Life of Pi: Actress Sonya Venugopal Reflects on Her Exciting Broadway Debut
“Things that are meant for you won't pass you by. Pursue your passion until it happens” Today’s woman dreamer, Sonya Venugopal is a talented actress who made her Broadway debut in Life of Pi, an Epic Tale of Endurance + Hope based on a best-selling novel. Sonya reflects on her decision to move to NYC to pursue her acting career, her Indian-American and Italian heritage, and her hope for more representation for Indians on Broadway and mainstream theatre. We are excited to share her dynamic journey, Enjoy!
By Serena Arora, Contributing Writer
As a fellow actor, meeting Sonya outside the stage doors of Life of Pi was like meeting a new soul sister. Not only are we from similar cultural backgrounds, as I am Indian American and Sonya is Half-Indian American and Half-Italian, but we carry the same passion for working rigorously in acting and performance. Therefore, I was very excited to interview Sonya for Women Who Win. She inspired me to keep going for my dreams, and I hope her story can inspire you as well.
Sonya started her performance journey through dancing at five years old- however, when she saw her first musical, she decided to take the plunge and begin auditioning for shows. As a young girl, Sonya was cast in Annie. She participated in musicals from then and continued her performance education through undergrad, pursuing a Master's degree at the American Conservatory Theater. The conservatory gave her a showcase to show her work to casting agencies and theaters and helped her land an agent in New York City. With that, Sonya packed her bags and moved out to the big city with a suitcase full of ambition and grit. She also told me that she carried into the town the knowledge that she would end up on Broadway. A young bug bit her with the zest of live performance, and she never looked back.
Sonya's five-year auditioning experience in New York gave her golden nuggets to pass down to others. For one, networking is the most important to make it in this industry. Regardless of your connections through acting showcases and grad schools, you can make it if you are determined to pound the pavement, attend acting classes in New York, and participate in countless auditions. Sonya went through 180 auditions before she booked a Broadway role. She is thankful for her graduate conservatory experience because it gave her the tools necessary to perform her best musically and in acting roles (such as Life of Pi) and gave her a chance to fail over and over again. At the same time, she figured out who she was as an artist, something Sonya felt that she couldn't do as much in New York. Therefore, a second golden nugget is to attend graduate school for the training experience and potential teaching opportunities in the future, not for the name label or the showcase. Believe in yourself that if you so desire, you can move out to New York without all that and find your path.
Sonya's journey to Life of Pi was unexpected, as she has done chiefly Musical Theater in the past and always expected her Broadway debut to be in a musical and not a play. When she was given the audition from her agency for the show, she went into the auditions without any expectations. However, I have heard from various successful actors that the auditions you go into without any qualms or pressures are the ones you book. Sonya allowed herself to be free and have fun in this
audition and booked the role. However, the most magical part of the story was the aspect where Sonya remembered her grandmother talking about Life of Pi before she died, and she knew with that memory that this show was the next step for her. Despite the risks, Sonya's parents, who work in healthcare, always supported her. She feels this shows is very special because she honors them and her other family members every night through the characters and the family dynamics.
I asked Sonya if, as a South Asian and Italian American, she has felt a lack of representation for her in theater. She enlightened me by saying that in the past five years, there has been a massive shift for South Asian Actors because they can now act outside of the stereotypical characters of the past, such as "the convenience store owner, the drunk auntie, or uncle," etc. Shows like Hadestown and Hamilton have broadened the scope for all people of color; it's not as black and white to fit a particular race or look; you have to fit the character. As a young actress brought up in Los Angeles, Sonya also felt the constriction of being put in a box through television auditions; as she is mixed, they were trying to fit her into various boxes, trying to fit her into something easy to digest, instead of letting her be who she is. However, acting has changed, and most shows don't even write a preference of race or gender because the time for putting people in boxes has come and gone; we humans are fluid, and the casting sheets should read that way. Sonya poignantly said, "I don't want to be known for being Indian or White when I'm showing people my art; I want to be known for being Sonya."
The final nuggets are to read, train, and learn as much as you can as an actor and artist. Through graduate conservatory training, Sonya learned how to make beats in scenes, enter an audition and callback, bring herself to present on tape and do the work before so she can let everything go and be present on the tape. Sonya reminded the readers that being yourself is the most important because that's what people want to see, to show something "unique; nobody wants something cookie cutter." And the most special note, Sonya's mantra; "things that are meant for you won't pass you by. Pursue your passion until it happens; in the industry, you will face a ton of rejection and feel like you aren't meant to be here, but you are. You will feel fulfilled if you keep pursuing your passion." Find what matters to you, let it bite you like a bug, lift yourself, and go where you need to go to get it. And just like Sonya, never look back.