Beyond The Curtains: Sammie Bonko

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Sammie Bonko shines on stage as Fiona in Shrek

Adam Horwath, Journalism Student

We all know one thing about Sammie Bonko, and it’s that she is one of the most prominent figures in North High theater. There are a lot of things that we don’t know, and sometimes wonder about our fellow North High actors. I took some time to talk with Bonko, and dig a little deeper into her theater life, interests outside of theater, inspirations and advice for others aspiring to be successful in theater.

The interview started with the simple question of asking how many North High plays she has starred in. The answer however is not that simple. She says she has been doing plays with North High since she was in first grade. She obviously didn’t have the big roles that she does now, but she enjoyed being in North’s plays as a child. Bonko’s first role overall was starring as one of the three brothers and a caterpillar in Noah’s Ark at Saint Marks. Music did not come into her stage presence until later.

Sammie Bonko sings her heart out (fall 2017)
Sammie Bonko starring in Acting Can Be Murder (spring 2017)

Bonko stated that she has many acting and musical inspirations. Her top two would be Meryl Streep, who most recently has a role in the film Mama Mia! Here We Go Again. Her other inspiration is broadway star Sutton Foster who has won many accolades including a Tony Award for her performance in Anything Goes. Bonko’s favorite role so far in her career has been Fiona in Shrek, North High’s fall musical of 2017. Her favorite thing about being on stage is the freedom of doing things you can’t do in real life and getting into character. Her favorite things about singing is having freedom, and it helps relieve tense or stressful feelings. Sammie has other interests than theater as well. She is in North High’s show choir, likes to bake and enjoys painting. 

Sammie Bonko plays Fiona in Shrek (fall 2017)

They may look fearless, but no matter how many times an actor takes the stage, there are always some nervous and unsure feelings. Bonko is one of many of those actors. She stated it gets better with practice and positioning your energy in a good place and having a good state of mind helps. Putting feelings in a negative place only makes things worse. It took some time for Bonko to climb her way to the top of North High theater. She has been doing theater with North since first grade after all. Her advice for an aspiring theater student is to keep going at it no matter how many bumps in the road there are (there will be sometimes) and to never stop pursuing your dream. This fall, North High’s fall musical will be The Addams Family. Bonko will be playing the role of Morticia Addams in the play. If she could summarize it in three words they would be spooky, funny and engaging. Bonko is a senior this year so this will be her last year at North. If you think her role in her final fall play won’t go out with a bang, you might want to think again. It’s safe to say we all can look forward to November for this years fall musical.