Class Notes: Sally Shaw in “GIRL, INTERRUPTED”

Summary

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BroadwayRadio: Class Notes with Sally Shaw in “GIRL, INTERRUPTED”

Date: July 1, 2026
Host: Lauren Klasschneider
Guest: Sally Shaw (Polly in Girl, Interrupted at the Public Theater)

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Episode Overview

This episode of BroadwayRadio’s “Class Notes,” hosted by Lauren Klasschneider, features an in-depth conversation with Sally Shaw, who plays Polly in the new stage adaptation of Girl, Interrupted at the Public Theater. The interview explores Sally’s process in embodying a real-life figure from a memoir, her creative collaborations with the show’s powerhouse writing team, and how her journey as a multidisciplinary artist infuses her work on stage.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introducing Sally Shaw and the Role of Polly

• [01:07] Lauren welcomes Sally and introduces the context of Girl, Interrupted, focusing on the protagonist Susanna’s admission to a psychiatric hospital and her resulting connections.
• [01:50] Sally describes Polly as a compassionate, longstanding resident of the institution, marked by tragedy but defined by warmth and empathy.
  • Notable Quote:

    “She’s not trying to prove anything to anyone. She’s a really good listener. One of my favorite lines from the book is that anyone that was afraid, she sat next to them and smiled and listened. And I just adore her.”
    (Sally Shaw, 02:22)

The Beauty and Specificity of Polly

• [03:01] Lauren notes that Sally clearly sees the nuanced inner beauty of her character.
• [03:07] Sally credits both the original memoir and the adaptation by book writer Martina Mayok for ensuring each character feels distinctive and real.
  • She expresses joy in discovering Polly’s specific “isms” and emotional presence.

Working with the Creative Team: Martina Mayok & Amy Mann

• [03:29] Lauren foregrounds the contributions of playwright Martina Mayok and songwriter Amy Mann.
• [03:42] Sally praises Martina’s nuanced writing (“commands language…like train tracks”) and Amy’s music for expanding the audience’s emotional understanding.
  • Notable Quote:

    “Martina commands language in just the most unbelievably nuanced and intentional [way]...whenever I’m saying her words, I feel like all I have to do is just show up and speak it and it’s there. As an actor, it’s kind of the greatest gift you can be given.”
    (Sally, 03:48)

  • She highlights how Amy Mann’s songs are woven into the narrative as a “play with music,” not a conventional musical.

First Impressions of the Script and Source Material

• [04:52] Lauren asks about Sally’s initial experience with the material.
• [04:57] Sally recalls being deeply affected by the script and feeling a strong, almost fated connection to Polly.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I knew I wanted them to be a part of my story. I knew I wanted them to be a part of my life. I just felt I had known this character forever...they felt very familiar to me."
    (Sally, 05:12)

Connecting with Memoir as Source

• [05:31] Lauren inquires about Sally’s familiarity with the memoir and the impact of portraying a real person.
• [05:43] Sally reveals she read the memoir during rehearsals, describing it as offering “behind the scenes for a movie that I loved.”
  • She stresses the honor and responsibility of depicting someone from real life and how the material helped her feel grounded.

Casting, Audition Process, and Industry Networking

• [06:44] Sally explains her connection to the Public Theater through her Gypsy audition process and subsequent relationships with the casting team.
  • She details a serendipitous series of events linking her previous work, the creative team, and her current opportunity.
  • [07:55] Lauren clarifies connections with George Wolfe and casting directors.
• [08:09] Sally highlights the supportive, personal approach of casting directors Heidi Griffiths, Jordan Thaler, and Kate Murray.
  • Notable Quote:

    “It became so much less about, oh, am I the right fit for this?...and all of that melted away, and it was just, ah, man, I love these people. And I want to make...I want to, you know, I want to make stuff with these people, and I really like them. And that just kind of opened a whole new world to me as an actor.”
    (Sally, 08:25)

Impact on Audition Approach

• [09:13] Lauren asks if this casting experience will change Sally’s future auditions.
• [09:24] Sally describes a newfound confidence and a more relaxed, authentic approach, trusting that “what’s meant for me is not going to pass me by.”
  • Notable Quote:

    “It took a weight off of me that I can’t fully put into words. But I’m really excited to bring that, you know, moving forward into audition rooms as my career progresses.”
    (Sally, 10:16)

Multidisciplinary Artistic Practice

• [10:24] Lauren switches gears to Sally’s diverse creative pursuits—puppet-making, sewing, set design, and work with the band Sammy Rae & The Friends.
• [10:56] Sally explains that creating in multiple art forms is "like oxygen,” and necessary for her growth, especially during the pandemic when theater was paused.
  • Describes how visual arts and making physical things connects her more deeply to her identity as a performer.
  • Notable Quote:

    “I did a solo show and I made a dress for it because it made me feel more connected to what I was doing...I love to kind of cross those boundaries and have the lines be really blurry and not just put myself in one art making box.”
    (Sally, 12:12)

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Polly’s Compassion:
  “Anyone that was afraid, she sat next to them and smiled and listened. And I just adore her.”
  (Sally, 02:22)

• On Martina Mayok’s Writing:
  “Whenever I’m saying her words, I feel like all I have to do is just show up and speak it and it’s there.”
  (Sally, 03:48)

• Discovering Polly:
  “I just felt I had known this character forever. It was crazy. They felt very familiar to me.”
  (Sally, 05:12)

• The Power of Supportive Casting:
  “It became so much less about...am I doing the right things? Am I saying the words right?...it was just, ah, man, I love these people. And that just kind of opened a whole new world to me as an actor.”
  (Sally, 08:25)

• On Artistic Versatility:
  “I can’t contain myself to one form of art making...it’s like oxygen.”
  (Sally, 10:58)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:07: Lauren introduces Sally & the central context of Girl, Interrupted
• 01:50–03:01: Sally discusses Polly’s character and her unique place in the story
• 03:07–03:42: The distinctiveness and beauty of each character
• 03:42–04:52: Working with Martina Mayok & Amy Mann; their artistic influence
• 04:57–05:43: First impressions of the script, and relationship to memoir source
• 06:44–07:55: How Sally’s audition process for Gypsy led her to Girl, Interrupted
• 08:09–10:16: Transformative impact of supportive casting experiences
• 10:56–12:21: Sally’s multidisciplinary artistry and its creative importance

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Summary Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is candid, warm, and insightful—filled with Sally’s deep gratitude for the art and people surrounding her. She expresses genuine wonder at her journey, describes the artistic home she’s found, and shares practical wisdom about creative resilience, authenticity, and the value of community in theater.

This episode is especially resonant for actors, theater lovers, and anyone interested in how creative journeys intertwine across disciplines and lived experiences.

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Transcript

[Hiker 1]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Hiker 2]

Yeah. No, I don't need to.

[Hiker 1]

I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Hiker 2]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Sally Shaw]

Whoa.

[Hiker 1]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Hiker 2]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

[T-Mobile Disclaimer Voice]

Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Ooklev Speed Test Intelligence data to age 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and $35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance 2 if you pay off earlier, cancel contact US Finance Agreement example $299.99 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky included with experience beyond or $10 a month. However, news monthly cancel anytime visit t mobile.com.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Hi, I'm Lauren Klasschneider with Class Notes for Broadway Radio. I'm here with Sally Shaw, who plays Polly in Girl Interrupted at the Public Theater. Hi, Sally.

[Sally Shaw]

Hi Lauren. Thanks so much for having me.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Of course. Thank you for being here. And we're just going to go right in to be talking about when Susanna admits herself to a psychiatric hospital following a 15 minute session with the doctor she'd never met. She forms unexpected bonds with the young women inside as they search for connection and a way forward. And you play the role of Polly. Elements of her character can be quite shocking. How does Polly play into the whole story?

[Sally Shaw]

Well, Polly is kind of a fixture of this institution. She's been there for a while. She's not going anywhere. She, as Susannah describes her, lit herself on fire, poured gasoline over herself in her dad's garage when she was 16 years old and lit a match and looks rather disfigured and has ended up at McLean and, you know, isn't really going anywhere. But the thing about her that I love so much is how, how different she is than any of the other characters. She's got an incredible warmth in the way that, you know, Martina has described her as well as Susannah and her own memory of her is that she's just really compassionate and really warm. She's not trying to prove anything to anyone. She's a really good listener. One of my favorite lines from the book is that she just. Anyone that was afraid, she sat next to them and smiled and listened. And I just adore her. She's a very different. She's a very specific kind of energy to be in a mental institution. It's a really beautiful person.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

And it sounds like the beauty was written into her. And you also found her beauty.

[Sally Shaw]

Oh, my goodness. Absolutely. I love how each girl in the play, in the way that Martina has kind of woven us all together, has our very specific isms and the way we communicate and we all have very distinct characteristics. But I've gotten to just fall in love with everything that Paula brings to a space.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

And as you refer to Martina, you're talking about the book writer, Martina Mayok. And the songwriter is Amy Mann.

[Sally Shaw]

Yep.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

What was it like working with these two powerhouses in the rehearsal room?

[Sally Shaw]

Oh, my goodness. I mean, our team of creators are just forces of nature. It's been such an amazing gift. Martina commands language in just the most unbelievably nuanced and intentional. And it feels like train tracks. Like whenever I'm saying her words, I feel like all I have to do is just show up and speak it and it's there. As an actor, it's kind of the greatest gift you can be given. You know, that. That incredible of a wordsmith like Martina and Amy's music has just given. It's interesting because it doesn't feel like. It doesn't feel like a typical musical because it's a play with music and the music just the way Amy is able to deepen and widen your understanding of what these people are going through and what their characters are feeling and thinking and, you know, sonically is a very unique theater going experience. Yeah. So, I mean, it was just. I felt absolutely spoiled to get to just roll around in it all.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

What were your impressions when you first read the script and heard the music?

[Sally Shaw]

My jaw was kind of on the floor. I didn't think some speak as much to me as this did in the time that it did. And it's like to hear these words for the first time is overwhelming. And I knew I wanted to say them forever. I just. I knew I wanted them to be a part of my story. I knew I wanted them to be a part of my life. I just felt I had known this character forever. It was crazy. They felt very familiar to me. And I was also, just from day zero, I was just so excited for other people to experience it for the first time. Like, I got to such a gift,

[Lauren Klasschneider]

and doesn't always happen that way. Now, were you familiar with the story before auditioning? And does the fact that the original source is. Is a memoir, does it make you relate to the material differently?

[Sally Shaw]

I had never seen the movie, which is wild. I don't know how it had missed me, but I have to. I have to assume that was intentional cosmically, for some reason, I don't know why I'd never seen it. And the book I read while we were in rehearsals, I knew it was a true story and I'd done my research, but I also, you know, getting to read the book and to hear about these real people in the memory of someone who actually lived this was like. I like to say it was like watching behind the scenes for a movie that I loved. Like, I felt like I knew these people. It was like learning new stories about old friends. It was. It was so beautiful to get to read the source material. And, you know, it's not often you get to. You get to play someone who was a real person and remembered by a real person. It's an amazing honor, and it's also a huge responsibility. So, of course, I felt, you know, I felt like the source material gave me so much to ground myself in.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

And the director of this production is Joe Bonnie. Have you two worked together before? And how did the audition come about?

[Sally Shaw]

Yeah, so the audition came about because I made my Broadway debut last year in the revival of Gypsy with Ms. Audra McDonald. And the team that cast. That show was actually the casting team from the Public Theater because our director, George, had worked here and knew them. And so I actually did all my Gypsy auditions at the Public Theater. And that's how I became familiar with the folks that worked here. And I just fell head over heels in love with everyone in this building. And so the public was actually a part of my story before Girl Interrupted, which felt very intentional. And right after I closed Gypsy, about a month after we closed in August of last year, I got the audition for this. And I remember reading over the email and seeing the names and thinking, okay, I think this is it. Like, this is. I feel like I've known this project my whole life, but now it's just happening. So it came about in a very sweet way. It felt like a very clear, open door to the next chapter with groundwork that had been laid in pretty unexpected ways.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Right, Right. As you refer to George, of course, you're talking about George Wolfe, who directed Gypsy, former artistic director at the Public. To kind of connect the dots here, who were the people who actually did the casting?

[Sally Shaw]

So Heidi Griffiths, Jordan Thaler, and Kate Murray, who did the casting for this as well. They're just brilliant, bright. I remember, I mean, you know, you encounter so many people in audition settings as an actor, and I remember walking into that with Jordan and Heidi specifically and just thinking, I really like these people and I want to be friends with them and let alone, you know, and. And make art with them. And it became so much less about, oh, am I the right fit for this? Am I, you know, am I doing the right things? Am I saying the words right? You know, do they want me? And all of that melted away, and it was just, ah, man, I love these people. And I want to make. I want to, you know, I want to make stuff with these people, and I really like them. And that just kind of opened a whole new world to me as an actor just to be like, you know, it's all people, and it's all people that. That care deeply about what they're doing. So I think that was a very specific invitation for me to kind of let go of some of my actorisms and just be a person. Yeah. And here we are.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Yeah. Sally, do you think that that experience with that group of casting directors will have an effect on you walking into an audition room with other casting directors?

[Sally Shaw]

Absolutely. Absolutely. It really. It brought out the best in me in ways that I, you know, typically you think, oh, I gotta sing my highest note. I gotta, you know, I gotta do my, you know, most compelling work. And yes, I mean, you know, you want to put your best foot forward in an audition setting, but I just, I. Because of how they do their jobs so well, I was able just to kind of be like, okay, if I'm the right fit, I'm the right fit. I really love these people. I'm having a great time. So I think moving forward, it just. It's given me so much more confidence that, you know, what's meant for me is not going to pass me by. And it's the people that, you know, the people that are. That are meant to resonate with what I do in a certain setting are going to resonate and it's going to make sense. And I really don't have to fret. You know, I think that it really. It took a weight off of me that I can't fully put into words. But I'm really excited to Bring that, you know, moving forward into audition rooms as my career progresses.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Good for you. I think sometimes people work their whole career to arrive at that before walking into an audition space. So you're seemingly way, way ahead of the game. And in addition to being a performer, you describe yourself as a maker and an artist, and you've created puppets, sewn garments, created sets for a band, Sammy Ray and the Friends, and your website alludes to all this. And in the most charming way, you find time to wear so many hats. How do you do that?

[Sally Shaw]

Oh, it's like oxygen. I can't. I can't contain myself to one form of art making. I have to constantly be. Be creating with my hands, listening, making. I. It all speaks to each other. And I think in seasons, when Covid interrupted my college experience and theater was no longer happening in the way that I anticipated it, I thought, okay, I have to keep going. I have to keep making things, but I can't be on stage right now. What am I going to do? What else do I have inside me? And that's whenever my experience with this band, my experience with sewing, making things kind of making my way in the world and in New York as a visual artist really came into focus. And so I feel like it went hand in hand with me growing up in a big way. And so I think my. My identity as an actor and as a theater artist is. Is super connected to my identity as a visual artist. And I think whenever I can, I make things, so I feel like it always goes hand in hand. I did a solo show and I made a dress for it because it made me feel more connected to what I was doing and things like that. So I love to kind of cross those boundaries and have the lines be really blurry and not just put myself in one art making box.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Well, you definitely turned lemons into lemonade. I applaud you for that, and I thank you for your time.

[Sally Shaw]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

I'm Lauren Klasschnyder with Sally Shaw, who's playing Polly in Girl Interrupted at the Public Theater. Thank you.

[Hiker 1]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Hiker 2]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Hiker 1]

I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Hiker 2]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Sally Shaw]

Whoa.

[Hiker 1]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Hiker 2]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

With America's best Network and T Satellite. We're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible, and if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

[T-Mobile Disclaimer Voice]

Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Ooklo speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and $35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance too. If you pay off earlier, cancel contact US Finance Agreement example 29999 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky. Included with experience beyond or $10 a month. However, News monthly Cancel anytime Visit T mobile. Com.