Actress Shannon O'Sullivan Talks Musicals, “Stranger Things” and More

The 12-year-old Cab Calloway student is currently part of the children’s ensemble in “Annie” at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre.

Shannon O’Sullivan, 12, has been acting since she was five, when she debuted in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” as Linus. A student at Wilmington’s Cab Calloway School of the Arts, she has also been involved in several church productions, as well as summer camp shows at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre.

Last year, she played a munchkin in the Walnut Street Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” This year, O’Sullivan has taken the same stage again as part of the children’s ensemble in “Annie.” The show runs until Jan. 7; tickets are available on the theatre’s website.

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Coolest part of the Walnut Street Theatre’s “Annie”:

The people • “A lot of the people were in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with me last year, and there are really big actors in Philadelphia like Mary Martello, Fran Prisco, Lyn Philistine and Christopher Sutton. I also worked with the same director last year, Glenn Casale.”

 

Dream show to be in:

“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” • “It closed on Broadway a few months ago, but it’s definitely one of my favorite shows on Broadway. It was based on “War and Peace.” A lot of the characters in it are really interesting. Like “Hamilton,” the music doesn’t at all fit the time period. So it’s really historical and has good entertainment that I think is really interesting for an audience.”

 

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Favorite thing to do in Delaware:

Ice skating • “I’ve been ice skating for a while. It’s really fun. I briefly played ice hockey.”

 

When she’s not in a production, she’s most likely:

Dancing • “I’m hoping after this show to start up with a lot of types of dancing. Last year I did Broadway-style tap at American Dance Academy. I haven’t been able to do a lot of dancing classes through the show.”

 

TV shows she recommends:

“Stranger Things” • “A lot of the outcomes are very surprising. The plot is really interesting, and all of the characters are really original. So are the storylines.”

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Fun fact:

She speaks Greek • “I learned it at my elementary school, Odyssey Charter School. I’ve kept up learning it through Dual Lingo, a language app.”

 

Inspiration:

Actor/singer Ben Platt • “He recently left [the musical] “Dear Evan Hansen.” He’s just a really awesome actor. In the show he was in, he was able to cry while he was singing and he cried so realistically—he would cry so hard his makeup came off. I can really connect with the show a lot; I feel like a lot of people can.”

Shannon O’Sullivan

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