Interview: Nikole Rizzo in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at The Growing Stage

A Christmas Carol The Musical will be performed at The Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey from November 20th to December 20th.

Broadway heavy hitters Alan Menken (Disney's Beauty And The Beast, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Little Shop Of Horrors); Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical, Once On This Island) breathe fantastic new life into the classic tale of A Christmas Carol.

In the show, Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous curmudgeon who believes personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated "Bah! Humbug!" Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he's forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his past, present and future. Thanks to their guidance, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful "Happy Christmas" before spending the day reconnecting and sharing love with those that mean the most to him. A Christmas Carol is a spectacular adaptation of Charles Dickens's most well-known story and is recommended for the entire family.

Broadwayworld.com interviewed Nikole Rizzo who will play the role of Mrs. Crachit in A Christmas Carol.

Nikole Rizzo is a graduate of the musical theatre program at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. Consistently working as an Actors Equity member, she has recently been seen in the national tour of Charlotte's Web, Pinkalicious the Musical, Into the Woods, Peter and the Wolf, The Little Mermaid, and The world premiers of both The Secret Life of Hubie Hartzel and Then Came Tango. She was also a reoccurring actor on the AMC series "Into Character" as well as voice over, film, and commercial work. Nikole is currently the high school theatre director for two New Jersey high schools, and choreographer for another. In summer of 2015, she directed Bat Boy the Musical for the teen studio series at The Growing Stage. Nikole has been a teaching artist for 10 plus years throughout the country teaching ages pre-k through adult in all aspects of the stage. She resides on the Jersey Shore with her husband and two children.

When did you first realize your interest in theatre?

I was always performing for my family from a very young age. My father worked for the local cable station and when I was 3 they put me in a commercial for a children's reading program. From there I was pretty much hooked. My mom got me into the local theatre camp at four and half and I never stopped. My first show was Where the Wild Things Are and I played "boy". It's rather ironic that major milestones in my career have involved children's literature.

What performances have inspired you?

When I was in high school I was in a touring show about Children in a concentration camp. It was an emotionally taxing show for a teenager but taught me so much about using inner emotion for the stage. I also recently did the World Premiere of And Then Came Tango at The Growing Stage. This show was such an inspiration to me in so many ways. It was a beautifully written piece based on the true story of two male penguins who hatch an egg together and the communities reaction to the event. I played one of the Penguins and we did all of our movement

through modern dance and coming from more of a Broadway and ballet dance background it was an amazing experience to be able to do that kind of choreography. Plus the story was just so perfectly told it was an amazing experience.

Can you tell us about an important mentor?

I had a professor in college who had a reputation of being really hard to impress. People used to get scared when they found out they were put in his class. He was known to never give A's on projects. Of course, I got him and after a very rough start I set out to impress him. I worked my butt off and about fell over when I got one of only two A's he gave out that year on my final performance. He was definitely full of tough love but I found out that's when I work best. Unfortunately, he passed this past year, but I use my knowledge from him constantly.

How does your teaching career complement your performance career?

I find myself much more aware of things like character study, technique, even blocking. You are sort of put on display as a teaching artist because your students come to see you in productions. It also made me a bit calmer. For instance sometimes my students are auditioning for the same things I am. I never want to make them more nervous by seeing their teacher nervous. I just want to be a good mentor and maybe inspire just a bit!

Tell us a little about your experience working at The Growing Stage.

The Growing Stage is literally my second home. I have gone through so many life changes while working with this company, from getting married to having children. I have always been welcome here and so has my family. I can't imagine working with a more accommodating and fantastic group of people!

What are some challenges of your character, Mrs. Crachit in the show?

I think the biggest challenge of this show has been all the music. Any time I'm not on stage, I'm singing from the stage wings. Also, there's lots of costume changes-- in one part I am a dancer in a big flashy number, so I go from dirt poor to show girl back to poor in a couple of minutes!

Why do you think that A Christmas Carol will appeal to a broad audience?

There is really something for everyone in this show--you have the backing of

the classic story with great music, dancing, costumes... The story itself is so colorful and to have it on stage just illuminates it more! It moves very quickly so there is always something going on to catch your eye.

Tell us about your plans for the future.

I am theatre director at Highland Park High School, so we have our musical coming up (Little Shop of Horrors). Other than that just auditioning and teaching!

A Christmas Carol will be performed at The Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey from November 20th through December 20th on Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 pm. There will be a special performance on Sunday, December 6th at 3:00 pm followed by the Netcong Holiday Parade. The theatre is located at 7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, New Jersey 07857. For more information and to purchase tickets, call them at 973.347.4946 or visit their web site: http://www.growingstage.com/.

Photo: Courtesy of Nikole Rizzo

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