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Sandy Rustin
New York Actor

SANDY RUSTIN most recently appeared at UCB in Gravid Water with Amy Poheler.  She is also a player in the hit show “Don’t Quit Your Night Job” monthly at the Zipper Factory.  Other Favorite NY credits ~ “Modern Orthodox” (New World Stages), “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” (Westside Theatre), Jolson & Company (Century Center), Sarah, Plain and Tall (Lucille Lortel), and Neil Simon’s Hotel Suite (Roundabout).  TV: “Scariest Show on TV” (Comedy Central), “Law and Order; SVU,” “As the World Turns (Kayley),” “All My Children” and “Guiding Light.” Graduate of Northwestern University.
 
 

What have you been working on lately?

I guess the most exciting thing I got to work on recently was a pilot episode for a new show on Comedy Central.  But really, this spring has been all about readings, benefits, and improv shows for me.   I recently appeared at the Zipper Theatre in Dan Lipton and David Rossmer’s new musical “Notes to MariAnne” and also in Jeremy Dobrish’s play “The King Stag” at the Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row.  I sang in a benefit for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) and also for the Bronx Charter School for the Arts.  I regularly appear in Don’t Quit Your Night Job at the Zipper Theatre and also in Gravid Water at Upright Citizen’s Brigade. They are both shows I absolutely love to be a part of!  Right now I’m in rehearsals for a show called MOMologues and I’m leaving in a few weeks to go to Theatre Aspen to play Babe in “Crimes of the Heart” (one of my all time favorite plays). 

What do you love about what you do?

I love dance calls.  KIDDING.  My favorite thing about being an actress is that I am one!  I always said my goal was not to be famous, but to have a professional life in the theatre.  I think that I am now, finally, fully committed to that life in the theater.  I spent my 20s always wondering if “this would be my last show” or telling myself that if it didn’t work out for me, law school was always a possibility.  But now, I feel like I have both feet firmly planted in theater and I trust that as long as I want to tell new stories and create interesting characters that I will.  I love to be a part of an ensemble of people that have come together for the sole purpose of entertaining others.  It seems like an age old, noble pursuit and I’m proud to be a part of it.

What's your biggest pet peeve?

My pet peeve personally is when my 2 yr old son won’t drink out of a cup if it’s the wrong color. My pet peeve professionally is wasted time while auditioning or working.  I am naturally an impatient person and I just get driven crazy by waiting around!  Whether an audition is running really late or a stage manager realizes (2 hrs too late) that I wasn’t actually needed, waiting around just makes my blood boil!  It never used to bother me as much until I became a mom. But now ~ because I’m paying a babysitter ~ two hours wasted time translates to $25 wasted cash + unnecessary time away from my son! 

If you could try any other career, what would it be?

I have a friend who recently got her Masters from Columbia in Public Health and Social Policy.  She works for the UN and is currently in Rwanda doing amazing work.  She has sacrificed having her own family and the stability of having a steady home base because she believes so strongly in the work that she’s doing and her ability to make a difference in this world.  I admire her immensely and offer wonder what that life would have felt like for me.  I think I would have loved to lead a life of that level of service.  But being an actress and mom is sort of always what I knew I wanted for myself, so I’m just grateful to be exactly where I am.

Who do you admire in the industry, and why?

I have a group of girlfriends who are all actresses and moms.  These women are my inspiration daily.  It is no small feat to balance the demands of being a full time, stay-at-home mom, with the passion and drive to be a successful working actress.  Some days are easier than others certainly, but on those days when I think to myself, “really, I’m missing bed time again so I can pay $125 for a vocal coaching to prep for a 3^rd callback for a show all statistics say I’m just not gonna get” ~ I can turn to this group of friends for support, empathy, and a laugh.  They are, like me, just trying to live their lives in the theatre.  They’re not aiming for fame, just a solid Equity contract.  I respect, appreciate, and rely on them every day.

What was the best career decision you ever made?

Going to Northwestern University was the best career move I ever made.  I received an incredible education in both theatre and music, had an amazing opportunity to study abroad at R.A.D.A., and was invited to perform in a graduation showcase that introduced me to the agents and casting directors in New York & Chicago that I still have a professional relationship with to this day.  PLUS … I met my husband there and he is the biggest supporter of my career that ever will be … so maybe marrying him was the best career decision I ever made!

What's your piece of career advice for actors?