Meet Sonya Welch: Writer/Owner, The W Theater Ensemble, Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonya Welch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonya, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Growing up I always took the path of least resistance. I was never willing to take the risk associated with stepping out of my comfort zone. In my twenties I developed a passion for writing stage plays. I wrote mainly for the drama ministry at my church, but I later began dreaming of producing my stage plays on a larger scale. Problem was, I didn’t know where to begin. I immediately began to doubt myself as I pondered over questions like, how will I secure a venue, where will I get the actors and how will I pay them? The more I researched, the more I realized that producing a stage play takes a great deal of money. I didn’t have a lot of money, so it seemed like a huge risk to invest the little money I did have. After all, I wasn’t 100% sure I would turn a profit. Year after year I re-visited the idea and each time, I talked myself out of it. It wasn’t until 2012 almost 20 years later, that I decided to conquer my fears and take the risk. Producing my first stage play was not easy. I didn’t make a profit, but I did break even. The night of the play, I distinctly remember asking myself the question, why did you take so long to do this? Yes, it was hard, but it was worth every headache, every dime spent, and every tear shed. I was extremely proud of myself. From that moment on, I have taken many risks where my business is concerned. Some have paid off and some have not. I’ve learned, however that win, lose or draw, it’s okay to take risk every now and then.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I call myself a creative as I have been gifted from God to write. I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of my gift until I saw the effects my writing had on others. There has never been a time after a production that someone didn’t reach out to me with a testimony of how they related to a particular character or storyline. This has made me more responsible with my gift. When I write, I do it with a purpose. I always want my writing to be entertaining, but at the same time, I want it to be inspirational. It’s important to me that every piece I write have clear and concise takeaways.

Because writing is my gift, it comes easy to me. What I find to be hard is the business aspect of it all. Planning productions can be daunting. The stress of marketing, selling tickets, and wondering if what you wrote is good enough is the real challenge. Early on I made the mistake of only selling to my family members, friends and Facebook friends. I soon realized that as much as people loved me, everyone I know is not interested in stage plays and that’s okay. I learned that I had to broaden my scope when it came to marketing. This is when I realized that there are plenty of people in the world who are interested in what I have to offer. I just had to look outside of my family and friends to find them.

The W Theater is different from most theatre companies as it is more of a family atmosphere. I truly care about my actors and crew. We work hard and we play hard. My mission has always been to keep the drama on the stage or behind the camera and out of the workplace. I realize that having a positive attitude begins with me, so I try my best to spread positivity and it continuously trickles down. This has helped my brand tremendously because my company has a great reputation amongst actors and a lot of them want to work with me repeatedly. When people are happy with you, they tend to give you their best. I believe this is why my plays have been so successful over the years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m fairly new to the Atlanta area, but I do have a few places that I enjoy.

When my friends come to town, some of the places I take them include, Marietta Square. It’s a cute and quaint little place that have live performing arts venues and several places to dine. It also has a little park that sits right in the center of the square which is great place to take pictures are just sit and people watch.

My favorite Pizza joint is Oz Pizza in Eastpoint. The pizza is close to New York style and it is delicious.

Another favorite spot is the Avalon outdoor mall in Alpharetta. It’s a great place for shopping and dining.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Although It’s kind of strange to shoutout someone I do not know personally, I would be remiss if I did not shoutout Mr. Tyler Perry. When people laughed at, mocked and called what he was doing buffoonery in the early stages of his career, I felt really bad. I too wrote Gospel Stage Plays with a comedic twist, so when they were talking about not taking him seriously, I felt like they were talking about me. I admire Tyler Perry though because he didn’t allow what others had to say about him deter him in any kind of way. He kept writing and producing until the same people who mocked him wanted desperately to be a part of what he was doing. Watching Tyler gave me the audacity to believe that I could write the stories that resonated with me and be taken seriously. He will probably never know how much of a mentor (from afar) he has been to me, but I know. I’m very grateful.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewtheater/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonya-welch-140947a5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWTheaterEnsembleInc

Youtube: Sonya Welch

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Joshua Welch