Learn about Sadie Sink's stage work ahead of 'Romeo & Juliet'

The Stranger Things and John Proctor Is the Villain star makes her West End debut in Romeo & Juliet in 2026.

Summary

• Sadie Sink made her Broadway debut as a child actor in Annie
• She was Tony-nominated for John Proctor Is the Villain
• Sink makes her West End debut in Romeo & Juliet directed by Robert Icke in March 2026

Born in Brentham, Texas in 2002, Sadie Sink caught the theatre bug at an early age, recreating scenes from her favourite plays and musicals at home with her brother Mitchell. The siblings were subsequently enrolled in acting classes and started performing in community theatre. The family moved to New Jersey in 2012 when Sink made her Broadway debut in Annie.

In 2017, Sink came to mainstream prominence in the key role of skateboarder Maxine “Max” Mayfield in Netflix’s science fiction coming-of-age drama Stranger Things (the fifth and final season is currently being released). Her film credits include The Glass Castle, The Whale, O’Dessa, and, coming in 2026, Spider-Man: A Brand New Day.

Sink’s most notable theatre credit to date is playing the role of Shelby Holcomb in Kimberly Belflower's John Proctor Is the Villain, for which she earned a Tony nomination. In March 2026, Sink makes her West End debut in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in a production directed by Robert Icke. Read on to learn more about this compelling young talent’s theatre credits to date.

Book Romeo & Juliet tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Early work

Sink began performing in community theatre in Houston, Texas, where she appeared in the ensemble of a 2009 production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever before progressing to a lead role in The Secret Garden. She joined the city’s non-profit professional company Theatre Under the Stars where she appeared in White Christmas as Susan, the granddaughter of the owner of the inn at which the festivities take place – and it was also where she had her first go in the title role in Annie.

Annie

In 2012, Sink joined the company of James Lapine’s Broadway revival of Annie, where she served as a standby for the title character, as well as orphans Tessie, Duffy, and Pepper. Sink was later promoted to sharing the role of the plucky young orphan who belts out the anthem “Tomorrow” with castmate Taylor Richardson.

The Audience

There are few star vehicles starrier than Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. Mirren reprised the role for which she won an Oscar in the 2006 film The Queen, also penned by Peter Morgan (who went on to create The Crown). Sink took the role of Her Majesty’s younger self (sharing with Elizabeth Teeter). New York Theatre Guide’s reviewer admired the way in which “Sadie Sink played Young Elizabeth with grace and skill”. Two years later, Sink was crowned as a TV star when she debuted in Stranger Things.

John Proctor Is the Villain

A decade later, Sink returned to Broadway in Kimberley Belflower’s John Proctor Is the Villain. This explosive feminist rejoinder to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is set in a high school in 2018 and deals with an 11th grade English class’s responses to the piece in light of the growing #MeToo movement. Sink played Shelby Holcomb, who has a similar role to Abigail Williams in the original play. The production was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Sink as Best Actress in a Play.

A film adaptation was announced in July 2025, with Sink serving as executive producer. The play will be performed at London’s Royal Court in spring 2026 (while Sink will be in Romeo & Juliet), with casting to be announced.

Romeo & Juliet

In March 2026, Sink makes her West End debut as Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet at the intimate Harold Pinter Theatre. The production is staged by two-time Olivier-winning director Robert Icke (Oedipus, Oresteia) and is sure to feature his trademark emotional truthfulness and gripping storytelling. Her Romeo is Noah Jupe (Hamnet, Lady in the Lake), a fellow former child actor who also makes his West End debut in the production.

There is no more iconic representation of youthful passion and heart-rendering tragedy. Says Sink: “I was a Broadway kid, so I’ve always dreamed about doing a show in the West End. To get to do that in one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays under Rob's direction with Noah will be such an exciting challenge. London theatre has this incredible energy, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Book Romeo & Juliet tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Main photo credit: Sadie Sink. Inset: John Proctor Is the Villain, promotional image of Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe for Romeo & Juliet. (Photos by Julieta Cervantes / Helen Murray)