Sassy is TFT’s new Youth and Outreach Coordinator and will be working with Conner Handstock to develop the new Youth Musical Theatre. She is also the director for this year’s panto Sleeping Beauty, as well as having directed the highly acclaimed musical Sweeney Todd in September.

However, that is not all! When she’s not busy working with us at St Margaret’s Lane, Sassy has her own children’s entertainment business and runs a social enterprise called MyBoyCan, helping boys to reach their potential. 

We decided to catch up with Sassy to find out more about how she became involved with TFT, what inspires her and her exciting plans for the Children’s and Youth Musical theatre projects. 

Sassy: I have lived in the Baffins area of Portsmouth for most of my life, attending local schools, including Portsmouth High School where I was lucky enough to attend as part of the assisted place’s scheme. I love the city; all my family live here and it’s never dull that’s for sure - the live music scene for example is great. 

When I was young, I used to spend a lot of time dancing and developed a huge passion for dance as a result. From probably about the age of 3, I simply loved being on stage and performing in front of an audience. As I got older I joined the amateur dramatics scene, taking part in a number of productions at the New Theatre Royal, including South Pacific. That was a superb experience.

Dancing and drama have therefore been the two great passions of my life. I’m especially fond of ballet and I was hoping to include some ballet in this year’s panto, Sleeping Beauty – however, due to the restrictions caused by Covid, it was too tricky, sadly.

Pantomime has similarly played an important role in my life. I remember going along to my very first panto at the King’s Theatre – and I was hooked immediately. It was such fun – and a great introduction to live theatre.

Sassy: It was a brilliant time. From the beginning of my time there to the end it was the most amazing place to study and work. The people there were so passionate and had so much energy. I met people from every genre of the arts that you could imagine.     

I was fortunate to work with some great theatre companies whose work centred around raising the voices of individuals and minorities. This demonstrated to me very clearly how theatre can help to make changes in our society and influence the way that people think, in a very positive manner. 

This experience certainly has shaped the type of theatre that I enjoy today – and has inspired me to undertake outreach work. 

I have learnt that there is so much power in storytelling as well as so many varied stories to be told. I believe this provides a platform for the voices of different people who otherwise may not have been heard. 

My time at the school consequently provided me with several great opportunities, opening up doors that I otherwise would have never discovered. Similarly, it taught me about so many different facets that there are to theatre: teaching, facilitation, stage management, producing… it was altogether a fabulous foundation for my career.

Sassy: After leaving drama school, I had my son and I decided to take some time out from theatre. As all parents will appreciate, it is an extremely hectic time!

However, three years ago I saw an ad from Titchfield Festival Theatre with a casting call for Hairspray. If I am honest, it was the first time I had heard of TFT, but it’s a musical that I love so it did not take very long to convince myself to give it a go. I was asked to join the cast – and it before I knew it, I had rediscovered the acting bug again! 

One of the things that I adore about TFT are the people and the huge and varied opportunities there are here. Since joining as a member I have been given the chance to do some tech work. I wanted to work as a director, so Kevin Fraser encouraged me to do a director’s course at the RSC. 

Kevin has been amazing; what he has built at TFT with all of the team here has been incredible. We now put on 25 shows a year; from comedy to drama, our summer Shakespeare season, stand-up comedy, musicals, the Titchfield Youth Theatre and now of course the Children’s and Youth Musical theatre. It’s truly inspiring and has really brought back my passion for theatre.

Sassy: It was not a difficult decision to be honest due to my experience teaching children to dance and my wish to specialise in children’s theatre. My main passion is to work within communities and different groups, listening to their stories and creating a true community voice through theatre. It is fantastic to be part of such a talented team at TFT.

I am working with Conner and we have some exciting plans.

We are looking to expand the work of our brilliant Youth Theatre by launching the Titchfield Youth Musical Theatre. Conner will be working with young people aged 16 – 21 who want to perform and learn their craft, which later on we hope will lead to a new repertory company.

As well as this, we are going to work with parents and their toddlers to form our very own children’s theatre for kids aged 3 years plus. I am currently adapting some original stories and there will be plenty of songs, dancing and theatre skills for the youngsters to get involved in.

Sassy: Well, I have always been a Disney fan – and my ideal job was to work at DisneyWorld.

When I moved back to Portsmouth I decided to set up own company specialising in children’s entertainment. 

The most popular are undoubtedly ‘princess parties’, where I get to dress up as a princess and entertain a party of around 25 children. It’s huge fun. It’s not only princesses though, I also do pirates, explorers and fairies. Over the two hours the parents can just sit back and watch! I love it; I really enjoy being creative with all types of games and it is a perfect fit for my passion for children’s theatre. 

Obviously, this year has been difficult due to Covid, however, normally we perform at the Victorious Festival in the kids arena with a team of 5-6 princesses, who are always out and about and entertaining the children.

Sassy: I think it will be a mixture of excitement and nerves!

I have written the panto, I am the director and I have also choreographed it. So, I am keen to find out how people react to the show. On the first night I am sure that I will be a pack of nerves – and then after that, when I see people enjoying it with lots of laughter from the audience, it will be fine – and I can relax. 

I am confident that it will be a fantastic show. I am really impressed with the production team; the props are wonderful and the costumes superb. I just can’t wait! A panto is the one of the best things about theatre - it is so light-hearted with the emphasis on having fun.

Sassy: For TFT, I think that the future is incredibly bright. There is so much potential here; with the two theatres at St Margarets Lane, the new members bringing extra energy and the fantastic programme we offer all-year round.  

Next year, we of course have the youth musical theatre, the children’s theatre and I am directing Kiss Me Kate in the summer. The live streaming is an excellent concept and ideal for patrons who cannot visit us. Scott Myers is leading on this and has a fantastic eye for using film to communicate theatre.

Our Bard at the Barn season will continue – as will our new writing festival early in the New Year. It promises to be an eventful 2021!

Thank you, Sassy for your time.

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Sassy Harvey was speaking to Simon Frost