For Sadie Dickerson, Playing Sandra Dee in Broadway's Just In Time Is the Start of Something Big

Age: 23

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Current Role: Sadie Dickerson made her Broadway debut as Sandra Dee in Just In Time.

Credits: Dickerson was in the off-Broadway company of Vladimir at Manhattan Theatre Club.

Catching the Bug
Born in San Diego, California, Dickerson's family moved to Austin, Texas when she was five. A middle child with a younger brother and an older sister, she swam competitively growing up and didn't get into theater until her sister decided to try it out in middle school. "As a younger sister, I had to copy everything that she did and try to do it better," Dickerson laughs. "She's the reason I started and then I caught the bug and here I am now, so it worked out." The first musical she ever saw was a production of Seussical featuring her sister, which she calls a "pivotal moment." Another formative experience was seeing Wicked on tour—though she admits that what she remembers most clearly are the flying monkeys onstage. "My dad was like, 'If you're going to do anything, you're going to do that,'" she recalls. "I'm in the basement of Wicked," she points out about Just In Time's home at the Circle In The Square Theatre. "I'm close enough."

I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
"My very first musical was a production of Annie JR. in sixth grade. I was five-foot-six, so I couldn't be an orphan. I was a maid and also a Rockette in the NYC number. It was the first time I'd ever danced and I loved it so much." Dickerson did theater through middle and high school, also training outside of school in Zach Theater's Pre-Professional Company in Austin. "Getting to be involved with all the other kids from different programs and coming together to create art was the best," she adds. Dickerson received a BFA in Musical Theater and a Certificate in Acting for the Camera from Missouri State University. "It was very hard but very rewarding," she says of the college audition process. An understudy job at Manhattan Theatre Club brought her to New York City the fall after graduation. During that time, "I was auditioning and in callbacks for a little show called Just In Time," she says. "I was in what felt like weeks and weeks of doing callbacks—I was in for Connie first and then they brought me in for Sandra." Her final audition was a chemistry read with Jonathan Groff, who stars as Bobby Darin. She didn't get the part, and ultimately moved back to California.

Flying By the Seat of My Pants
The phrase "just in time" took on new meaning for Dickerson less than a year later. "I got a call on August 4 out of nowhere," she remembers, with the offer to play Sandra Dee on Broadway following Erika Henningsen's final performance in the role. She had two weeks to pack up and move across the country to begin rehearsals. "Fast and furious. I was flying by the seat of my pants from day one." Making her Broadway debut on September 16, she worked briefly with Gracie Lawrence, who originated the role of Connie Francis and took her final bow on October 5. Sarah Hyland then stepped into the Act One love interest spot. "The only reason I have gotten through this process is because the people involved in this production who know what they're doing have taken me under their wing and allowed me to ask all the questions," Dickerson says. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be in an environment with people that are so kind and giving."

Studying Sandra Dee
In addition to researching the real-life Dee online, Dickerson says she was provided with Dream Lovers, the book written by Dee and Darin's son, Dodd Darin. Reading it before portraying the Hollywood starlet onstage allowed Dickerson to get a "close, intimate picture of her life," she says. "She went through a lot, and it's been an honor and a privilege to be able to get to know her more and to try to bring her joy to the stage, because there was so much of it amongst all the tragic [parts]." The unique staging of Just In Time, which involves members of the cast moving through the audience, also keeps Dickerson on her toes. "What's exciting about this show is that every day is very different and it's so immersive." It doesn't hurt that playing Dee involves donning "fabulous" costumes and "the most gorgeous wig." But it's working with Groff that Dickerson feels the most grateful for.

The Groff Factor
"Jonathan is a truly inspiring performer to watch every single day. He does something with Bobby that feels spiritual. You really get taken on a journey. And he is so present and so in it every single day. That is very inspiring to me, how he brings 110 percent, is so positive, [with] the best outlook," she gushes. "I'm very lucky to be learning from someone who is so passionate, kind and genuine. I'm very spoiled to have him leading me through this." The "splish splash" experienced when duetting with Groff, who is famously spitty and even acknowledges it at the beginning of the show, is well worth the tutelage. "It's a give and take. There's the spit, there's the inspiration, but one does not come without the other," she jokes. Then, more earnestly: "I couldn't in my wildest dreams ask for a better debut or a better first show. I'm very happy to be here."

Inspirations and Aspirations
Beyond Groff, Dickerson cites the late Marin Mazzie as an inspiration. "Her performance in Ragtime is something that lives rent free in my brain. She was an incredible performer. She did something very, very special on that stage, and you can feel it," she says. "There's a feeling that's different, and it's something that I strive to make audiences feel as well." Looking to the future, Dickerson says she "would love to originate a role" on Broadway one day. "Every little theater kid dreams of being on a cast album and having an opening night and getting to do award season as an original cast member. That is definitely something that is on my bucket list, fingers crossed. I love the magic of being there from the beginning and creating something with everybody from the ground up." Until then, Dickerson is right where she belongs, dazzling as Dee eight shows a week.

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