'A CHRISTMAS CAROL': Wrapping Up the Holiday Season

Performing in A Christmas Carol this holiday season was the perfect way to kick off my post-graduation career! This musical, with music by Alan Menkin, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by Ahrens and Mike Ockrent, was originally written to be performed by a cast of - at least - thirty people. At the Broadway Rose Theatre, we had a cast of eight. Tiny but mighty, we brought this classic Dickensian tale to life, each of us playing multiple characters and quick-changing nearly every time we went offstage. None of this would have been possible without the vision of our brilliant directors, Dan Murphy and Annie Kaiser, the talent of our band and our music director Darcy White, and the hard work and trouble-shooting abilities of our crew, led by our superhuman stage manager, Jessica Juror.

Broadway Rose newcomer Valentina Silva's petite frame allows her to believably play both adult and child roles, while making full use of her clear and rich soprano range.

~Tina Arth of Westside Theatre Reviews

This show was a lesson in specificity for me. As the characters I played were all young women and children, I had to pay careful attention to the quality of my voice and movement, so each character, and her age, would be distinguishable to the audience.

Though I enjoyed embodying every character I played in A Christmas Carol, my absolute favorite role to play was that of Ebenezer Scrooge's lost love, Emily. In 'A Place Called Home', a duet between Emily and Young Ebenezer (played by the incredibly talented Robert Head), I had the opportunity to explore the warm intimacy and innocence of young love, only

to have that love corrupted in the very next scene.

Overall, I could not have been more thrilled with my experience at the Broadway Rose, where I had the privilege of working with a seasoned group of actors to tell a classic tale in a way I personally had never seen it done before.

I learned so much from everyone involved in this production, and I cannot wait to apply that knowledge to the projects yet to come!

Photography by Christopher Germano

Costume Design by Sydney Dufka