Ella Guikema

1. What are you most excited about?
“I am the most excited about putting on a great show. It really is awesome to be out on stage and having fun with everyone.”

“I think that I fit my role because, like Beezus, I am an older sister. There are a few moments in the play that remind me of my siblings and me.”

“Hands down, my favorite thing about being a part of the play is the people. There are a lot of really fantastic people in the theatre program here, and it is such a treat to get to hang out with them every day.”

“The cast dynamic is really accepting; everyone is there to help each other succeed. Backstage, it is so fun to just chat and get to know new people. Gretchen and I have been having a great time being sisters on stage and then joking around off stage together.”

“My favorite part about this role is the opportunities it brings. Everything is all new to me, and I am loving getting to learn new things through Beezus.”

“The biggest difficulty of being Beezus is just the memorization aspect. At first, it was pretty tough trying to remember lines, especially being nervous. Although difficult, I actually quite enjoyed working on memorizing lines. Now that we are nearing the show, memorization is not as big of a focus compared to the delivery of the lines.”

“This play has greatly affected my experience this year. Because of Ramona Quimby (and Peter Pan last year), I have met a lot of people that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten to meet. It has also given me another thing to look forward too; every day, I can’t wait to go to practice. Overall, being a part of the play has a similar effect to being on a sports team. It really connects you to the school and the people in it in a new way.”

“Audiences should be excited about seeing a really interesting show. There is a whole range of emotions and scenes — some are sad, some heartfelt, and others will make you laugh out loud. The story has themes that are very real– things that people go through every day. Audiences will be able to relate to this show and maybe even see their own family or school dynamics play out on stage. So many people grew up reading Beverly Clearly’s books that this play will seem almost nostalgic.”