Interview: Lauren Salazar of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS at Queensbury Theatre

Stepping back into a beloved role is both familiar and thrilling. For Lauren Salazar, wearing Lucy’s blue dress once again in Queensbury Theatre’s A Charlie Brown Christmas brings a blend of nostalgia and fresh excitement. After inhabiting the character for the first time two years ago, Lauren revives Lucy’s sharp wit, bold confidence, and heartfelt humanity—the qualities that make her a lasting favorite in the Peanuts world. This season, Lauren reunites with familiar castmates and meets new ones, exploring renewed dynamics and deeper emotional layers within the character she knows so well.

In our conversation, Lauren reflects on the joy of revisiting Lucy, the balance between confidence and vulnerability guiding her portrayal, and the magic of performing a holiday classic for families who hold the story close. She shares insights into rehearsal, her favorite onstage moments, and meaningful traditions that shape her performance. Above all, she speaks with warmth about honoring these beloved characters while keeping the experience vibrant for everyone.

What does it feel like to return to the role of Lucy at Queensbury Theatre? Did slipping back into her shoes feel familiar, or did you find new layers to explore this time around?

It definitely feels good to be back! I’d say it’s kind of like riding a bike- even though it’s been two years, playing a role like Lucy never really leaves you- but there have definitely been new dynamics to explore! We have new cast members joining us this year, so we get to play and discover all over again with them, while still incorporating all of the previous character work we did the first time around- it’s been so much fun!

Lucy is such a bold and iconic character. What aspects of her personality do you connect with most, and which traits have been the most fun to play on stage?

One thing I love the most about playing Lucy is just how delightfully human she is. She isn’t perfect and sweet all of the time- She’s bold and charming and loyal, all traits I love and admire about her, and yet at the same time she can sometimes be insecure, brash, and fickle. She’s a little girl who’s still figuring it all out, which means there is so much to play with and explore, and that’s what I love. That’s what I connect with.

Since you have played Lucy before, how has your understanding of her grown or changed in this new production?

As iconic as she is to me and so many others around the world, I do think Lucy has gotten a bit of a reputation over the years as somewhat of an antagonist to Charlie Brown, or villain even- That has never sat right with me, because in the comics they are a bit closer and friendlier than what’s portrayed on screen sometimes in the television specials- and also, she’s just a child!!

So the first time we did the show, after doing my research on her, and some early discussions with our director Kristina Sullivan, it was really important to me to honor the fact that this is a little girl who is still figuring out how to be a person- all while keeping that famous sassy attitude that has made her so iconic intact- and that commitment has only deepened during the course of this rehearsal process.

One of Lucy’s most memorable qualities is her confidence. How do you approach capturing that signature Lucy energy without tipping too far into caricature?

By balancing that signature confidence with moments of insecurity, and playing that with truth and sincerity. No one is 100% confident all of the time, or at least no three-dimensional person I’ve ever met- so the task became trying to make her more real, by tapping into moments where she is very bold and unafraid to be herself, and going really big with those choices, but then finding those moments in the script where she does lack confidence- it just makes her more real!

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a beloved holiday tradition for many families. What part of performing in this show feels most meaningful to you during the holiday season?

For me I’d say it’s seeing the children out in the audience. There is something that is just so magical about Christmas and the Holiday season that can only be experienced when you’re very young, and when you combine that with the magic of experiencing theatre, and seeing a show for the very first time? Seeing the joy in their eyes that comes from those two things coming together… It fills me with a deep sense of both pride and nostalgia to see their faces light up, especially when it starts snowing on stage, that makes me feel really sentimental- emotional even! I’m really looking forward to experiencing that again this go-around.

What is your favorite moment to perform as Lucy, and what makes it stand out for you?

It’s got to be my solo in the Encore section of the program, “Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)” by Mariah Carey. Jonathan Craft, our music director, is such a genius when it comes to musical arrangements, and there is a moment at the very end of the song that came out of us just goofing around during rehearsals two years ago that could be described as absolutely Wicked… I love it so much. It’s very vocally demanding, but it’s one of those things that once you get it right, it is so satisfying, and I am someone who lives for a challenge- so I’d say it’s definitely my favorite part of the show to perform.

This show brings together nostalgia, humor, and heart. How do you keep the performance feeling fresh for returning audiences while honoring what they know and love about these characters?

Letting nothing be pre-determined each night, and staying mindful. It can be a bad habit to settle into a routine, particularly in your acting choices, so I try to remind myself every time before I go on stage that I have never heard these words before- everything is being experienced for the first time. My wonderful co-star, Marco Camacho, also has a very lovely pre-show ritual where he draws a word from a bag of words before every show, and the goal is to focus on that word throughout that performance and think about how you can let that word influence or guide you onstage- It’s a great way to get into that mindful headspace, so I always participate in that with him!

How does the ensemble dynamic shape your performance? Are there cast moments or relationships in this production that inspire your portrayal of Lucy?

Absolutely! We have new cast members with us this year, so it’s been really fun to play and discover new dynamics with them, as well as reconnect with the returning cast members and finding new choices that I might not have necessarily made before! One small example of this is during one of the scenes in the play, I tell Pig Pen, played by Austin Brady, that he’s going to partner up with Frieda, who’s played by Sloane Teagle, and she had a really funny reaction to this in rehearsal where she gasped really loudly, and I was like oh that’s so funny- because Lucy and Frieda are sort of frenemies, I bet Lucy probably did that on purpose! So now I play it with that kind of mischievous intention. Acting is reacting as they say!

Lucy has some memorable interactions with Charlie Brown. What do you enjoy most about playing that dynamic?

Well, I love working with Marco. He’s so sweet, both onstage and off, and it’s very easy to play off of him- Especially because Marco’s softness as Charlie Brown is so honest and endearing, and that can be really disarming, especially for a character like Lucy who tries to appear tough and put on a bit of bravado- so she can’t help but worry and care about him! It helps as well that we both agreed right away from the beginning that Lucy and Charlie are friends- so we wanted to bring that out more in the script by finding little moments for genuine connection and friendship between them, and when we do have those moments? It is so sweet and lovely. Those moments are my favorite.

What do you hope young audiences and adults take away from seeing your version of Lucy this year?

I hope audiences can walk away seeing maybe a little bit of a new, softer side to her! It’s such a joy and an honor to get to play her, and it would make me so happy to see my dream of making her more three dimensional and real come to fruition- all while still honoring everything that makes her such a beloved icon, and doing justice to her!

Do you have any personal traditions or rituals that help you get into character before each performance?

If I’m working with Marco, I like to partake in his ritual I mentioned of the Angel Cards, as I think it’s a really great mindfulness exercise- but I also spend a lot of time warming up my voice which includes doing vocal exercises, steaming, and hydrating like crazy, as this role is a bit vocally demanding. For me, finding Lucy is all about finding her speaking voice- which my version has a very loud and bright forward sound that’s not too unlike my own natural speaking voice, it’s just a bit more child-like- and then maintaining that throughout the show. Once I find that place in my voice, and put on the blue dress- I’m ready to go!

What makes Queensbury Theatre’s production of A Charlie Brown Christmas special in your eyes, and what can audiences look forward to in this year’s staging?

As someone who grew up watching the television special, it really feels like Charlie Brown and the gang have come to life on stage- everyone is just so perfect for their roles! However, even if you have never seen the movie before- I truly believe there is something for everyone. Nostalgia, comedy, heart, and for musical theatre fans like myself, we have an added Encore section of our program that really highlights our cast’s incredible singing and dancing abilities. It’s filled to the brim with iconic Christmas songs, both old and new alike that everyone will know and love, and amazing choreography by our choreographer Bethany White- the perfect cherry on top to an evening of Christmas magic with Charlie Brown and all his friends!

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