Disney’s “Geppetto and Son” in the NHS Theatre: interviews with the actors
For the past few months, the cast and crew of “Geppetto and Son” have been working tirelessly to perfect this high-budget Disney musical that will be performed on Feb. 23-27. Here’s what the lead actors had to say about the experience:
Duke Kim, junior, Geppetto
Q: What got you started in acting?
A: This is my first acting role. I’ve never acted before. I just wanted to be part of this, but then I got the lead.
Q: Why did you want to be a part of the musical?
A: Well, I just wanted to sing and have fun, too.
Q: What made you want to play Geppetto?
A: I just like the songs, so I tried out.
Q: How much effort do you have to put in to make this show possible?
A: It depends on the part you get. If you get a lead, you get stressed out a lot. You make the musical your priority. Last year I played a minor role, and it was much less stressful. I didn’t really have to really practice a lot, but this year I have to practice a lot.
Q: Do you think you’d want to do performing arts in the future?
A: Maybe.
Q: Did you enjoy this experience?
A: Well, I have to wait until Saturday to answer that question, but up to now, I like it. It’s worth all the hard work.
Rianne Simmons, senior, Pinocchio
Q: What got you started in acting?
A: Well, my grandma did a lot of acting when she was younger, and when I was little, my mom put me in this performing group called “Kids are Music.” Basically, we would go and sing at a bunch of different places like malls and old people’s homes. It was really fun, and I guess, when I was five I wanted to be an actress, and I never really changed my job aspirations.
Q: What made you want to play Pinocchio?
A: Actually, I wasn’t going to try out for Pinocchio because I’m not in chorus. When I went to try out, I started to leave after auditioning for the Ensemble. People said, “Where are you going? You have to try out for Pinocchio!” So I was like, “Okay, I’ll try.” Then I tried out and I actually started to think that it would be really fun to be Pinocchio, so I went to my call-back and I was lucky enough to get the role. It was really exciting.
Q: Did you enjoy this experience?
A: Oh, yeah. It’s so cool. It has a lot of “special theater,” because they have to engineer a bunch of stuff for me to be doing the flying and the flips in the harness. And also, for the nose to grow, they had to build a hydraulic nose. It’s just a really cool experience.
Q: How much effort do you have to put into making this show possible?
A: A lot of time and effort, everywhere from learning the music and learning the lines, especially because I don’t read music, so I had to go over to Mr. Hallop’s house and learn the songs, and I had to record them on my computer and play them back. And putting on the harness, it hurts a lot, but you have to just get through it, because you know there’s a show that has to be done. You just have to bear through it, and the show must go on!
Samantha Hagemeyer, senior, Blue Fairy
Q: What got you started in acting?
A: I used to be really, really shy, and so at Sierra Vista when I was in eighth grade, my dad told me I should take musical theater to try and get me out of my shell. So I took musical theater and I just fell in love with it.
Q: What made you want to play the Blue Fairy?
A: I think it’s just because this story, Geppetto and Son, is a different story than Pinocchio; it kind of has a twist. It’s about Geppetto, and the Blue Fairy, in this version, is more of a diva a little sassier. I really love that side of her, and I thought that she would be really fun to play. And plus, it’s every little girl’s dream to be a fairy – to get to wear a big, poofy dress and have a wand and a tiara and everything. To have the opportunity to get to fly is a once in a lifetime experience, so that was definitely really exciting.
Q: Tell me about the amount of effort you have to put in to make this show possible.
A: It’s definitely been a long rehearsal process. We’ve had rehearsals every day of the week, because the musical is so involved. There are so many components of it, like singing, dancing and acting. We would have dance rehearsals one day and dialogue rehearsals and chorus rehearsals another day, so pretty much every day we had rehearsal. In the beginning it was 3:30 to 5:30 every day, and the closer it got the show, we started having rehearsals from 6-10. And, of course, all-day rehearsals from 9-5. It’s pretty time consuming, but along with that, everyone spends so much time together, and you go through the stress of having to manage your schoolwork and rehearsals, so everyone really bonds together, and it makes it a lot more of an ensemble.
Q: Did you enjoy this experience?
A: Oh yeah, it’s definitely been really fun. I’ve been in musicals and plays here before, and it’s always a really good experience, especially this one. The budget is ridiculous. We have amazing costumes; we have an amazing orchestra; we have beautiful sets. Jimmy and Mike have spent so much time designing and painting and building these sets. I mean, it’s Disney, so it’s bright and colorful and loud.
Q: Do you think you’d want to pursue acting in the future?
A: I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. Performing arts is definitely something that I’m passionate about, so I don’t think I could not do it. I don’t think it will be my major, but I definitely want to keep on performing and singing.
Kelsey Christianssen, junior, Blue Fairy
Q: What made you want to play the Blue Fairy?
A: It sounded like an exciting role and I watched Pinocchio a lot when I was little.
Q: Tell me about the amount of effort you guys have to put in to make this show possible.
A: We had a lot of rehearsals from right after school until dinner time. Last week we rehearsed every day for a long time, and we have eight-hour, all-day rehearsals. It takes a lot of effort.
Q: What got you started in acting?
A: In elementary school, my sixth grade teacher would put on plays, and I started acting in them. My mom does theater, too, so I just got it from her.
Q: Do you think you’d want to pursue acting in the future?
A: Yeah, definitely. I’m going to college for musical theater.
Q: Did you enjoy this experience?
A: Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun. I enjoy singing and acting and I love dedicating my time to doing it.
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