Laughing is the best therapy, or so they say. But ever wondered how difficult it is to make someone laugh, let alone make a crowd of thousands laugh? Well, let’s just say it’s not easy to understand your audience, capture their essence and make them laugh to the point they fall out of their chairs. It takes a true artist to do that. Someone who is not only witty and smart but exudes confidence. Someone who has perfect timing, who is instantly relatable, and who is so good you want to watch them over and over again.
People today have exhausting and frustrating lives, so when they look for comic relief, it needs to add spark to their ordinary day. One person that knows exactly how to do that is Sarah Jane Halstead. An actor and comedian, Sarah is passionate about her craft, and in fact, there is nothing that she loves more than making people laugh.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, Sarah Jane Halstead moved to New York to study Drama at NYU Tisch. Growing up, she always wanted to be an actor, so her time at Tisch was just like a dream when her life turned upside down as her mother passed away. It was during this time that Sarah decided not to let herself go down the dark path. Instead, she kept herself distracted by studying Wine and Spirits. She went ahead and got her higher certificate from WSET and earned the certified Court of Master’s degree. Later, Sarah even worked for several influential and iconic wineries such as The Hess Collection, Perrier Jouet Champagne, Mumm Champagne, and Laurent Perrier.
However, that wasn’t her dream, and she wanted to do so much more. Growing up, whenever Sarah Halstead watched SNL, she couldn’t help but get fascinated. She fell in love with acting. Her role models were Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, and Mom’s Mabley. As her passion grew stronger, she started doing small plays in high school. What she did not realize at that time was that this was, in fact, the start of a journey that led to a much-awaited destiny: standup comedy.
Sarah admits that Joan Rivers was perhaps the biggest influence on her. “Despite being offered very minimal opportunities, Joan Rivers stood firm on her decision to become a female comedian,” she explained. Sarah Halstead feels that, in her own way, she can relate to Joan. She had a tremendously difficult time achieving her goals as a comedian because it’s a very competitive field. However, with time, she developed tough skin. “The only thing that would make me quit is death, and even then, I will come back, and my ghost will live at the Hollywood sign!” she laughed.
What sets Sarah Jane Halstead apart from most comedians is that she takes inspiration from her spirituality. That’s what makes her so passionate and motivated. She has always believed in the Law of Attraction; you can truly achieve anything in life if you operate at a high frequency and work really hard for it. Over the years, her positive mindset, affirmations and meditations have kept her going.
Today, Sarah has appeared in more than 100 commercials that have aired internationally, marking her Hollywood break. On top of that, she has starred in a couple of TV shows, including Deadly Sins; Blood Relatives; Cry Wolf, and more. But what she takes the most pride in is her standup comedy. She was featured in an off-Broadway play in NYC called A Lullaby for Murder, co-created and co-hosted the podcast Jimmy & Sarah on the Sunset Strip at The World Famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, starred in Hairspray the play at The iconic Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles in which she played the role of Velma Von Tussle and created, produced and starred in a monthly standup comedy show at Hollywood Improv called Bottle Shock, among many others.
From being an awkward teen to a tremendously confident and engaging performer, Sarah Jane Halstead has come a long way. Her passion and love ooze from her craft. In the future, she aims to create and star in her own television show for a major network so she can headline standup comedy all over the world, filling theatres and auditoriums. Above all, she’s here to prove that women are funny; it’s not a myth!