Actors of tomorrow talk shop

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“It’s so bright and colorful and energetic and playful, and that’s my personality,” 15-year-old Dru Collins said prior to her performance as the Cat in the Hat.

Dru was one of dozens of children who took part in a month-long camp with South Louisiana Center for the Arts, which culminated late last month in three performances of “Seussical Jr.” Directed by Heather Dahl, the show was a musical mashup of familiar Dr. Seuss stories that deal with the power of imagination.


Although a SoLa newbie, Dru has extensive acting experience. She has performed in 16 shows since her first at age 7, mostly with the Thibodaux Playhouse. “Acting is my passion,” she said, because “it makes me become a different person on stage than who I really am.”

Theater always comes first, Dru said, but she’s also active in other ways. Dru is parliamentarian for the South Lafourche High thespian club and is involved in student council. She fences with Les Lames de La Fourche and plays six instruments: piano, flute, piccolo, percussion, French horn and mellophone.

In the long run, Dru wants to grace a Broadway stage. “I want to do this for the rest of my life,” she said. She plans to attend the University of New Orleans to study theater or public speaking.


“I think I can get better at, probably, becoming more of a character and becoming a totally different person,” Dru said. “People are so used to acting like themselves all the time, and they’re not used to having to act differently, so they bring themselves on stage. Sometimes that’s not OK. You have to learn to break through that.”

Each member of the 48-person “Seussical Jr.” cast, made up of children from first grade through high school, has a unique perspective, a set of circumstances and interests that led them to SoLa and a roadmap for the future. Many had performed at some level prior to the summer camp in which they were conditioned for the summer production.

“The cast is just amazing,” said 14-year-old Mily Guidry, who played the judgmental Sour Kangaroo. “Everyone here is so talented.”


The SoLa production was Mily’s ninth. Over the course of the month-long camp, she said she learned “to make mistakes and make them loud.” Mily wants to become a vocal instructor and said she prefers parts in which she can inject some of her own personality.

“I think the character roles are my favorite, where you get to kind of add your own twists to a certain role,” she said.

Lauren Leonard, acting as Miss Gertrude McFuzz, said she likes theater because it allows her to express herself while meeting new people. “It’s just a good experience, and it builds your confidence,” she said.


Lauren frequently attends local theater shows and most recently saw Thibodaux Playhouse’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” which she described as “amazing.” She plans to grace local stages as she continues toward her goal of professional acting.

“I’m hoping to make (theater) my profession when I get older,” Lauren said. “I kind of want to go to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.”

Lauren had an in-camp admirer in 8-year-old Kiana Tarr, whose short stature lent itself well to a role as a Who from Whoville.


“I kind of look up to Gertrude in this play, because she sings really good, and she’s been in a lot of plays,” Kiana said.

Because Kiana hopes to be an actress when she grows up, she plans to continue adding to the nine productions she’s already been cast in. “Dancing and singing, I love doing that, and interacting with people is really fun,” she said.

Leigh Dahl, of Harry Hurst Middle School in Destrehan, said she enjoyed the SoLa camp and her role as self-centered Mayzie La Bird. Theater, she said, “is definitely challenging, but it’s really fun and energetic.”


When Leigh attends local productions, she likes to see “people who are into their characters, not just having to act.” She wants to continue acting and study theater, art or music at a university to be named later.

Madison Anderson, who played the pensive Who JoJo, said the summer camp allowed her to shed self-imposed restrictions on her personality.

“I’ve definitely learned to express yourself and never be afraid to show your true side,” said Madison, adding that the production was her first in a few years. The camp, she said, was “a blast.”


Abagael Kinney, an 11-year-old with Broadway aspirations, said she likes mingling with audiences after her shows.

“I really like, after the show, getting to talk to the audience, getting to see the smiles on peoples face, getting to just talk to them,” Abagael said. “And I love to sing.”

A fan of Crescent City Lights Youth Theater shows in New Orleans, Abagael said the SoLa camp taught her the importance of exaggeration.


“(I learned to) use your facial expressions all of the time,” she said. “That is one of the most important things when you are singing.”

Nine-year-old Emmy Johnson said she took a lot away from the camp, the power of self-expression and a new friend included.

“You can express your emotion through acting, and you can interact with friends,” she said. “I made a new friend the first day of camp, and now we’re having a sleepover tonight.”


Emmy also learned some tricks of the trade.

“I learned to sing harmonies, and I learned about music,” Emmy said. “I learned that caffeine and Coke and drinks like that, they kind of mess up your vocal cords, so I’m trying to stop drinking that stuff.”

Emmy’s cousin, Jonathan Dahl, who played the softhearted elephant Horton, said with a hoarse voice that he learned the hard way how important it is to regulate the fervor with which he rehearsed. But the SoLa camp also helped him improve many skills needed to perform a major role in a musical while interacting with new people.


“It’s not just about acting and singing,” the 10-year-old said. “You get to interact with friends and just have a great time while you do what you love, like singing. I think I’ve got way better at acting, and I guess I learned how to sing harmonies better.

“I kind of like how dancing and music can make it fun. I love this play.”

– editor@gumboguide.com


Horton (Jonathan Dahl) listens to sounds emanating from the microscopic Whoville. The Seuss-created elephant is the only living being who can hear the Whos, and his sympathy toward the diminutive beings provokes persecution from the more judgmental-minded creatures in the musical “Seussical Jr.” Jonathan is one of several students who camped at South Louisiana Center for the Arts last month who talked about theater, friendship and future plans. 

ERIC BESSON | GUMBO ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE