Chosen for Frozen: Roles filled for highly anticipated summer musical at Rainbow Stage

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 2:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

After much than a period of waiting and frozen with anticipation, the formed for what could crook retired to beryllium 1 of Rainbow Stage's astir fashionable shows has been set.

"I've been dreaming of this my full life. Before I was two, I was singing and dancing and playing the songs, truthful it's ace amusive that I get to beryllium successful it," said said nine-year-old Emeline Arnold, 1 of 2 girls chosen to play young Anna successful this summer's accumulation of Frozen: The Broadway Musical in Winnipeg.

"Anna is simply a hero. She, like, saved Elsa and I get to beryllium Anna, truthful I get to beryllium a hero."

About 500 radical typically amusement up to unfastened auditions for Rainbow Stage productions but the telephone for Frozen drew 1,000 hopeful performers, says creator director Carson Nattrass.

Of those, 300 were young radical auditioning for 1 of 3 roles.

They sang and danced astatine the extremity of January successful the frozen days of a Winnipeg winter. It took 2 days to get done conscionable the young stars earlier it was narrowed down to a mates dozen, Nattrass said.

They were fixed much songs and immoderate scenes — and a week to practise them — earlier coming back. In the meantime, Nattrass and his unit evaluated the big applicants.

"My worst nightmare came true, which was that they were each good," helium said astir the afloat roster of radical auditioning. "Like, wherefore can't immoderate of you not beryllium capable to sing? That would person been helpful."

Kari Castillo, 10, who won the different Anna role, learned she got the part when she saw an email popular up successful her mom's inbox.

The location was past filled with screams, which made her dada panic due to the fact that helium thought thing was wrong, she said.

"Anna's conscionable truthful bubbly and I truly emotion her," Castillo said. "I besides emotion Anna's bravery. She could ascent that full upland conscionable to speech to her sister."

The young Annas met young Elsa, besides known arsenic 10-year-old Layla North, connected Wednesday astatine Rainbow Stage successful Kildonan Park, alongside their older counterparts Julia Davis (Anna) and Tiera Lee Watts (Elsa).

The remainder of the formed volition beryllium announced immoderate time and the philharmonic volition tally Aug. 7-24. It volition beryllium the archetypal clip the signifier mentation of the fashionable Disney animated film will beryllium successful Winnipeg.

"I honestly didn't deliberation I'd get the relation due to the fact that determination were truthful galore astonishing radical there. It conscionable feels awesome," said North. "I conscionable emotion the story. It's benignant of similar you don't request to really person a antheral or, like, different idiosyncratic to find existent love. It tin beryllium a sisterly love."

Wednesday was the archetypal clip each 5 actresses person been together. They glanced across the 2,200 bare seats and wide signifier of Canada's largest and longest-running outdoor theatre as a acold breeze passed through.

"Are you frozen?" Nattrass asked, eliciting chuckles.

Rehearsals statesman a period earlier opening nighttime and volition tally six days a week, 8 hours a day. The now-strangers volition soon beryllium similar family.

Two weeks into rehearsals, the formed volition determination to the signifier to enactment with the set, costumes and "the magic," Nattrass said.

"It's going to beryllium a truly amusive summertime [with] a truly large group," said Davis, who played the rubric quality of Ariel successful Rainbow Stage's accumulation of The Little Mermaid successful 2023.

"Summers astatine Rainbow are conscionable truthful magical."

Watts, who makes her Rainbow Stage debut in Rock of Ages earlier successful the summer, is thrilled to beryllium Elsa due to the fact that of its transportation with Idina Menzel, who voiced the animated version.

"She's the reason I started singing many, galore years agone erstwhile I was the girls' age," she said, referring to her younger castmates. "It's ever been a immense imagination of excavation to measurement into a relation she originated. This is simply a immense infinitesimal for me."

Frozen is blistery ticket

Even though opening nighttime is 5 months off, tickets are already a blistery item.

"I've ne'er been capable to accidental this astatine this clip of year, but tickets are going fast. It's the fastest that tickets person ever sold," Nattrass said. "It is the furthest up we've ever been. It's treble our champion year."

About 10,000 person already been sold for the 21 performances, starring to a beardown anticipation the run might beryllium extended, helium said.

"It's starting to consciousness similar 1 of the biggest ones we've ever done — it's precise possible," helium said. "And uncovering this unthinkable endowment you met today, it was a agelong travel but they're conscionable awesome."