Artist Showcase
Grace Barnet
Thank you for taking some time to speak to us today. Can we start by you telling me a few things about you? Where do you go to school? How old are you? Stuff like that.
Sure. My name is Grace Barnet. I currently go to Marathon High School and I'm 17 years old. Oh, I am a lifeguard at the Marathon Pool as well.
Marathon, huh? Some people would say that Marathon is too far away to be involved in CWCT. What was your first CWCT show and how did you get involved?
My first show was Snow White (April 2017), and I think I was about eleven years old at the time. I remember begging my mom to let me try out musical theater, and Snow White happened to be the first one she agreed to. I was in the ensemble, and I remember feeling totally new to everything. Even though there are other shows I’ve been in that I definitely remember better, this one was enough to sell me on the whole musical theater thing.
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Snow White was an interesting show. Many of our interviewees were in that show - Terrek Schjoth, Elise Laughlin, Zoey Yang and Rachel Hansen. Must've been something about that cast. Anyway, how many shows have you been in already. What roles?
I have been in nine musicals before the one I’m in currently, so James and the Giant Peach is my tenth. I’ve also been in a handful of plays. A few highlights of the parts I’ve played include Dot in the show Honk, Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family (that one was fun because I got to be an absolute little gremlin), Madame De La Grande Bouche (the Wardrobe) in Beauty and the Beast, and, currently, Ladybug in James and the Giant Peach.
So out of those 10 musicals, do you have a favorite? My favorite shows have definitely been The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast. Both were through my school, so I got to spend a lot of time with some of my best friends, and it was really fun to get to know people who I otherwise wouldn’t have met. The Addams Family was also absolutely hilarious, and Beauty and the Beast is a classic, so both were really enjoyable to do.
And finally Grace, do you have a theatre joke or Meme to share?
I'd love to make a joke, but our budget can't afford the rights to it!
Ouch! Very clever. Thank You Grace for taking the time to speak to us today and we can't wait to see you in "Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach" as Ladybug.
I bet. You sound like the quintessential theatre kid. Do you think you are? If so, what makes someone like that?
Yes, I am definitely one. I think I knew I was a theater kid since that first experience with Snow White. I’ve always defined theater kids as the ones who almost always have music playing, say the phrase “I can’t do anything today, I have rehearsal” a lot, and absolutely love the art of musical theater.
That sounds so true. Well, as any good theatre kid, you must have a show and/or a role you would love to do. What would that be?
I would absolutely love to be Anya in Anastasia. The character is very gentle, with a beautiful underlying strength, and she has some absolutely fantastic songs.
That's a great answer. Other than CWCT and Marathon HS, have you worked with anyone else?
I did this fun walking theater experiences with Out of the Woods Theatre at the Monk Gardens. You lead the audience through the garden and act out scenes.
Pretty cool. So with all this theatre activity, what would you say if someone asked "Why CWCT"?
Easy. CWCT gives kids the opportunity to reach out and meet others like them. School really doesn’t focus on musical arts, and it’s incredibly refreshing to find a place where people have the same interests you do. You get to meet all kinds of people, have lots of fun, and, at the end of the day, put on a great show.