Arts & Culture
Jason Sakaki landed his first job in The Matchmaker with The Arts Club.
Photo submitted
Steveston resident in 'Hello Dolly' precursor, 'The Matchmaker'
Published 2:22 PST, Fri February 8, 2019
Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
It may be a small role but it’s a big chance
for R.A. McMath Secondary grad Jason Sakaki, who has his first job with The
Arts Club, Canada’s largest not-for-profit theatre company.
“I play a waiter named August, who has just
started working at a fancy restaurant in New York and has a very bad day,” says
Sakaki.
The actor credits his days at Westwind
Elementary for his love of theatre.
“I owe my interest in the theatre to Bob
Riddell, my Grade 7 teacher, who emphasized the importance of arts in
education. In the two years I had him as a teacher, we did about six or seven
plays, and they really made learning exciting for me,” he says.
“I was very lucky to have an incredibly
supportive drama teacher, Joel Garner, who let me direct and produce some of
the shows at McMath. Through these opportunities I gained a better
understanding of the entire creative process, and channeled that through my
performances.”
The play, billed as a classic farce written
by Thornton Wilder, tells the multi-faceted tale of a disparate group of
people, each of whom seeks love in their own way.
Some actively look for love while others do
not, yet even matchmaker herself Dolly Gallagher Levi—of “Hello Dolly” fame in
the later musical version—ends up (spoiler alert) with a love.
“I was exposed to theatre at a pretty young
age, and was always enamoured by the magic of it,” Sakaki says. “I got my start
on the Gateway stage in 2013, and ever since I’ve pursued every opportunity I
could to make performing into a full time job.”
With his role of August, in this production
of “The Matchmaker,” Sakaki is well on his way.
“The Matchmaker” runs through Feb 24 at
Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville St, Vancouver. For tickets
click.
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
2 Hours of free financial consulting
Jai Xin Planning Ltd.
C$120.00 C$0.00
Use any of our home staging service and get a second month rental for free!
MiiX Interiors
C$500.00 C$0.00
Get 10% off any order
Phantom Screens Lower Mainland
C$200.00 C$180.00
