Company Member Spotlight: Autumn Ness

CTC: How does being a company member at CTC work, in terms of casting and day-to-day operations?

Autumn Ness: Our days are really varied, there’s always so much going on! We are either performing a show, or rehearsing one, or sometimes both! Then we are usually planning for events that CTC does, or workshopping new shows. I love having costume fittings where you see the magic your character will be wearing, and I love recording sessions where I feel like Diana Ross. But my favorite thing to do at the end of the day are meet and greets with audience members and kids, those really remind you how special our job is.

CTC: What are a couple of your favorite roles from over the years?

AN: That’s such a hard question, because there are so many favorites for different reasons! I love playing a villain, so Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother, Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda, and the White Witch of Narnia are favorites. But I also love a goofy comedy, so the Nighttime Security Guard in Corduroy was a blast. Oh, I also love Christmas, so being a Who is very natural.

CTC: Can you tell us a little about your current production of Babble Lab and why you created it?

AN: This is a show about language, and the joys and struggles we have learning to express ourselves and communicate. This story is very personal. Both my children struggled in their development of spoken speech, and then later with their reading and writing. You start to see that children have a strict “right and wrong” put upon them on how to use language and communication. The power of your words should be magical, musical, playful, and fearless! That’s what I want for the preschoolers who leave our play.

CTC: What can families expect when bringing their preschoolers to Babble Lab?

AN: This show is made to be a “least restrictive environment” for all our kiddos. We expect our audience to express themselves during the show, and we welcome everyone being themselves while they are with us. The show starts in the lobby to help smooth any fear or uncertainty our audience might have about being in a new place. The whole experience is about an hour, and our littlest audience members have their seating right up front.

To learn more about Babble Lab, visit childrenstheatre.org/babble.

Photo by Glen Stubbe.