The age-old tale of the small-town kid making it in the big city is a story almost everyone is familiar with. For most people that’s all it is – a story. But for one Regina-born performer – it’s his reality. Entertaining audiences from stages across North America, Mayson Sonntag has seen his fair share of views in his first few years as a musician and theatre actor. “I’ve been performing across Canada, across the states, on international waters, kind of everywhere, all over the place,” he told CTV News. Sonntag grew up in the Queen City, taking part in several of the city’s well-known artistic venues like Do It With Class Young People’s Theatre and the Regina Symphony Orchestra – which he joined as a violist while in high school. Sonntag travelled to the state of New York to further his education, studying musical theatre at Ithaca College, where he graduated in 2022. Since his convocation, he’s steadily found work across the continent. From performing Jersey Boys on a cruise ship out at sea to driving across the U.S. in 90 days on a bus for a production of Cocomelon Live JJ’s Journey – Sonntag has been keeping busy. “The career takes you crazy places,” he said. “It’s those moments of connecting with people who have some sort of connection with the show … that’s what keeps joy alive for me, and that’s what the point of performing is, in my opinion.” Even though he’s thousands of kilometres from the land of living skies, Sonntag says he wears his Saskatchewan roots proudly, whether it be on the streets of New York or while out at sea. “I was working on a cruise ship recently and I watched the Grey Cup from my room on the ship in the middle of the ocean, and I was cheering just as loud as anybody back home,” he laughed. In true Saskatchewan fashion, Sonntag said no matter what corner of North America he performs in, he always seems to find someone from back home. “No matter where you go, you’ll run into someone from Saskatchewan,” he recalled. “So, if you ever feel lost, there’s someone who’s there to support you.” Sonntag recognizes the amount of work it’s taken to succeed on the theatre scene. He gives a lot of credit to his hometown roots and the opportunities he had while in Regina. “I never imagined that I’d have the opportunity to work with such incredible people and with such incredible companies, but I think it definitely speaks to the quality of music and artistic education in Regina,” he noted. “We’re not the size of Toronto, but we definitely have wonderful opportunities for students and for people who are interested in the arts in Regina.” Pointing to other well-known actors from the Regina-area, such as Tatiana Maslany or Paul Nolan, Sonntag says the artistic ecosystem in the Queen City is what’s allowing young performers to find success far outside of Saskatchewan. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the plethora of teachers and parental supports, and the community supports for the arts that I had in Regina. That’s what got me where I am,” he said. When asked what advice he’d give young performers in Regina hoping to pursue a life in theatre, Sonntag encouraged them to take the leap. “Using those resources, if kids have an interest in the arts and music or performing, there are these places in Regina to do it,” he said. “Just take that opportunity. Take that chance.”
