Sarah Marshall (born 1955) is a stage actress working primarily in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

region. She has been nominated for the

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

seventeen times and won the award in 1989.Helen Hayes Awards
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Early life and education

Marshall was born in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, the fifth of eight children in a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

military family.Richards, David. "Sarah Marshall, From Myth to 'Monkey'; The Wooley Mammoth Actress and Her Rise from Character to Star."

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, 1990-01-14, p. G1. During her childhood, she lived in several places in the South. Most of her family currently resides in the south.Davis, Daryl. "Miss Marshall's Ways." Washington Theater Review, summer 2005, p. 44-49. As a child, Marshall and her siblings produced plays at their home. Marshall decided to become an actress in the seventh grade after winning a citywide

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

competition in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

. Playing the comedic role of the

maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

in her middle school's production of ''Junior Miss'' led her to focus on

character acting A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

. She acted throughout high school and college, graduating from Birmingham-Southern College with a degree in theater.

Career beginnings

Marshall moved to Washington with the intent of attending graduate school at

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

, but enrolled in classes at the

Studio Theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

Acting Conservatory instead, working as a maid to support herself. During the 1980s, Marshall performed in nine Studio Theatre productions, including a 1983 role as Jo, a pregnant

waif A waif (from the Old French ''guaif'', "stray beast")Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/waif (accessed: June 02, 2008) is a person removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance ...

in Shelagh Delaney's ''

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

'', termed Marshall's "breakthrough performance" by friend and Studio Theatre Artistic Director Joy Zinoman. She also drew attention for her roles in Studio Theatre's ''

Miss Margarida's Way ''Miss Margarida's Way'' is a satirical play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content s ...

'' and ''My Sister is in This House'', for which she received her first Helen Hayes nomination. Other productions in which she performed during that time included ''Briar Patch'' at

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

; ''The Stick Wife'' at Horizons; ''The Vampires'' at

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located at 641 D Street NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, it produces new plays which it believes to be edgy, challenging, and thought-provoking. ...

; and ''

Baby with the Bathwater ''Baby with the Bathwater'' is a play by Christopher Durang about a boy named Daisy, his influences, and his eventual outcome. Synopsis Act I Two parents who are completely unprepared for parenthood bring home their newborn baby. The two canno ...

'' at Round House Theatre in 1989, for which she won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Resident Production. She joined the Woolly Mammoth acting company in 1989.

Recent performances

Marshall's recent productions include ''Dead Man's Cell Phone'' at Woolly Mammoth in 2007; ''Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis'' at Woolly Mammoth and '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', featuring Marshall in the title role, at Studio Theatre in 2006; and '' Camille'' at Round House Theatre and '' The Clean House'' at Woolly Mammoth in 2005, for which she received her fourteenth Helen Hayes nomination.Marks, Peter. "'Clean House': A Lemon-Fresh Shine."

, 2005-07-19, p. C1.

Other activities

Marshall began teaching acting at Round House Theater in 1985. Since 1988, she has taught at the

Duke Ellington School of the Arts The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School syste ...

. She is also an adjunct drama instructor at Georgetown University. In her spare time, Marshall has dabbled in crafts such as drawing, metal work and pottery.

Helen Hayes Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Sarah American stage actresses Actresses from Washington, D.C. Living people 1955 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses