A Rossland student is staring in this year’s Triple Threat Experience production.
Sasha Leithead will star as Buddy the elf in Elf The Musical Jr. opening Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Bailey Theatre. The musical will have three showings: Dec. 10 at 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m., also at the Bailey, and Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre in Nelson.
This is not Leithead’s first appearance on stage. She played Ruby Gillis in the Rossland Light Opera Players’ (RLOP) production of Anne of Green Gables, and played Pinocchio in Triple Threat’s production of Shrek The Musical Jr. last year. She first got involved in musical theatre after taking drama with Lisa Henderson and Mrs. Lussier at Rossland Summit School, where she is currently in Grade 7.
“I just really liked my drama class, and my drama teacher, she thought I should be in an RLOP production,” explains Leithead. “In Anne of Green Gables I was just a minor part … and I really enjoyed that, and my dad signed me up for Shrek.”
Asked what about her experience in drama class made her to decide to participate in other productions, Leithead said, “It was just fun and the games we played … and the stories Ms. Henderson told [made me want] to do more than just do the games and hear about it; I wanted to be a part of it.”
So far Leithead’s biggest challenge preparing for the production of Elf has been her singing. “I have a hard time memorizing what time I sing high and low.”
Elf The Musical Jr. is Triple Threat’s fourth production since the recreational musical theatre program started in January 2014. Its previous productions were Seussical The Musical Jr., Alice in Wonderland Jr. and Shrek The Musical Jr.
“They’re always musical. Singing, dancing and acting: that’s what Triple Threat means,” explains Nadine Tremblay, musical director.
This time around, Triple Threat’s three directors — Tremblay, Juliana Marko and Carolyn Whitley — decided to split up the ages groups. Kids 8-12 could join the chorus without an audition, while kids 10-18 auditioned for lead and secondary roles. “I think the kids are getting more out of it, and we really like to see that,” says Marko.
Unfortunately none of the kids who came out this year were boys. Elf features an all-female cast of 24, aged eight to 15. “It would be so nice to have some boys come out for this,” says Tremblay.
Triple Threat is a course, and parents pay for their children to participate. Money from the kids’ tuition is then used to mount the production. “We have a couple of scholarships that we run for kids that may or may not be able to afford the program,” explains Whitley.
Tickets to Elf The Musical Jr. are $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under, and are available at thebailey.ca. For more information on the show please call 250-368-9669.
