Sarah Barrable-Tishauer: Making A Difference in Many Ways

I often times notice that artists with the most depth to them hardly get the recognition they deserve. The media would rather inundate us with stories on who is the most flashy, rather than people who have been able advance others lives because of the current place they are in. When I first got turned onto the show Degrassi some two years ago, the character “Liberty” played by actress Sarah Barrable-Tishauer really caught my attention. I sensed there was a certain depth the actress possessed I don’t see too much with young people in the entertainment business. I felt she had a true knowledge of self that she portrayed in her character that stood out. When interviewing Miss Sarah Barrable-Tishauer I smiled in knowing my intuition about her was right. She’s a young woman with a true sense of depth and vision, which will take her far.

One of the things she likes about being on the show is diversity in the cast, and the dynamic changes the characters go through throughout the seasons. “It’s such an amazing opportunity to be written this skeletal character and be able to give her dimension over seven years,” Sarah said. “Before filming, the writers will have ‘read-throughs’ with us so that we can give feedback on how realistic our characters’ actions and development are, so that our audience can better relate to our performance.” Flexibility is key on the set as Sarah originally auditioned for the part of Manny, who was written a bit different at the time. However the writers wrote the character Liberty after initial auditions had taken place and auditioning a girl who had had often pretentious and very organized characteristics. The girl didn’t end up getting cast, instead, they cast Sarah for the new part they wrote. “The joke on set for a while was that I out-Libertied Liberty.” Her self awareness enhanced her ability to tap into that character and further bring Liberty to life. “We are both strong minded, independent people, however I think I have more fun than her and I’m not as jealous as she can be. Being able to break down her characteristics helps me better portray her in front of the camera.”

Sarah’s openness to learn from many mentors has helped her fine tune her craft during her career. The first acting job she had was as the character Young Nala in the Toronto production of the play The Lion King, in which she got to work with some of the creators of the original. She also got to work with the late legend Gregory Hines in The Red Sneakers, which was his directorial debut. “I was the youngest cast member, so I learned a lot from the more experienced actors and crew. I even had the humbling experience of getting a dance class from Gregory Hines himself!” All this experience has made her lean towards wanting to produce her own shows in the future, as she said even Degrassi creator Linda Schuyler, mentioned to her that she would be a good producer one day. Sarah continues to advance herself through her pursuit of a communications and journalism degree at a local university in Canada. “I would like to eventually have my own travel television show. But for now I’m working with the university television station on a collective project where we interview up and coming local bands who are making an impact in music in their own way.” Her interests in traveling stems from seeing many marvelous sites she’s seen across the globe. “The reason why I love to travel is because I like to experience all the cultures that make our world a beautiful mosaic. It also allows me to put my own life in perspective.”

Even at her young age, while advancing herself in the acting and academic world, she still makes time to help others. She’s very active in the community, and contributes to many different charitable organizations. “I’ve been very blessed to have parents who instilled in me the strong belief that it is each of our duty to make a difference in the world and the best way to do so is through community activism.” One of the organizations she’s involved with is Dignitas International, which sets up community-based programs and health care systems for those living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi. She also co-founded a project called the Toronto Schools Snowsuit Challenge with Windfall Clothing Service, which encourages children to raise money for winter clothes for their less fortunate peers.

Positive change is something Sarah always moves towards in all aspects of her life. “I love what I do for a living because it gives me the chance to meet and learn from people I otherwise would not get the chance to encounter.” She owes her open-mindedness to parents who, she says, always encouraged her to consider new ideas and accept others. Not only is she bi-racial, but her parents have different spiritual backgrounds as well. “My mom and dad named me Sarah because it is a name represented by both the Jewish and Christian faiths.” Being raised in a home where differences were looked at as a way to understand others and bring people together has made Sarah eager to see more acceptance and understanding in her profession as well. “One of the more frustrating things about being in the entertainment business is seeing there are still a lot of cultural and racial stereotypes that need to be broken. The media creates stereotypes that reflect only a small portion of a racial group, and yet we are lead to believe that this is a representation of the entire culture. I’d like to see the industry become more color blind and start looking clearly at the world around them to see the diversity and individuality that exists.”

Be on the lookout for many great things to come from Sarah. She’s definitely one whose stardom shines inside and out!

For more information on her show Degrassi, go to www.ctv.com and
www.the-n.com.

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