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Sasha Khan’s Journey from High School to Professional Theater
Sasha Khan, a recent Timber Creek High School graduate who will be attending the University of Florida in the fall, is extremely grateful for the Daniel Mills Apprenticeship. Without the apprenticeship, she would be starting college with only high school theater experience under her belt. Instead, Khan has had the opportunity to act in several productions with the apprenticeship’s Orlando Shakespeare cohort and the Rollins College cohort.
“I can’t imagine starting college without the experience I’ve received through the Daniel Mills Apprenticeship. I thought it was going to be very cliquey and hierarchical, but I was proven completely wrong,” Khan says. “I received the kindest, most inspirational start to professional theater, with a safe place to experiment, learn, and grow.”
Khan first heard about the apprenticeship last year from another performer in the program. She wishes she’d known about it sooner so she could have been gathering all this professional experience earlier.
A Growing Passion
Ever since she was in elementary school, Khan has performed for her family. “I’ve made them sit through all kinds of little one-act plays I made up or sing-alongs ever since I can remember,” Khan says. “I think they might have been relieved when I was finally cast in the Lion King at my school when I was 9 or 10 years old,” she adds with a laugh.
Khan’s interest in acting has only grown since then. She can sing and dance too, but her passion is to act. Her dream role would be to be cast in anything in the Marvel Universe.
“I love Marvel. My favorite movie is the first Avengers movie. I’d love to play a hero or a villain,” Khan says. As a college freshman, double majoring in business management and media production, management, and technology, with a minor in creative advertising, Khan is determined to continue pursuing acting. She has already researched performing programs and opportunities in Gainesville for the fall.
Helpers, Heroes, and Villains
Khan’s first role with the William Daniel Mills Theatre Company was as Siobhan in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (CIDN), performed at The Orlando Fringe ArtSpace in February. She loves that being an actor allows you to be anyone, any creature, and anything. Playing an autistic boy’s teacher in CIDN felt like being a helper to the hero, Christopher, in some ways.
Khan has also played a villain. She was the Earless of Worcester in the Young Company’s Henry IV, Part 1, which ran at the end of June. It was her first time playing a villain, which she found exciting.
Shake it Off
One of the greatest things Khan has learned while being an actor is how to deal with rejection. She believes performers need to be courageous not just on stage or screen, but also when they don’t get the part they wanted. Her advice: Give yourself time to feel sad, to process it, and then move on.
“I give myself 24 hours. After that, I have to pick myself up and get ready for the next audition or show,” Khan says. For her, the only way to truly fail is to give up on yourself.
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