For Sonya Meyer, singing and performing has been a life-long passion.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest in the Seattle area, Meyer was raised with a passion for the outdoors as well.
“I grew up always split between performing and enjoying the outdoors,” Meyer said. “Both of my parents are environmentalists.”
She loved camping, hiking and skiing with her parents, but was drawn to the stage.
Chasing her dream to perform, Meyer settled in New York City after graduating from Oklahoma City University.
Working in television and film, Meyer spent four years in the city.
All the while she longed for the outdoors and adventure. She missed nature and wanted to live life without regrets; she had always wanted to be a ski bum in Colorado for a season.
“I leased out my apartment in the city, and told my agent I was going to Colorado to write a sitcom about ski bums. I moved to Colorado in what was supposed to be a six-month stay,” Meyer said with a laugh.
In the middle of her fourth ski seasons now, Meyer is still living in Colorado, working as a ski instructor at Aspen Snowmass, and singing, acting and doing improv as much as possible.
“I fell in love with being outside again, and met and fell in love with my boyfriend,” she said.
When she is not skiing, she is honing her craft, performing at Thunder River Theatre Company in Carbondale, doing comedy as a member of TRTC’s Consensual Improv, and doing shows at the Vaudeville Revue in Glenwood.
“It’s been great. Now I get to ski during the day, and perform at night,” Meyer said.
HELPING THROUGH PERFORMING
With her parents and other family members working in scientific fields to affect change, Meyer has felt the sense of guilt that she isn’t out doing something to help the environment.
“Climate change is a huge topic for me, because of how passionate I feel about nature and the outdoors,” Meyer said.
For the last two years, Meyer has been working on an idea that involves both of her passions.
She has written a cabaret, and through comedy and song she will talk about preservation and answers the question of how to get involved locally.
“I think what’s special about the cabaret, is it’s the first opportunity that I have had in my life that is a combination of my two passions,” Meyer added.
“Cabaret is one of my favorite art forms, because it’s an intimate concert and it’s a way to tell stories, create a journey and message through songs.”
She is hoping to share with the audience some messages from different climate change organizations and groups in the valley, and give them an action plan for when they leave.
“Last year it was obviously more blatant every day when you went outside,” Meyer added. “I was teaching skiing lessons in the dirt, because there wasn’t any snow.”
TRTC Diva Cabaret presentation of “A Day of Sky: A Cabaret for Climate Change,” premiers Monday at 7:30 p.m. with a second show Tuesday, also at 7:30 p.m.
“This is a show about nature, being outside – about that passion,” Meyers said. “I’m sharing it through song and performing. That makes it really special for me.”
With a little help from David Dyer on the piano, Meyer will take to the stage using songs everyone knows, to tell her personal story and message.
Meyer always believed she had to be famous to get people to really think about change. She has come to conclusion that anybody can do it, if they have something to share.
“Being here in the Valley is a constant reminder of how important the earth is,” Meyer said. “I have something to share, a gift, a message – that’s the way I can start to make a small difference in where I am and where I’m at.”