The hysterical musical, revolving around the creepiest and kookiest of families, runs from November 5-21, 2021, at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—America’s favorite creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky family is back, appearing on the stage at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis in The Addams Family, a musical comedy, running from November 5-21, 2021.
Bilbo, portrayed by Danny Kandra, enters Gollum’s spooky habitat in the Children’s Theatre of Annapolis’ production of “The Hobbit.” Photo Credit: Wendy Hickok Photography.
Heading into the Children’s Theatre of Annapolis (CTA) play “The Hobbit,” I wondered how young children could possibly portray and deliver the complexities of the characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. My doubt was soon reconciled with the opening scene of the latest CTA production.
The plot centers on a group of desperate dwarves who need a less than valiant Bilbo Baggins to help them overcome numerous foes in order to reclaim a treasure of gold and silver guarded by a fire-breathing dragon.
Children’s Theatre of Annapolis is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Miriam Wolfe Scholarship. The CTA Miriam Wolfe Scholarship was established in 1989 in memory of CTA alumna Miriam Wolfe, who died in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The top award of $1,500 goes to Annabelle Cotton, a 2020 graduate of Severna Park High School. Cotton has been involved with CTA since 2014 and was most recently seen playing the role of Kala in CTA’s 2019 production of “Tarzan.” She plans to study Digital Media and Interactive Design at the University of Pittsburgh.
“CTA has gifted me the opportunity to stand on a stage, but it’s done much more than just that. It’s given me a family, confidence, and love. It’s forever changed my life,” Cotton wrote in her application essay.
The second scholarship of $1,000 goes to Matthew Beagan, a 2020 graduate of The Severn School. Beagan has been involved in CTA since 2010 through participation in workshops, as a performer and as a stage crew volunteer. He plans to attend Boston University’s School of Theatre for a BFA in Acting.
“Through my experience at CTA, I learned about teamwork and what it means to support others. I can always count on my CTA theatre friends to help me any time I ask. We support each other inside and outside of the theatre,” Beagan wrote in his application essay.
Congratulations to all of CTA’s graduating seniors, and thank you for your dedication to our organization.
Professional actress and CTA alumna Ezra Freeman — known as Emily Freeman during her CTA days — reminisces on her time at CTA and how it led to performing in college and, today, a successful performing career with Princess Cruises.
Ezra Freeman as Brook Windham in “Legally Blonde” at CTA in 2013.
Where did you go to high school, and what shows/roles did you play at CTA?
I went to Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, and I didn’t actually start CTA until my junior year of high school with Legally Blonde. I played Brooke Wyndham which I never thought I would do, but absolutely loved it! I was then a member of CTA Second Stage, the traveling troupe, for two seasons. My senior show was Shrek The Musical, and I played Fiona.
Where did you go to college, and what was your major?
I went to Elon University in North Carolina. I double majored with a BFA in Acting and a BA in Arts Administration with a minor in Business Administration. I ended up just shy of a third major, and took over 100 extra credits!
Elon is fabulous in that they allow you to double major and pursue things outside of the arts while training in a conservatory-style setting. You really are allowed to push yourself as hard as you are willing. There were semesters where I was taking 27 credits, working as an RA, and performing in main stage productions. It was very intense, but I made it out alive! ️
Tell us a little about your experiences performing in college.
While I was at Elon, I performed in a student production of The Vagina Monologues before I actually declared the BFA Acting major. I ended up transferring into the program, meaning I auditioned once I was already on campus pursuing a Communications degree (…that wasn’t bound to last long.) I then performed in a student-directed one-act by Tennessee Williams, which I think is really how I got accepted into the program.
Throughout college I learned that there is a mid-century Southern belle living inside of me. I revisited her when I performed as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Other college credits include Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, the absurdist play The Memorandum, the musical Little Women, and the classic Crimes of the Heart. I’m very lucky that I was able to perform in such a plethora of styles and explore so many scopes of my ability.
Are you currently performing as a career?
Ezra Freeman as a Princess Cruiseline performer
I am so thankful to say that I am currently a Resident Guest Entertainer on the Royal Princess with Princess Cruises, cruising Alaska, the Californian Coast, and the Mexican Riviera! I spend a lot of time (*wink, wink*) with two very lovely ladies named Fortuna Luck and Joan Brewer. Fortuna is a spritely redhead who loves all kinds of games and dancing, and can be seen doing such all around the ship. Joan Brewer is a Pirate Queen, and she is not as nice as Fortuna. Joan lives in the casino on board, interacting with guests by teaching them her new game Queen Sea Poker to find her first mate. It has been a life-changing contract, and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.
What was the audition experience like for the cruise line?
Funnily enough, I was living in New York City, going on auditions every single day, and I ended up booking this from a video! I had and still have a subscription to Actors Access online, where companies post casting breakdowns and you can self-submit for auditions.
I read the breakdown for this track, and it was all INSANELY specific and very much in my wheelhouse. It was one of those things where I was thinking, “if I don’t end up doing this, then I need to regroup.” Not in a bad way, but just because on paper it was a perfect fit. I was invited from my submission on Actors Access to send in a video reel performing a monologue from one of the interactive scripts, and I remember memorizing it on a bus from a callback for an equity theatre in Philadelphia back to New York by writing it down over and over again for two hours.
I sent it in along with some other footage, and a week later was invited to do a Skype callback with the corporate office. The callback consisted of the same monologue plus an improv segment for the other character, and a demonstration of card-handling. It turns out I way over-prepared the cards bit, but hey! Now I have a special skill!
What did you learn at CTA that prepared you for becoming a professional performer?
I really do think — no, I know — that CTA was pivotal in my career. I’ve been onstage since before kindergarten, but CTA had the biggest impact in my pre-professional career because it gave me the confidence and community that I needed right when I needed it.
Jason Kimmell [CTA’s Theatre Operations Manager and Legally Blonde choreographer] casting me as a fitness guru challenged my own perception of myself and showed me that I had been placing limits on myself as a performer by only going for certain kinds of roles that I thought I was bound to. During Legally Blonde, Second Stage, and Shrek, I also made the best friends of my life. They are STILL my best friends to this day.
The environment at CTA is so lovely in that you make incredible bonds with people while you’re still working hard. The CTA kids work extremely hard. I look back now and think, “Wow, we really took those auditions seriously.” I remember I had a special arrangement done for my audition song for because I wanted it to be the perfect cut! Who did 17-year-old me think she was, right!?
Additionally, CTA is ultimately what led me to Infinity Theatre Company, where I made my Equity debut in “Baby.” That was major as it earned me EMC (Equity Membership Candidate) points, which is the only reason I survived audition season in New York City. So basically, to sum it up, yeah I owe CTA pretty much everything. I’m very grateful to be a part of the CTA community. My mom still has her CTA bumper sticker on her car!
Are you a CTA alumni who is performing in a professional capacity? Email publicity@childrenstheatreofannapolis.org to be featured on the CTA website!
The king of the apes swings to Children’s Theatre of Annapolis’ stage in this adaptation of the Disney film.
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Children’s Theatre of Annapolis (CTA) is proud to open its 61st season with Tarzan, based on Disney’s epic animated musical adventure and featuring music by rock legend, Phil Collins, including the Academy Award-winning “You’ll Be in My Heart.” The production runs from November 1 to 17, 2019, at CTA’s theatre, located at 1661 Bay Head Road, Annapolis.
Washed up on the shores of West Africa, an infant boy is taken in and raised by gorillas who name him Tarzan. Apart from striving for acceptance from his ape father, Tarzan’s life is mostly monkey business until a human expedition treks into his tribe’s territory, and he encounters creatures like himself for the first time. Tarzan struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion, as he discovers his animal upbringing clashing with his human instincts.
CTA’s production features 28 local teenagers, who attend myriad middle and high schools, including Bates Middle, Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High, Magothy Middle, Severn River Middle, Severna Park Middle, Annapolis Area Christian, Annapolis High, Broadneck High, Kent Island High, Key School, North County High, Severna Park High and South River High, as well as home-schooled students.
The production is directed by Gerrad Alex Taylor, who also oversees all programing in The Studio at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company and teaches at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He’s joined by music director/conductor Emily L. Sergo, a CTA alumna who’s also worked with Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and Colonial Players of Annapolis, and choreographer Jason Kimmell, who also serves at CTA’s theatre operations manager/education director. The trio last teamed up as the artistic staff for CTA’s production of Shrek during the 2013-2014 season.
Tarzan runs from November 1 to 17, 2019, at CTA’s facility located at 1661 Bay Head Road in Annapolis. Tickets, which are $15 adults and $12 seniors, military and kids 12 and under, and can be purchased online at CTA.ticketleap.com.
The cast and artistic staff of Tarzan are available for interviews. To schedule, email Kelsey Casselbury at ctapublicity@gmail.com. For more information about CTA, visit the website at www.childrenstheatreofannapolis.org.
April Forrer takes the helm of Children’s Theatre of Annapolis, as the nonprofit installs the 2019-2021 Board of Directors
Children’s Theatre of Annapolis (CTA) is pleased to announce the appointment of April Forrer as its next executive director, effective July 1, 2019.
Forrer joins CTA from Baltimore-based Iron Crow, where she serves as the part-time managing director of the theatre. Previously, Forrer also worked as managing director and resident costume designer for Baltimore Shakespeare Factory and as director of operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.
“April brings an impressive combination of operations management, fundraising and marketing skills to our organization,” said Kelsey Casselbury, the newly elected president of CTA. “Her long history with and love of theatre is simply the cherry on top.”
Forrer has a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She brings to CTA more than 15 years of both nonprofit and theatrical experience.
“I am thrilled to be joining Children’s Theatre of Annapolis and to become a part of the fabulous team dedicated to children in the arts,” Forrer said. “We are excited about our plans to grow to and to increase our reach into our community.”
Forrer succeeds Michelle Lucente, who departed the organization on May 31 after three successful years as executive director. Forrer joins CTA’s other full-time employee, Jason Kimmell, who serves as theatre operations manager and director of education, in furthering the organization’s mission of nurturing the growth and development of the love of theatre in children age 5 to 18.
The Children’s Theatre of Annapolis also welcomes its 2019-2021 Board of Directors, installed July 1. The executive board consists of:
Kelsey Casselbury, President: Casselbury has served on the CTA Board of Directors for 7 years, most notably as the chair of publicity and 2017-2019 secretary. She runs her own freelance writing, editing and design business.
Michelle Bruno, Vice President: Bruno has served as artistic staff and as a teaching artist, as well as a member of the Board of Directors, since 2015. Professionally, she works as Associate Director of Quality Control for a local pharmaceutical company.
Jaime Thompson, Treasurer: Thompson was elected to the Board of Directors in 2019. She serves as the CFO for her business, Bayside Accounting and Consulting.
Tracy Rinehart, Secretary: Rinehart, a former high school teacher, has been involved in CTA for three years and joined the board of directors in 2018. Rinehart has served several years on the executive PA board at the Key School, and has served on the Board of the Annapolis Book Festival since 2013.
Beth Wilson, Immediate Past President: Wilson served as CTA president from 2017-2019, secretary from 2015-2017 and has been on the Board of Directors since 2015. She is employed as a nurse at University of Maryland Medical Center.
The additional valued members of the Board of Directors are Tiffany Dean, Natalie Devries, Kathy Garrity, Cathy Hollerbach, Natasha Hitchcock, Dylan Roche and Allyson Tierney.
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The hysterical musical, revolving around the creepiest and kookiest of families, runs from November 5-21, 2021, at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis
Thank you to everyone who auditioned for CTA’s production of “The Addams Family!”
