Hello, I’m Sandra Margolese. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m a storyteller. So, if you have a moment, I’d like to share one with you.
I write plays. My methods are many, from musicals to comedies, and shorts.
I write songs. I sing and record my original tunes and interpret the words of other writers, in the studio and theatre.
I write books. My stories are pithy and poignant emotional journeys with a dash of romance.
“It’s all about connection, and whether onstage or on the page, this Writer, Singer, and Voice Actor reaches out to the heart of her audience.”
Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Sandra has been performing professional Musical Theatre and Jazz for over twenty years. Inspired by her grandmothers, both of whom were singers, and grandfather who played piano, clarinet, and violin – home was always filled with music.
Following her training at Wilfrid Laurier University, Sandra’s theatre career was launched, when cast in The Pirates of Penzance, at The Drayton Festival Theatre’s inaugural season, directed by Alex Mustakas. Other performances include The Mikado, Vaudeville, Annie Get Your Gun, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Secret Garden. She joined the cast of the Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera and for five fantastic years, performed the role of Princess, and understudied Carlotta.
Sandra toured with Toronto’s Smile Theatre Company, in shows written and directed by writer/actor/comedian Tom Kneebone. Her work with Smile continued as playwright and director for several productions – a favourite, Everything’s Coming Up Rosie, is a tribute to one of her idols, Rosemary Clooney.
Her latest play, Jack of all Trades, is a comedy in which three long-time friends embark on a “Creative Wellness” retreat. Romance and laughter ensue when they meet Jack, who is only too happy to fill their creative wells!
From the “girl next door” to the voice of “The Cow” in La Vache Qui Rit, an animated online game for children, Sandra’s versatility shines. Her voice has been heard across the Middle East and North Africa advertising everything from Bloomingdales to Venus Razors, and Grey’s Anatomy to Glee. Her skills as writer, voice actor, and singer combine in her Animation voice reel.
Sandra recorded Jazz tunes with Juno Award-winning producer, Peter Mann, and was featured at the Canadian National Exhibition and Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival. Oakville Today said, “She bestows emphatic sensitivity to the lyrics, making us feel each song carries a message specifically for us.” While living in Dubai, Sandra entertained extensively at corporate events, performing for dignitaries and diplomats at Emirates Palace, Yas Island, and the Dubai World Trade Centre.
As a songwriter, Sandra collaborated with composer/arranger Randy Broten of The Bronte Sound Project. Their unique blend of Folk, Pop and Country styles has received airplay from Norway to New Zealand.
Sandra’s novel, Boarding Call, was shortlisted at the Emirates Festival of Literature’s Literary Idol competition, and as the wife and travel companion of an airline captain, she wrote much of the novel at 37,000 feet.
Good Fortune
Knitting shop owner Myra Goldstein and her recently retired veterinarian husband Herman enjoy a quiet life in semi-rural Canada. Myra lives her life by the advice and wisdom in her fortune cookies from their weekly feast of Chinese food take-out, but when the predicted “tall, handsome stranger” jumps off the small piece of paper and onto their front doorstep, their future may hold more spice than a bowl of Szechuan noodles.
Cast: 3 women, 2 men
Length: 95 minutes, 2 Acts
Jack Of All Trades
Three longtime girlfriends reunite for a weekend at a creative wellness retreat where Jack, the resident boy toy of Tiddler Lake Lodge, is only too happy to fill their “creative wells!” Will their needs be fulfilled, or will they all fall under the spell of the “Jack of all Trades?”
Cast: 3 women, 1 man.
Length: 95 minutes. 2 Acts.
Dog Days of Duckeye
Join Canadian radio sweethearts Ron and Deanne Monroe, and their trusted techie Solomon Jones, on a rollicking, radio, ranch-romance, “The Dog Days Of Duckeye.” Discover what happens when they enter the studio, and find that “Heartaches By The Number” are brewing faster than a jug of “White Lightning,” and their “Crazy,” “Cheating Hearts” may send them “Down The Old Cattle Trail.”
Cast: 1 woman, 2 men.
Length: 1 hour. Musical.
Home For The Holidays
The musical story of two “minstrels of war,” Canadian Army Show entertainers, who faced the hazards of war to boost the morale of men fighting on the front lines on Christmas Eve.
Cast: 2 women.
Length: 1 hour. Musical.
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie
Join “Rosemary Clooney” as she reflects, in words and music, on her life, loves, and extraordinary career.
Cast: 1 woman.
Length: 1 hour. Musical.
Fever
A young songwriter is inspired by the music and lyrics of the incomparable Peggy Lee.
Cast: 1 woman.
Length: 1 hour. Musical.
Looking For Mr. Right
A newly divorced woman enters the high-speed world of “instant romance” at a blind speed-dating event. The prospects are questionable, but will she find her Mr. Right?
Cast: 3 women, 2 men.
Length: 10 minutes.
Let It Rise
Two sisters enter the County Bake-Off hoping to win the grand prize with their late Grandmother’s secret recipe. Their lifelong rivalry reaches it’s peak as they race against the clock, and the only one who can settle the score may be their dear, departed Grandma.
Cast: 3 women.
Length: 10 minutes.
Turbulence
Two airline passengers, with a desperate need to get to London, discover a link that will forever bind them if they survive the irregularities of atmospheric motion; turbulence.
Cast: 1 woman, 1 man.
Length: 10 minutes.
At The Hop
One girl, two boys, and one unforgettable sock hop! Elroy loves Suzie, Suzie loves Frankie, and Frankie, he loves all the girls. But who will find true love as the last song plays, “At The Hop?”
Cast: 1 woman. 1 man.
Length: 1 hour. Musical.
“I Had No Choice”
Dear Reader,
I had no choice but to write. In an alternate world, I could have applied for the following ad searching for, “the intellectually curious adventurer looking for an unparalleled, high-impact international opportunity.” Had I taken the job, I’d now be serving in the CIA. Thankfully, I have a penchant for words, and I’m Canadian.
My love of writing began with a simple poem. I was 7-years-old and “published” on pink cardboard, stuck on the classroom wall with rolled up masking tape:
When I’m big I want to be
A bee, a bee, I want to be
I tell you what I want to be
I want to be a bee.
From that pivotal moment, I never left the house without a pen and notepad. If I’m earnest, three pens at a minimum. One needs to be prepared for a random moment of inspiration, and no one can deny the importance of being earnest…sounds like an excellent name for a play!
My second “published” work was, and is, a classic, “Scruffy and The Snowstorm.” I not only wrote this little gem, I illustrated and bound it, wrapped in tin foil for a polished effect. It’s in need of new binding but as relevant as it was when I was 12.
Stories continued to flow out of me, unfiltered and genuine. I created an alleged scandal over stolen money from the 7th grade, girls’ changing room. I interviewed the victim and spied on the possible suspects. I’ll never reveal my source, but I know the truth. Louise Fitzhugh’s “Harriet the Spy” and Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” held copious amounts of inspiration and lessons on plot and structure.
I planted myself on the curb outside my grandparents’ post office in Windsor, Ontario, pencil and notepad in hand, documenting a classic abduction.
“A woman, shifty-eyed and dressed in a beige, felt skirt and white-collared blouse, checked over her shoulder. Her perfume trailed to the curb. Lilac or Lily-of-the-Valley hit my nose with a punch. A man decked out in a grey pinstriped suit came from behind, grabbing her by the arm, pulling her close. Her heel wobbled. Or was it wobble, then grab?
In a flash, she was thrust into the sedan, the door slammed shut. He rounded the front bumper, the striped fabric tearing on the corner, and dropped into the driver’s seat. Squealing tires and a puff of exhaust. Gone. Nothing left but the scent of perfume.
I left my perch to check for clues. A scrap of grey carrying DNA was all I’d need.”
So, there you have it, dear reader. My storytelling life was not a choice but a calling. I heard and answered it. When I write, “The End,” it’s the beginning of my next story.
Happy reading!
