Abbie Fitzmaurice, daughter of Michael and Amanda Fitzmaurice, will portray Rosie in the NCHS Musical production of Mamma Mia on March 30 through April 2. Tickets for the musical are now on sale in the NCHS office.
What musicals have you been in at NCHS and what characters/roles did you play?
- I have participated in both years of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat where I played Asher and had a brief part as The Baker. In White Christmas, I was a tap dancer and had a few minor roles, including a soldier and a TV announcer. This year I play Rosie in Mamma Mia.
What was your favorite musical and why?
- White Christmas was my favorite musical because I loved tap dancing and participating in the group numbers. I also loved White Christmas because the smaller cast felt like a family.
What scene in Mamma Mia is your favorite and why? (This does not have to be a scene you are in)
- My favorite scene in Mamma Mia is the wedding scene. I love how the entire cast is onstage and the entire scene is fun to be a part of. I love having dialogue with Johnathon, aka Bill, at the beginning of the scene and I really enjoy dancing with him during ‘Take a Chance on Me.’ It’s such a fun song, and I love having the opportunity to express myself as Rosie.
What are three things being in the musical has taught you? and how have you learned these?
- Musical, which is incredibly time-consuming, has taught me time management skills. Being a part of musical has taught me how to manage my time and how important it is to devote time to the things that are important to you.
- One of the biggest aspects of musical practices is repetition. In order to perfect a dance or truly learn how to perform a specific scene, you have to redo the dance or scene until it becomes effortless. As a cast member in multiple musicals, I have learned that to do anything well it’s important to have determination.
- Participating in musical has taught me that nothing can be successful without hard work. Our directors work hard to find musicals that will be successful with the current cast, our costumers work tirelessly to create costumes that are unique, our set designers work around the clock to create sets that are perfect, down to the last details, and our cast works diligently to create a show that we can be proud of. Collaborating with such hardworking people has taught me how necessary it is to work hard.
What are two pieces of advice you would give young people who want to start performing in musicals at NCHS?
- The most important piece of advice I could give is to be confident. As an underclassman, I never imagined that I could play a bigger role. I pictured myself as a background character during my entire high school career because I thought I lacked the ability to sing on my own or memorize lines. Learning to have confidence in myself and go for a bigger role has been a great experience for me and I’ve realized that I can do anything if I have enough motivation and confidence. My second piece of advice is to do the thing that you’re scared of. As a freshman, I wasn’t sure if I’d be capable of doing musical and I was scared to try out. Thankfully, I decided to try out even though it scared me and I am glad I did.
What qualities do you see exemplified in the adults who help put on this show that you will take with you as you leave NCHS and how do they demonstrate these qualities?
- If I had to use one word to describe all of the adults that help our musical production, I would choose the word dedication. All of the individuals that help with musical, our directors, costumers, set designers, Dawn our pianist, and Jeremy our sound guy, dedicate their time, resources, and encouragement to each of us during the months of our practices. Because of their unwavering dedication to our shows, I would also describe the adults that help with musical as selfless and kind.
What will you miss the most once the final curtain closes on your NCHS musical career?
The thing I will miss the most about musical is the sense of community that exists within each cast. By spending so much time together, you begin to establish connections with your castmates. The relationships that I have gained through musical are very meaningful to me and I have gained so many adult role models while participating in musical.