Ever envied those people who always knew exactly what they wanted to be when they grew up?
Elyse Sharp is one of those people.
Now 28, she’s happily working in her chosen field—she currently stars as Mary Bennet in Capital Stage’s production of “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly” (Nov. 28–Dec. 30). The Sacramento native says she was a tiny tot of 2 when she told her parents she wanted to be an actor.
But how did she know? “I have no idea,” says Sharp. “My parents figured I didn’t know what I was talking about—that I’d end up being a veterinarian or something. But it was just something I innately understood about myself.”
A graduate of Granite Bay High and Whittier College, where she earned a degree in theater performance, Sharp is now an actor in demand, landing roles both locally and outside of the region, including Pacific Repertory Theatre in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Shakespeare on the Vine in Murphys.
In “Christmas at Pemberly,” a sequel to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, the action takes place a few years post-“Pride and Prejudice,” when the Bennet sisters reunite at the holidays. “It has a lot to do with that feeling of going back to see your family at Christmas after living your own life,” says Sharp. “It’s such a fun show, and it’s something anyone can relate to.”
For more information about “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly,” visit capstage.org.
