Catelyn Rice, who plays Esther Jane is a soccer fanatic who fell in love with acting when she was in the show Cinderella. Catelyn says her favorite part of being an actor, and the most challenging, is doing things she wouldn't normally do. Extremely dedicated to any task she undertakes, Catelyn's favorite quote is "If a task is once begun, never leave it till it's done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all."
Catelyn gets to act alongside her brother Stephen, who has been a role model for her since she was very little. Catelyn looks forward to the Christmas lights and a lit fireplace during the holiday season. She thinks everyone should see A Christmas Story because scenes such as the 'Indiana Swamps' are so funny. She also says audiences will be "inspired to make their own Christmas celebrations even better after seeing this play."
Sidrah Edwards, who plays Shwartz, has been in four other plays including the most recent, Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman at Festival Theatre. She has trained at the Walden Theatre Summer Workshop and loves drawing. Sidrah fell in love with acting during her second play, Alice in Wonderland. She has enjoyed meeting new people through the theatre and has learned to be more patient as an actor.
Sidrah's favorite part of the show is also the Indiana Swamps scene. She says A Christmas Story has a lot of humor and excitement. Sidrah, whose favorite part of the holiday season is the food, says that everyone should know she is creative and a good friend.
Ella Middleton, who also plays Shwartz, has trained in the Festival Theatre Conservatory for Young Performers the past two years performing in Honk! and A Midsummer Night's Dream. She enjoys drawing, singing, painting, and of course, acting. She fell in love with acting slowly; as she participated she realized the theatre is where she belonged and that she wanted to act forever.
Ella's favorite part about the holiday season is also the food. Her favorite quote is from Albert Einstein, "A person who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
The next artist we welcome is Sienna Shoop who is performing in her fifth play. She is a great artist and aspired to be a perfume designer when she was younger because she loves making things so much. Now, Sienna aspires to be a professional actor in the movies. She loves pretending to be someone else. Extremely creative, one of Sienna's favorite quotes is, "Sometimes I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Sienna warns audiences to come prepared to laugh at the holiday show. She loves performing in the Goldblatt's scene in which she shows Esther Jane's hilarity and charisma but she says that everyone should know she's not really in love with Ralphie.
Lucy Herman, who plays Helen, marks her appearance on the stage with this holiday show. Her special skills include drawing, acting, dancing and writing. Her favorite quote is "Many of life's failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close to success they were when they gave up" by Thomas Edison.
Lucy fell in love with acting when she saw her brother onstage and wanted to be like him. Lucy, from a family very active in the theatre, gives a shout out to her mom, Gina Bonin who designed the beautiful, classic, and charming costumes for A Christmas Story. Lucy's favorite scene in the show is also the Indiana Swamps scene because it is so dramatic.
Our final youth artist featured this week is Addie Koenig, who is appreciative of all the people who put time in to make this show possible. Addie, who plays Helen in alternate performances of Herman, fell in love with performing when she was in her first play, Beatrix Potter Tales at Festival Theatre.
Addie aspires to be a professional dancer when she grows up. Addie says of acting, "It is really fun to put yourself in a different place then where you are." Addie loves creating a character and imagining what he or she would do in the situation they're in.
Be sure to catch these six talented young actresses onstage in A Christmas Story now through December 29th.