Main Stage Thespians: Little Women

Some stories stand the test of time, finding new life with every generation of performers who bring them to the stage. At the 2025 International Thespian Festival (ITF), audiences will experience one of literature’s most beloved classics through a fresh lens as Thespian Troupe 5483 from Millard West High School presents Little Women: The Broadway Musical. This timeless tale of family, ambition, and resilience takes center stage in a production that promises both heart and hope.

Ahead of their trip to ITF, Dramatics chatted with cast members Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew), Charlotte Fox (Beth), and Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager), to learn more about their show and experiences as they gear up for the big stage.

Compared to performing at your school, what’s different about preparing for one of the largest stages in school theatre?

Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew): It’s a little daunting, imagining that huge audience watching the show. We want to keep the same essence that made it so special but now with the opportunity to fine tune everything. As Costumes crew leader, I’m focusing on making updates for some new cast members and making sure we’re very, very organized so it can run smoothly.

Charlotte Fox (Beth): It’s crazy to imagine performing on such a large stage, with so many more people watching. If anything, it’s made me even more committed to the show, and to delivering the best possible performance any audience could ask for. We get a lot of energy and support at our school’s shows, but to put on a performance in front of an audience comprised almost entirely of people involved in theatre and the arts will be different, because they really get it. When you make specific character choices, sing something a certain way, or have some interesting technical element, the audience will see it and appreciate it maybe more than your typical theatergoer.

Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager): The stage at ITF is very different than our stage at Millard West. Our stage is much smaller and a thrust stage. It’s going to take a lot of organization and hard work to get Little Women where it needs to be by June. But I know I have an amazing crew and cast who will be able to help me with the never ending to do list for this show.

What aspect of your show are you most proud of, and why?

Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew): The emotional effect the show evokes. I met many people after our show who talked about how [it] pulled on their heartstrings and made them cry. All our actors sing so beautifully and all the work the crew has put into the show really pulls it all together.

Charlotte Fox (Beth): Our chemistry as a cast, and the way it comes through in our characters. At its core, Little Women is a show about family, and so it’s vital to have a cast that’s close and comfortable with one another. I feel so incredibly grateful I get to perform alongside such talented people, but I feel even more grateful that I’m so close with each of them. Our bond with one another really makes the show all the more impactful!

Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager): As one of the stage managers I did so many different things it seems impossible to pick the one I’m most proud of. I spent a lot of time working with the actors, taking notes, but I also spent a lot of time working with the crew to plan out the set and props. I’m beyond proud of all of it.

Any memorable rehearsal moments or backstage traditions that stood out to you during the process of mounting the show?

Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew): Before every show with an audience, we gather as a company, both cast and crew, and recite a little saying and then “pass the energy” in a circle. It’s always helped me calm down and focus my energy on the show. and it’s very dear to me.

Charlotte Fox (Beth): A moment that comes to mind is one particular rehearsal—we were at the end of act one, and Laurie was about to go onstage to propose to Jo. All of us were watching from the wings, waiting in anticipation to see Jo reject Laurie and close the act with her song Astonishing. Our Laurie walks onstage and steps into the spotlight in full Olaf costume (we had just done Frozen the winter before). We’re all laughing, and Natalie, who plays Jo, is obviously trying not to laugh. They performed the entire scene with Laurie dressed as Olaf, and for the rest of the rehearsal process, Olaf periodically made appearances onstage, much to the amusement of the cast and crew.

Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager): Finding out Little Women was invited to perform at ITF was such a surreal moment. I had it in my head that we weren’t going, so when I found out I’d never felt so much joy and stress simultaneously. Being able to share that moment with some of my best friends will stay with me forever.

Preparing a show is always a learning process. What’s been your biggest lesson throughout the process of prepping your show, applying for adjudication, and now being told you’re heading to ITF?

Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew): Flexibility. I was in costumes crew for our first run of Little Women but now I’m a crew leader, and it feels like a whole different ballpark. We don’t need to find as many new costumes this time, so our focus now is organization and adaptation.

Charlotte Fox (Beth): Perseverance. There’s always that moment—maybe during tech week, or the week before—where you genuinely wonder if the show is going to come together. You feel like there’s so much that still has to be done before the show is ready for an audience, and there’s not nearly enough time to figure it all out. And yet somehow, miraculously, you do. We had our fair share of setbacks during the rehearsal process, whether technical, musical, or otherwise. Now that we’re heading to ITF, I feel ready to face whatever is ahead.

Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager): To roll with the punches. There were smaller things like frequent changes in blocking and not having our stage until two weeks before the performance. But there were bigger things like our second performance of this show being canceled due to tornados in our area.

What is your favorite moment in the show?

Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew): Charlotte Fox’s performance when her character (Beth) is dying is gorgeous and always moves me to tears. Honestly there are so many songs that our actors do such justice and there are moments of real sadness, comedy, and joy, and they display every emotion phenomenally.

Charlotte Fox (Beth): I’m definitely biased because I play Beth March, but my favorite moment is the song Some Things Are Meant to Be, which Beth sings as a duet with Jo. They imagine all of the fantastical things they’re going to do together, though they both know their time together is waning. Despite it being the last song Beth sings, it’s not necessarily a sad song—there’s this sort of element of hope and acceptance. It’s so perfectly bittersweet. I also love that part of the show because at the end of the song, when I look over at Natalie (Jo), always, without fail, there are tears in her eyes. It reminds me of the power of what we do onstage. Beth and Jo may not be real—but their experiences and the emotions they evoke are. I feel so lucky I get to be part of a production that can move people in such a profound way.

Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager): Our set relies heavily on the fly system. Most of the set is stationary beside some furniture pieces that go on and off. I think making the fly system work and watching it move was such a cool experience.

As a Thespian, what about this production makes you proud to share it with the ITF community? What do you hope the national audience remembers after the curtain falls in June?

Carolyn Chapin (Costume Crew): This is a really spectacular show with a lot of effort put into it. We’re a smaller theatre program, but I think that helps the message of our show. I really hope the messages of love, family, and how important it is to stick together and stick to your dreams really resonate with the audience. Especially getting to follow Jo as she fights for her dreams in the arts will especially hit home for a lot of Thespians who want to pursue theatre past high school.

Charlotte Fox (Beth): This production and cast are the very best Millard West Theatre has to offer. I’m proud of the level of talent we get to showcase, and all of the hard work we’ve done to get the show to the level it is. I hope everybody in the audience can take something away from the show, whatever that may be. I suspect many people will resonate with the character of Jo, who aspires to be a great writer and make an impact on the world she lives in. I hope the audience sees Jo’s story and understands the importance of their own voices; whatever it is they have to offer the world. Most of all, I want the audience to remember how they felt watching the show. What we as performers and technicians give to the audience is a gift—one that I hope the ITF community is further committed to giving after seeing our performance. If more people get to be inspired, uplifted, and impacted by theatre—that’s all I can ask for.

Daiten Gubbels (Stage Manager): Little Women is such a beautiful story that still resonates with audiences today. All this show was put together by students with very little adult involvement outside of our director. It truly is a labor of love from everyone involved, both cast and crew.