Kitchener-Waterloo

The von Trapp kids' favourite things about Sound of Music at Stratford

If you ask Sarah DaSilva, of Kitchener, Ont., to choose what she likes best — singing, dancing or acting — it doesn't take long for the nine-year-old triple threat to come up with the perfect answer.
Alex Damer, as Kurt von Trapp, and Sarah DaSilva, as Marta, sing along with Stephanie Rothenberg, as Maria, in Stratford Festival's production of The Sound of Music. (David Hou/Stratford Festival)

If you ask Sarah DaSilva, of Kitchener, Ont., to choose what she likes best — singing, dancing or acting — it doesn't take long for the triple threat to come up with the perfect answer. 

"Singing's my favourite. I get to let my heart out and it sings for itself, so it gets to speak. And it's just really fun!"

DaSilva plays Marta in The Stratford Festival's production of The Sound of Music, one of the season's most talked-about shows. 

That kind of response is typical for the moppet — her mother would be first to tell you that. Though she hasn't reached the double-digits yet, DaSilva has the soul of an octogenarian. 

Sarah DaSilva, 9, proudly poses with the program for Stratford Festival's production of The Sound of Music. (@sarahjdasilva/Instagram)

But it takes a certain kind of maturity for a kid to commit their summer break to the theatre.

With three to four shows a week, rehearsals starting in February, and shows now extended into October, it's a demanding summer job.

In the audio below, DaSilva is joined by Graci Leahy, who plays Brigitta von Trapp, and Alex Dahmer who plays Kurt von Trapp, to talk about some their favourite — and not so favourite — things in the show.