THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTIONS FOR DISNEY'S FROZEN!
Q: Why did the lights get silly when she was making ice? (Frankie, Age 3)
Q: How did Elsa control the lights? (Miranda, Age 7)
Q: How did Elsa control the lights? (Miranda, Age 7)
A: We used lights to help show Elsa’s magic, but Molly, the actor who plays Elsa, doesn’t really control the lights. We have a lighting designer, Jason
Fassl, who created the lighting effects in the show. They are controlled by using a computer in the light booth. Our stage manager gives a cue to the light board operator, Mandy
Montanye, who then presses a button which plays the lighting cue. Some lighting instruments have gobos in them to create patterns on the stage, while others are moving lights which
can cast different colors of light all around the theater.
Q: How many weeks did the actors have to practice their lines for? (Meredith, Age 9 ½)
Q: How long does it take to produce a musicle? (Kate, Age 9)
Q: How many years did you practice? (Biance)
Q: How long does it take to produce a musicle? (Kate, Age 9)
Q: How many years did you practice? (Biance)
A: The design process for the show starts about 12-14 months before the show opens. Designers meet to discuss ideas for concept, color, etc. The design shops then build the
show, which takes about 5-6 weeks. The actors and stage managers rehearse for 3 weeks at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center in a rehearsal room. Then for 1 week in the Todd Wehr Theatre, we
put all of the elements together — sets, costumes, lights, sound and effects and rehearse with the tech process. We then have one day of previews and then we
open the show.
Q: What is your favorite part of doing the show? The practices? The cast? (Quinn, Age 12)
A: Working with the cast and crew and singing challenging and fun music!
Q: Why wasn’t little Elsa and Anna at a lot? (Kimber, Age 7)
A: Young Elsa and Young Anna are actually in our version of Frozen a lot more than they usually are! They grow up during Do You Want to Build a Snowman, but then we see them in memories throughout the whole rest of the show!
Q: Was it hard to put this play on? (Nora, Age 10)
Q: What is the most difficult thing for you? (Mariah, Age 8)
Q: What is your favorite part of doing the show? The practices? The cast? (Quinn, Age 12)
A: Working with the cast and crew and singing challenging and fun music!
Q: Why wasn’t little Elsa and Anna at a lot? (Kimber, Age 7)
A: Young Elsa and Young Anna are actually in our version of Frozen a lot more than they usually are! They grow up during Do You Want to Build a Snowman, but then we see them in memories throughout the whole rest of the show!
Q: Was it hard to put this play on? (Nora, Age 10)
Q: What is the most difficult thing for you? (Mariah, Age 8)
A: Frozen was a huge challenge for us! There are LOTS of technical elements, from scenery, to costumes, to lights, to sound. We have a live orchestra, and the music
is very challenging (but super fun to sing). It was hard work, but definitely worth it!
Q: What’s your favorite costume? (Wesley, Age 6)
A: Elsa’s Let It Go dress is a favorite. I love Anna’s traveling outfit!
Q: How was it making the songs? (Ja’kiah, Age 13)
Q: How do you guys get the best pitch? (Petra, Age 8)
A: Our Music Director, Paul Helm, played the piano in rehearsal, and worked with the cast to get them sounding great! Then we had a sitzprobe with the band, and the cast sang with them for the first time. Paul and the band are in a room underneath the stage, and there are monitors that allow the cast and the audience to hear the music they’re playing during the show. There is also a TV monitor hidden in the vom that allows the actors to see Paul, so that he can conduct them during the show.
Q: Does Olaf’s legs get tired from shuffling around? (M. Kristen)
A: Nicki Kulas, our Puppet Designer and Properties Director, made the Olaf puppet to perfectly fit the actors who play Olaf, but it can get tiring shuffling all of the time. Nicki taught the actors exercises to get their muscles strong so they wouldn’t be sore after operating their puppets.
Q: Why isn’t Anna an adult for the actor? (Leo, Age 7)
A: Anna is a young performer, because the character is a young person. At First Stage we do age-appropriate casting. In other words, we cast child characters with young performers, and adult characters with adult actors. The character Anna is about 16-18 year-old, and First Stage is one of the only professional companies where you will see her played by teenagers!
Q: How did Anna’s heart freeze? How did they make the ice cracking sound and the fire sounds? (Zoey, Age 5)
A: We made it seem like Anna’s heart froze through a combination of acting, movement, and sound. We have two sound designers, Josh Schmidt and Kirstin Johnson, who found or created the sound effects in the show as well. They are played using a computer at the sound board. Our stage manager, Kelly Schwartz, gives a cue to the sound board operator, Matt Whitmore, who then presses a button which plays the sound cue.
Q: Costumes? Who and how?
We have a costume shop where 4 people work. The costume designer, Jazmin Aurora Medina, starts by drawing pictures of how they want the costumes to look. Then the costume shop works to purchase, rent or build the costumes. Each actor has fittings for their costume so that they fit just right. Then during tech, our Wardrobe Supervisor, Alexa Farrell, and Wardrobe Assistant, Kalyn Diercks, take over and are responsible for helping the actors get dressed, make quick changes and keep the costumes clean and in good repair for the run of the show.
Q: What’s your favorite costume? (Wesley, Age 6)
A: Elsa’s Let It Go dress is a favorite. I love Anna’s traveling outfit!
Q: How was it making the songs? (Ja’kiah, Age 13)
Q: How do you guys get the best pitch? (Petra, Age 8)
A: Our Music Director, Paul Helm, played the piano in rehearsal, and worked with the cast to get them sounding great! Then we had a sitzprobe with the band, and the cast sang with them for the first time. Paul and the band are in a room underneath the stage, and there are monitors that allow the cast and the audience to hear the music they’re playing during the show. There is also a TV monitor hidden in the vom that allows the actors to see Paul, so that he can conduct them during the show.
Q: Does Olaf’s legs get tired from shuffling around? (M. Kristen)
A: Nicki Kulas, our Puppet Designer and Properties Director, made the Olaf puppet to perfectly fit the actors who play Olaf, but it can get tiring shuffling all of the time. Nicki taught the actors exercises to get their muscles strong so they wouldn’t be sore after operating their puppets.
Q: Why isn’t Anna an adult for the actor? (Leo, Age 7)
A: Anna is a young performer, because the character is a young person. At First Stage we do age-appropriate casting. In other words, we cast child characters with young performers, and adult characters with adult actors. The character Anna is about 16-18 year-old, and First Stage is one of the only professional companies where you will see her played by teenagers!
Q: How did Anna’s heart freeze? How did they make the ice cracking sound and the fire sounds? (Zoey, Age 5)
A: We made it seem like Anna’s heart froze through a combination of acting, movement, and sound. We have two sound designers, Josh Schmidt and Kirstin Johnson, who found or created the sound effects in the show as well. They are played using a computer at the sound board. Our stage manager, Kelly Schwartz, gives a cue to the sound board operator, Matt Whitmore, who then presses a button which plays the sound cue.
Q: Costumes? Who and how?
We have a costume shop where 4 people work. The costume designer, Jazmin Aurora Medina, starts by drawing pictures of how they want the costumes to look. Then the costume shop works to purchase, rent or build the costumes. Each actor has fittings for their costume so that they fit just right. Then during tech, our Wardrobe Supervisor, Alexa Farrell, and Wardrobe Assistant, Kalyn Diercks, take over and are responsible for helping the actors get dressed, make quick changes and keep the costumes clean and in good repair for the run of the show.