Music theatre student uses her voice to tell stories that matter

Since she first learned to talk, Sydney Brown has been using her voice to tell stories. 

And over the years, Brown’s audience has grown beyond her siblings, parents and stuffed animals to the packed auditorium of Sheridan’s Macdonald Heaslip Hall, as a fourth-year student in Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program.

Next, Brown has ambitions to become a professional storyteller, sharing her voice with audiences around the world. In particular, Brown, who is of Cree heritage, from Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba, hopes to amplify Indigenous stories on stage and uplift other Indigenous artists.

She also believes every child should have the chance to discover creativity, community and confidence through the arts and she dreams of teaching youth who might not have had the same opportunities as others. “It’s no secret that going to the theatre, taking classes and going to camps is very expensive,” she says. “I think giving kids more of these opportunities will allow for more accessibility and exposure to the arts, which I think is crucial in every child’s life.” 

Brown’s mom first noticed her creative tendencies at a young age, enrolling her in a Broadway-themed summer camp when she was ten years old. Dance and vocal lessons came next, along with any community or school theatre production she could be a part of.

High school in Airdrie, Alta. introduced Sydney to her biggest inspiration and supporter: her drama teacher, Kevin Goodyear. Goodyear mentored Brown, and guided her during the application process to Sheridan.

She was drawn to Sheridan’s longstanding history for producing successful theatre professionals and also valued its reputation as the only Music Theatre program in Canada that offers a degree.

Goodyear guided Brown through all her roles and auditions and filmed her first Sheridan audition.

“The second I stepped foot on campus, I knew this is where I belonged.”

He was the first person she called when she found out she was accepted into the program. Goodyear passed away when Sydney was in her third year at Sheridan. “He was, and always will be, my biggest supporter on this journey, and will guide me through it for the rest of my life,” Brown says. “I am forever grateful for him.”

Going forward, Brown hopes to use her voice to make a difference in the world.  She’s recently been learning more about her roots in the Indigenous community and culture through her immediate and extended family, as well as through Sheridan’s Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support (CILS), and she’s come to recognize and appreciate the significant role storytelling plays in Indigenous culture.

“I firmly believe that it is our responsibility as artists to tell stories that matter...that make the world a little better each time the audience leaves the theatre."

“I really hope to be able to tell Indigenous stories on stage someday and to uplift other Indigenous artists,” she says. “There are so many incredibly talented Indigenous artists in Canada who deserve to have their voices and stories heard.” 

CILS has been an important resource and guide for Brown.  

“Any time I needed guidance or somewhere to go that brought me peace, I would go to the centre,” she says. “CILS has created such a beautiful community at Sheridan for me, and I know that I always have them to support me when I need it.”  

She’s met some good friends at the centre, and she encourages other Indigenous students to experience the community that has been created there. 

Brown loves to tell a wide range of stories, particularly ones that leave an audience thinking about the show afterwards. A highlight for Brown during her time at Sheridan has been her Creative Acting Project, which gave her the chance to write, direct and act in her own short play. Along with a partner, she wrote and acted in a play about a pickle empire, which, while nonsensical and hilarious, also ends with a lesson about labels, showing how humour in storytelling can be used to leave an audience thinking about a deeper message.  

“I believe as artists on stage, we have a voice that matters, and the stories we tell can really make a difference in society,” she says. “Art heals, and I firmly believe that it is our responsibility as artists to tell stories that matter. That are important. That make the world a little better each time the audience leaves the theatre.” 

Learn more about the shows Sydney will be performing in on campus during the Fall 2024 season at Theatre Sheridan, including Something Rotten!, Armchair Confidential and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. 

Learn more about Sheridan’s Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support. 

Visit Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program page. 

Photos courtesy of Marianne Sy-Lucero (Digital Communications Officer)