JANUARY 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE 117
arts&culture
GET Inspired
CULTURAL HAPPENINGS BROUGHT TO
YOU BY THE ARTS AND CULTURAL
ALLIANCE OF SARASOTA COUNTY
Sarasota native Nya
Chambless has been
drawn to acting ever
since she saw Annie at
the ripe old age of one
and a half! During the
performance, she tried to
get on the stage because
she “had to be up there.”
When Nya was four
years old she was taken
to The Players Centre for
Performing Arts, where
she spontaneously began
acting out a scene from
The Hobbit in front of
everyone. She asked if
she could sing a song
and was told, “Yes, but
only on the stage.” Nya
was so excited, she
ran onstage and sang
“Animal Crackers,” bowed
and walked off stage.
When Nya was six,
she had a “serious”
conversation with her
dad about her future in
acting. She wanted to act
full-time and explained
that she likes to see
We asked Nya how and why the arts in Sarasota
influence and inspire her:
Annie
people smile and laugh,
and she loves to tell
stories. And Nya has been
involved ever since.
Nya has worked with
several production
companies such as Illum
Productions, Up All Night
Productions, Triforce
Pictures, and starred in
the Arts and Cultural
Alliance of Sarasota
County’s 2016 Giving
Challenge video. She
has acted in Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang and several
productions at The Players
Centre for Performing
Arts. She’s been in
several student films and
commercials for Ringling
College of Art and Design
and Riverview’s IB Film
program, in several
national commercials, has
even shot and directed
her first two-minute short
film, and is currently in
production as Ivonka in
Once at Florida Studio
Theatre.
Photo by Jeremy Teran