NORTH PROVIDENCE – Sarah Insana, a North Providence resident who says she has never shied away from the camera, will host a watch party on Oct. 4 for her appearance on United Dates of America.
The series features British singles going on blind dates with American singles at various locales across the country.
Her episode is all about her blind date traveling around Rhode Island for the day, said Insana. She added that she was thrilled to be cast in the show by Angela Peri and Lisa Lobel, co-owners of Boston Casting, who recently won their first Emmy Award for outstanding casting for the series “Widow’s Bay.”
“I had such a good time, it was a blast, so much fun,” she said of filming.
Anyone who has known her since she was a small girl going to school at Whelan Elementary School, and later Birchwood Middle School and North Providence High School, knows that she’s always wanted to be famous, said Insana, laughing. She said she always wanted to appear on the “small screen, the big screen, silver screen, the Roy G. Biv screen,” whatever screen would have her.
“My whole high school experience was a performance,” she told The Local Insider. She never really swore or acted up, she said, but would act as if the school was her stage.
“I was always in trouble with Mr. Goho for dancing on the cafeteria tables at school dances,” she said, describing herself as a larger-than-life personality.
She takes a moment to apologize for her “very thick accent” brought about by her “very Italian, Irish, and Armenian from North Providence” heritage.
When she saw the ad looking for people to join the show, she said, she jumped at the chance.
“I’ve always been looking for love,” Insana shared. “It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still hopeful.”
Insana said she found it so amazing that the show was coming to shoot in Rhode Island and would show the culture of this little state, how people live, the tourism, and the beautiful landscape.
“I knew I had to apply,” said Insana.
She picked up her blind date Luke at the Omni Providence Hotel and they departed for the North Central State Airport in Smithfield, where they took a helicopter to downtown Providence. Based on her Rhode Island knowledge, she said she was thrilled to show him the whole city, sharing about how The Amp was previously the Dunkin Donuts Center and before that the Providence Civic Center, how the Providence Place Mall wasn’t always there, and other details. Their date covered everything from axe throwing to a beautiful walking tour of Providence ending on the South Water Street bridge, to a tour and wine tasting at Verde Vineyards in Johnston. She said it was amazing to see Providence from a different vantage point.
Their experiences will be covered in a single 30-minute episode, found on streaming service Journy TV (find it on YouTube).
Insana said she and Luke hit it off, but it was more of a “cerebral intellectual connection” than anything, and they haven’t stayed in touch. She said he was such a sweetheart and very nice, and it was refreshing for her to be able to have really authentic conversations with him.
The show wasn’t scripted at all, she said, and there were times she almost forgot she was being filmed.
“I really felt like I could be my true authentic self,” she shared.
She said Luke complimented her screen presence, and was impressed when she told him she hadn’t done anything like this before.
Insana lives off Fruit Hill Avenue in North Providence, and has worked as building substitute at Woonsocket High School since September of 2023. She also works as a server for Easy Entertaining Inc.
Insana grew up going to theater camps and performed in the high school drama club before getting a performance theater degree at Rhode Island College and continuing classes at Providence College for education.
“I always had that bug that bit me,” she said.
She said she is a huge fan of The Weeknd and Michael B. Jordan.
Insana will hold her invite-only watch party on Oct. 4, just after her birthday, at a venue in Woonsocket.
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