind the scenes as a stage manager, a costumer as a director and as an educator. But now, as I previously alluded to, there’s been a bit of a pivot in her life and she’s discovered a joy of actually being out front, in front of the crowds. Sarah, welcome aboard to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Sara Dickey: I’m doing great. Thank you so much for having me.

James Anderson: And so just wondering if you would like to tell us a little bit more about your story and how…how you came to make this pivot in your life?

Sara Dickey: Yeah, absolutely. So hi, my name is Sara. My pronouns are they/them, and I recently started getting into being a drag performer. And that came about really [because]…Things were getting out of lockdown. I was getting out of a really toxic relationship and getting done with a divorce and kind of sinking back into myself and who I am and things I wanted to do as a kid, you know, and part of that was taking songs I loved and dancing to them on a stage how I wanted to [in] whatever concept that may be. And yeah, ironically enough, throughout my breakup, I started binging RuPaul’s Drag Race, and I found out, oh? Yeah, I can do that? That’s the thing I can do? So yeah, Cincinnati actually has a really great and welcoming drag scene. And, yeah, over the past few months I have become a drag performer, locally.

James Anderson: Can you tell us a little bit about the kind of drag that you’re currently doing now?

Sara Dickey: Yeah. So, I started doing a Drag King workshop. So, normally people know of “Drag Queens”. Drag King is kind of the opposite, so to speak. You know, I find it interesting, going into [the world of] drag [and discovering] how there are all of these gender rules [for drag] when[ever] the whole thing about drag is just, kind of, messing with gender. So, I started out in a drag King workshop, but since then, and since also exploring my non-binary identity, I have kind of shifted into just drag performance, in general. I have done things with a more feminine side, a more masculine side, and I even kind of try and mix them into my act a little bit. So yeah, I do drag performances. All across the spectrum.

Funda Kalemci: Wow, this is so great, Sarah. I love that you were able to pivot after, you know, one chapter ending in your life, which wasn’t, you know, super positive for you. But in finding a new community and space, can you talk a little bit about that experience in drag so far? We’d love to hear more about some of your recent performances too.

Sara Dickey: Absolutely. So honestly, one of my favorite things – probably my favorite thing about drag – is the community that comes along with it. You know, of course, drag is performing on a stage, but throughout queer history, we have had so many drag performers do so much for our community, and that has really become a fundamental piece of being a drag performer, at least for me: community is a very strong value for me, So, one of the things that really drew me into it was just the openness of community around Cincinnati. You know, I’ve participated in…[or rather] outside of drag, just through this community, discussions on living with disabilities, discussions on being a disabled performer. I’ve, you know, obviously listened to discussions around the area with current political events going on. Whether drag is, you know, seen as quote-unquote “legally acceptable”. All of that stuff is part of being a drag artist and just [being] part of the community that comes with it. And honestly, without the community and the friends I’ve made, I probably wouldn’t have done a lot – at least, [not] some of the performances I’ve done so far. So, for July, I was lucky enough to be a part of Cincinnati’s – it was my first night – at Cincinnati Drag King night at the Birdcage. And it was (giggles) a WWE-themed event…Yup, we had appearances from Drag “John Cena”, Drag “Hulk Hogan” and I decided to go as [Drag] “Shrek”, the Greatest Wrestler of our Generation.

James Anderson: Just to confirm that WWE – for those of our listeners around the world who might not know – it’s a, it’s, it’s a World Wrestling-type of Federation. To give some context there, and so there are people who, who are playing the roles of – or impersonating – individuals who are already in that world.

Sara Dickey: Yes, that’s exactly. And you know, drag has a lot of what we call campiness to it. So, they were impersonating people who you might even – nowadays, [you might even say] that’s an interesting choice for a queer person to impersonate. But I think the campiness and the fun and just the, the lightheartedness of every drag show…it makes it so fun to just honestly impersonate different kinds of celebrities, different kinds of artists. And yeah it, it was a really fun night.

James Anderson: I just want to build into…I want to just back up a little bit, because I want to talk about how you got into this community because, you know, you mentioned before that a relationship had ended. And, you know, we want to talk a little bit about how you found this particular group, here. Was there, was it…Because, I guess, there’s always a moment, there’s always a “spark” moment. I guess, sometimes it’s called the “A-ha” moment or whatever, where you, sort of, found this new kind of world because you were obviously in a – I’m guessing – a relatively uncomfortable place. And then, how did that all roll out from there?

Sara Dickey: Yeah, absolutely. So, to be transparent, I was getting out of an abusive relationship. We had just gotten married actually a few months previous whenever I decided to initiate the divorce when I found out there was, you know, some emotional manipulation going on. So I was really lost for probably all of last fall. And one of the things I started doing, you know, as a queer person, I was really looking for any sense of community and any sense of connection to who I was without this person.

James Anderson: Yeah.

Sara Dickey: And I really did think back into my queer roots, you know, like I said, I started binging of all shows, Ru Paul’s drag race, you know, and upfront, that is not the best representation of what drag truly is but it is what got dragged into the mainstream. So you know I started watching Ru Paul’s drag really not knowing much. I had heard of queens before, you know, but I had never really gotten super into it. But as I was binging this, they came out in these costumes that, you know, as a theater person, I had to quit theater during COVID, and I hadn’t had exposure to that for quite a while because that was another tactic of manipulation. I. Not really have the chance in this relationship to experience theater the way I had before. So watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, I saw these huge costumes, which you know, as a costumer, I kind of know how, at least for some of them, have been made or have an idea so that really intrigued me. I saw, you know, the movement, the dancing.. It has never been my Forte, but I really love watching it. I do love dancing, even if, you know, it is not the best part of what I can do, I still love it.

James Anderson: It’s the joy of expression, right? The… what is it? Dance like no one is watching.

Sara Dickey: Precisely, yes, it is really, and that’s another thing that I saw on this show was just, this joy of expression. And you know, like I said, when I was a little kid, like, we’re talking 5-6 years old, whenever I said that I want to be a superstar, you know, one of the things I really loved was taking songs you hear on the radio, like at that time Britney Spears. And I would like to create these concepts for it. And you know this state in my life as I was growing up, riding the bus to school, creating concepts of songs, looking out the window, that kind of thing. But watching Drag Race, I forget where exactly because I didn’t hear on the show because unfortunately Drag Race has a trend of not really including drag kings. So I was, I think, looking at a YouTube video about Drag Race and someone mentioned drag kings and that was the first time I had really ever, like, heard of a drag king and processed what it was because I had never heard of it or not really like, paid attention to it.

James Anderson: Did that lead to a trip down Google to find out?

Sara Dickey: Yes, it left me a trip down Google, trip down YouTube, trip down Tik Tok and what I found was just this side of the Queer community that I had never realized before, you know? The history of Drag Kings comes from a lot of times lesbians and butches in, you know, early 20th, early 19th, late 19th centuries, like going out as who they want to be. And that was the quote unquote like I don’t want to say birth of a Drag King because Shakespeare existed, you know, but that is a pivotal point in Queer history where Drag Kings had, like, come on into existence, you know.

James Anderson: And so all of that kind of got you inspired and it was basically your, you know, quote-unquote, it was your big Google search that you sort of did? How did you then find the community where you are? Did you seek out people in the community in Cincinnati? Who did you speak to in the first place without giving names I guess? How did you sort of roll about?

Sara Dickey: Of course yeah so there is actually a wonderful group in Cincinnati. It is an amateur drag and burlesque troupe. It’s called Smoking Queers, and they offered a workshop for Drag Kings and at the same time there was a workshop for burlesque. It was a bunch of these amateur green new performers kind of coming together in the same space and yeah, we had a four-week workshop with a showcase at the end. So it was kind of doing a workshop to get into drag is not normal at all, I will say, but it was a really nice chance to, you know, get motivated, have someone say you have a stage at the end of this, put something together for us, you know, because getting a stage as a performer is one of the hardest things you can do to start just getting a place to put on what you want to do. So the fact that Smoking Queers has a space where they really wanted people to come and show what you have, you know, explore, drag, explore performance, things like that so that’s how I got into it. But from there, just the community of Cincinnati and the Queer community in Cincinnati, performance community in Cincinnati really just kind of opened their arms and welcomed not just me, but like all of us, from that workshop class into the scene. So I found it through a workshop with an amateur drag and burlesque troupe and even it was a abnormal way to start drag, I am so grateful I did it.

Funda Kalemci: It sounds like this has been such a fun and positive pivot for you, and I’m curious like, since starting drag, do you feel like this has helped you explore your identity even further and maybe even your relationship with your body?

Sara Dickey: Oh. You know, as far as my identity goes, like I said, I’m non binary I have recently started going by They/Them pronoun and actually I think I have just started professionally a couple weeks ago, like here and at NIQ so it’s still very new for me to be going by the They/Them pronouns and drag really helped with that, you know, I was using the She pronoun for a while and for a while I said that it was like ‘They’ gives me joy to hear, my pronouns being used as ‘They’ gives me joy where ‘She’ just kind of, it exists, it’s what I’ve had my whole life.

And so doing drag even just kind of gave me the reassurance of know if it makes you happy. You should claim it. You should go after it and so even drag helped me make the decision to go by the ‘They/Them’ pronouns. It has really deepened my love for my Queer self like my non binariness. I have recently come out as pansexual rather than a lesbian and, yeah, I think drag has helped me explore all of this and especially my body image as well. You know, like 8 years ago I was in treatment for an eating disorder so I’ve had historically a very rough relationship with my body and I will be honest, it’s probably one of the reasons I didn’t perform much in theater when I was in theater. You know, I would go on stage whenever my students wanted me to, to be like that adult role in a kids’ show. That kind of thing, but never really like a serious thing because I was so afraid of being perceived and now it’s like something has switched and, it’s like, I still get nervous being perceived by a crowd of people of course but it’s more exciting and empowering and I’m looking at it with curiosity rather than fear. Because you know, if you look at it from curiosity, you’re prepared if something goes wrong, you know, I’ve gone on stage and I’ve forgotten my entire choreography for a number this summer and I said, well, I’m on stage. So, I got to do something.

Funda Kalemci: Love that. Sara, I’m just curious about one other thing. You just mentioned that you very recently came up professionally as non-binary using your They/Them pronouns. How did it go from a work/life perspective? How are you…What I’m trying to understand is like how was your experience with coming out at work?

Sara Dickey: Honestly, it’s been pretty and even wonderful and I mean that in the best way like, I don’t want that to come off as ungrateful or anything because I like being in an environment where I can uneventfully come out and just change my pronouns on my e-mail and I realize that, slowly, my manager is getting it and things like that. And I’ll just do like a gentle, like, ‘Oh hey guys, just so you know, I’m using these pronouns now’. It hasn’t been like a big deal and that’s really refreshing.

Funda Kalemci: That is so great to hear.

Sara Dickey: Yeah, something I’ve learned this summer – just as a queer person – this goes into like each individual queer person[‘s experience], but I don’t enjoy coming out and [don’t] like the process of it. It’s not that I don’t think that it’s an important part of being queer; it’s an important part of our history. I just don’t really like it. And so even to be able to just have a very chill coming out of just, I’m going to change my pronouns and my signature and it’s not a big deal. That honestly has been really great.

James Anderson: I’ll throw in a story, here. You know, as a queer person, myself, I usually walk around basically with, you know, the proverbial big, pink, gay sign [walking] around above my forehead, I feel, like [it’s]flashing on and off all the time. So, I’ve never really had to you know, [come out, formally]. I’ve…I’ve just confirmed for people, basically, if they’ve ever asked. But to that point, since we’re talking about this issue, another friend of mine told me something very interesting, one time. This sort of very much what we’re talking about. You know, the perspective, you know, that we’re all living individual lives. Everybody’s kind of doing their own thing, but everyone kind of assumes [that] they, sort of, know what’s happening with everybody else. And this was eye-opening for me as a fellow gay man. He was saying to me he’s very quote-unquote “straight presenting”. You know, he played [all] the sports in school, so, he quote-unquote “fit in”.

Sara Dickey: Right.

James Anderson: Stereotypically, physically, [he] sort of “fit into” the environment. But he said something that I never thought I would hear from another queer person. He said, “I have to come out every day”.

Funda Kalemci: Wow.

Sara Dickey: Yeah.

James Anderson: And I thought that, you know – even me, [another gay person] – that opened my [eyes]. Like I’ve, I’ve never heard that from another queer person before. Sort of saying that that is…And I thought, oh, yeah, that must…that must really rot. Like I, I walk around with a sign [over my forehead] and people just kind of go…Well, I’m just going to make an assumption there…(laughs) and you’re probably right. But to have to, literally, truly, come out every day, you know – even when you are flying your colors – if they don’t fit with what the world assumes is “fitting”. Then yeah, that extra effort that has to be taken must be so tiring.

Sara Dickey: Absolutely. And you know, I’m the same way. I walk around and it’s not hard to figure out that I’m a queer person and I’m very proud of it. I have bright purple hair. I wear a lot of colors. You know, I probably have a pin somewhere on my person that says something very queer positive. And yeah, you say that, you know, going back to whenever I was like [discussing coming out] I don’t really like coming out that much, I, I think that’s a reason why I wear my identity so loudly, and why, also, you know, I know people starting drags [appearance] who are not telling anyone they know in their personal lives that they’re doing this.

James Anderson: Hm.

Sara Dickey: Partially, because of where we live and who those people are. But, you know, partially because they’re not outwardly “out” as a person, if that makes sense, you know.

James Anderson: Yeah.

Sara Dickey: So, me being very loud about drag is…just makes it more obvious. [But for others, they might say] “okay, you, you are a queer person [olpenly], but to someone who is not out openly like that [it can be hard]. And yeah, I, I’ve watched my friends just kind of like have to hide it. And I, personally, could not imagine [what that would be like] – and I, and I do want to acknowledge that I’m in a place of privilege [as] to where I could not imagine [that] and not have to do that [ie: coming out every day].

Funda Kalemci: It’s so interesting you use the word privileged, Sarah, because it really , like, rings tolls for me, not even bells. But when I listen to your story, even when we were prepping for this session, right, there are a few key words that I really took from your story. One of them is resilience and the other one is strength. And I want to ask you something. With that resilience and [those] strengths you built [up] over the years, I wanna know – like, you’ve pivoted very drastically from one life experience to another – how would you advise others who are trying to change, you know, quote-unquote, “something” in their lives?

Sara Dickey: I think one of the first things I did and one of the things that I think, honestly, every single adult needs to do at some point is, ask your inner child what they wanted to do. And that seems like a simple question but it’s really, sometimes – especially in the queer experience, where you know, you factor in trauma and things like that – it’s really hard to remember what we wanted as kids and, like, who we [even] were as kids because that is the version of ourselves that didn’t understand – at least, for me personally – I did not understand judgment. You know?

Funda Kalemci: Mhm.

Sara Dickey: Or, you know, quote-unquote “mean girl-ness”. You know, I did not understand these things as a kid. So, when I kind of thought about drag and how as a kid, I just, you know, wanted to sing my [pop songs] – well, not even sing, [but rather] lip synch my pop songs to different concepts that I made in my head. It just so happened that there was an avenue to do that as an adult, you know. And I think, especially, going into theater, you know – as a teenager going into college for theater – and trying to go on that track, there was a while [there] where my I really got it into my head where I wanted to, like, “make something of myself” and be “something big and good” in theatre and…and eventually, whenever I hit burnout at 26, I was like I, I can’t focus on that. I have to focus on me. So, all of that to say, my advice would be check in with your inner child, see what they wanted to do and see if you can somehow give it to them [now as an adult]. Obviously, if you wanted to be an astronaut, you may not be able to go directly into space, but there are things you can do like getting yourself a telescope and sinking into astronomy hobbies. You know? Like, there are ways to nurture what your inner-child wanted without, necessarily, like, pivoting your whole life, you know? I am in no way thinking of quitting this job to go into drag [full-time or professionally]. I have tried making a living entertainment-wise [and] it is not for me. I am very happy with [having] a 9-to-5 that lets me balance my work in life, to have a hobby that I can do outside of this, you know. So, my advice would be [to] nurture your inner-child and also be realistic with what you can do. You know? You don’t have to, if you want to say, go into theater or something, you don’t have to decide that you’re going to break out of your 9-to-5 and go to Braodway. You can do community theater and have a wonderful community and be so happy that you’re doing something for yourself. You know?

James Anderson: I’ll jump in here because I also have an arts background. I did train to be an actor when I was in my 20s and I did go out there. So, I absolutely concur with you, having tried that experience that, it is not easy, and it is very a competitive and very challenging life where you don’t know…

Sara Dickey: Yep.

James Anderson: … there’s not a lot of stability in that. You don’t know where things are going to come from in that and that alone creates stress. But jumping back into just a little bit of what you were mentioning before, I wanted to, sort of, tie some of this together. Which was, you know, the power of the arts to heal. I’m very passionate about the arts, myself, and I think I think you are as well.

Sara Dickey: I am.

James Anderson: And the arts can lead ahead of society, even, let’s say. It’s usually…it usually comes from artistic communities where, you know, where the “next steps” [in society] are going and they are the first groups to, sort of, embrace change when it comes along. But there’s a real power of the arts to heal, I think. When we’re in a bad place, we don’t suddenly start doing a bunch of math formulas to feel better, right? We start finding ways to express, we start finding ways to connect with all of that. And, you said something early on, that really resonated for me, which was, you know, you felt very, you know – when when the relationship ended and you were in a very, sort of, lost and searching place – it was the power, that came to you via the arts, or the power of creation…

Sara Dickey: Yes.

James Anderson: …and how just the act of creating [something] empowers you, in a way. You know, you talked about how you had to create an entire act. You had to sort [out] and figure out who you were within that. Does any of that resonate for you?

Sara Dickey: Oh, absolutely. Creativity has saved my life more times than I can count, and you know, going into a drag act, you’re, you’re – making a drag act – you are flexing so many creative muscles. You’re flexing costuming. You’re flexing movement or dance. You’re flexing an overall concept, if that’s what you want to do. You’re making props. You’re choreographing. You’re, you’re doing everything – at least, I’m doing everything [that] I would [do] in a show, but kind of shrink[ing] it down to a 3-minute number or [a] three-to-six-minute number, you know. So yeah, creativity has saved me more times than I can count. And even in my past life, before I went into marketing or anything like that, I wanted -before COVID – I wanted to go back to school, to be a drama therapist, because I I’m very much a believer that tere is so much healing that can come from the arts. And you know, I’m an autistic person who, essentially, learned how to communicate through theatre, you know? The arts can heal so much in us. And, again in another life. I would be, you know, studying to get my drama therapy degree. But again, I think I am so happy where I am because there’s just so much freedom in being able to create what you want and to being able to just say I’m gonna do this, this and this and no one can tell you not to. There’s no…I won’t say there’s no producers in the way. You know, sometimes producers happen. But, like, as opposed to theater, there’s not an entire team to go up [against] with your ideas. It’s just your brain. And that is so freeing. And I have never had that until now.

James Anderson: That is a very beautiful way to say that. I always think that, you know, to your point, where you were saying we sometimes think when we’re younger, we have, we have ideas where we think where our life’s going to go. Like, you were going to be the big star, or whatever, and I find as I get older, certainly, you know, that…[well], I have this theory that we end up where we wanted to get [to, but] it just might not look like what you thought it was going to look like. And [that] the awareness to be open to that is something we need to pay attention to.

James Anderson: Do you feel that way at all?

Sara Dickey: Oh, absolutely, I feel that way. I think it goes right back to, you know, nurturing your inner child. And honestly, my next piece of advice would be to go with the flow because, you know, whenever, even whenever I started doing drag, I thought I was going to be doing even more, quote-unquote, “traditional” drag, to saying I’m gonna be a drag king – which does not exist on that show –

James Anderson: Mhm.

Sara Dickey: – was very much like, even whenever [it was that] I decided I wanted to do drag, it looks different now from what I thought it would be. And, you know, going into theatre as an 18 year-old deciding this [seemed miles away]. I’m definitely not in theatre consistently anymore. I’ve thought about possibly going and seeing about [doing some] stage-managing locally. I certainly am not owning a company like I thought I would be or anything like that. And I’m OK with that. That is a lot of stress!

James Anderson: But I think there’s something really interesting there about the idea of, you know, you had done it once, and I did the same thing with theater. I thought when I tossed it aside, I thought, well, that’s that. I’ll never use those skills again. Never use that approach, again. [And, to] Sort of bring this back to, sort of, [the discussion of] work in the professional environment [where some of those skills still apply] and where I’m now a senior analyst here at NIQ. And you know, half of my life is doing presentations…

Sara Dickey: Yeah!

James Anderson: …knowing how to stand, quote-unquote, “stand at the front of the room” [and] keep an audience engaged. Now, this is not a traditional audience – it’s a boardroom audience. You know, you’re telling a story. You’ve got fancy pictures and all this kind of stuff, and it’s still sort of a theatrical way [of communicating]. So, that idea that you know, it’s kind of a full-circle experience where you, you know, you set aside something [where you say to yourself] well, that’s not going to be. And then you went through another part of life and then somehow magically, all of that stuff that was once part of [your life, a long time ago], it’s become part of your life, again.

Sara Dickey: Honestly, I agree with that so much. Like, it’s, it’s beautiful. How your desires, your…it’s like your mind finds a way to do what it wants, even if the way to get there is so not what you thought it would be, you know?

James Anderson: Yeah, it’s twisting and turning on the road, right?

Sara Dickey: Right. Right. And just being ready to be flexible, you know, trusting that the universe is…[that] it’s going to work out somehow. Somehow, it’s gonna work out.

Funda Kalemci: Love that positivity. Sarah, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your story. It’s, like, an amazing inspiration for me and I’m sure, for our audience as well.

Sara Dickey: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It’s been really, really great. If you want to follow my journey as a drag performer in Cincinnati, you can follow me on Instagram. My handle is @sapphicsunshine_ with an under score. Yeah. And I am so excited for what’s going on and I’m really excited that I am employed in a place that actually wants to know about my drag life, because let me tell you, when I told my friends that this was happening, they were shocked.

Funda Kalemci: We are so happy to have you as a participant in the podcast. But more than that, [we’re] so thrilled to have associates like you, joining us, Sarah. Thank you.

James Anderson: Yeah. Thank you, Sara, for joining us today and thank you for bringing your little bit of sunshine to our podcast. And that’s all for this episode of My Story, Our Voices. I’d like to thank my co-host, Funda Kalemci, our producer Ali Smith, and our audio editor, Jake Conlon. We will be back soon with more stories from our associates from around the world, so be sure to tune in. Until next time, I’m James Anderson and thank you for listening.

Jake Conlin: Hey everyone, it’s Jake again. We hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of the My Story, Our Voices podcast. Tune in next time to hear more stories from the NIQ community.

Sara Dickey: (over outro music) So, my advice would be [to] nurture your inner child and also be realistic with what you can do. You don’t have to decide that you’re going to break out of your nine to five and go to Broadway. You can do community theater and have a wonderful community and be so happy that you’re doing something to yourself.

Sara Dickey: (over outro music) There’s just so much freedom and being able to create. You want to just say, I’m going to do this, this and this, and no one can tell you not to.