Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure

Sophie Bauder is a senior at Harvard College zooming in from Boston, Massachusetts! When she isn’t chasing Buttercup or dealing with Jack’s shenanigans, she studies History & Literature.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
Jack’s Mother and I both care a lot about our family members! (We’re also both a little tired after a loooooong few months.)

If you found a magic beanstalk, where would you want it to lead?
I would want it to lead back to my home, so I could see my family (and pet my two cats and one dog!) no matter where in the world I’m living!

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
Read lots of books!! In books you’ll find a thousand stories just as exciting as the ones you’ll see in our show 🙂

Caitlin Beirne is a first-year student at Harvard College, planning to study Theater, Dance & Media, and is performing from Mather House on campus!

What do you like most about being an actress?
What I love most about being an actress is being able to share inspiring stories with others! It is always so exciting to be on stage (or on Zoom!) and bring a character’s story to life.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
My character, The Storyteller, and I are both super outgoing and we love to be creative. We also love helping others and being there for our friends.

What was your favorite book or fairy tale growing up?
My favorite fairy tale growing up was (and is!) The Little Mermaid! I absolutely love Ariel’s determination and courage to follow her dreams. She also has such a beautiful voice and loves to sing like me!

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
A piece of advice that I have for young audience members is to never be afraid of following your passion. It may be challenging, but in the end, it is so rewarding. Thank you so much for coming to the show and believing in the magic! 🙂

Jonathan Castillo is a Harvard senior studying Theater, Dance & Media and performing virtually from Texas.

What  was your favorite book or fairy tale growing up?
My favorite book series growing up was the Sherlock Holmes books.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
Like Stuart, I, too, would like to take from the rich.

If you found a magic beanstalk, where would you want it to lead?
OOO! Probably a treehouse world where it smells like pine!

What is your favorite animal and why?
My favorite animals are penguins! I like how they waddle!

What is something special about you that makes you stand out?
I think I’m very people-oriented! I love meeting new people and interacting with different people!

What qualities do you think make up a heart of gold?
Honesty! Being honest to others and yourself is so beautiful, and will really help you out in the future.

What do you like most about being an actor?
I love acting because it’s so fun making jokes with friends and bringing the script to life.

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
Have fun! Make sure you play every day!

James is a Harvard College senior studying Biology, performing from Brooklyn, NY!

What was your favorite book or fairy tale growing up?
Growing up, my favorite fairy tale was (and still is!) Rumpelstiltskin. I like the way that the Miller’s daughter manages to beat him in the end!

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
Itsy and I both have a big love of climbing; I used to climb the tree in my front yard all the time, and he’s always trying to get up that waterspout.

If you found a magic beanstalk, where would you want it to lead?
If I found a magic beanstalk, I’d want for it to lead all the way up to the moon. I’ve never been!

What is your favorite animal and why?
Snakes are my favorite animal, because even though they seem scary and slimy at first, they’re actually really gentle and fun.

What qualities do you think make up a heart of gold?
I think some qualities that make up a heart of gold are kindness, loyalty, and compassion. Kindness to treat others right, loyalty to your friends, and compassion to understand when others do things that aren’t so kind or loyal.

What do you like most about being an actor?
What I like most about being an actor is getting to understand different points of view. When playing a character, you have to really get inside their head; by doing that, you get to learn about how a whole new person thinks, which is so much fun!

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
A word of advice I’d give is to not worry too much. There’s a lot of serious scariness out there, but at the end of the day, it’s all about coming together and “telling” our own stories the best we can!

Odessa is a rising junior at Harvard College (on a gap year), studying Neuroscience and Theater, Dance, & Media, currently performing from New Orleans, LA.

What do you like most about being an actor?
My favorite part of theater is the community that forms within every show. Even over Zoom, it has been such a joy to once again connect with fellow cast and staff members during this rehearsal process.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
I absolutely love Buttercup’s determination and confidence, and I hope to channel even a fraction of her energy in my everyday life. I also can’t forget her sass—she’s a cow who knows what she wants!

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
I hope that Buttercup empowers you to realize your own worth and unique ability to tackle any new adventure in life, all while having a bit of fun in the process!

Laura Frustaci is a senior studying English and Education performing from Brattleboro, Vermont.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
Even though Minnie is kind of a villain, as an actor, it’s important for me to feel connected with her, so I found a few qualities I think we share. Minnie would do anything for her best friend, Stuart, and I would do anything for the people I care about. She’s also a great performer. Like Minnie, I have just as much fun rocking out onstage and performing for people.

What is your favorite animal and why?
My favorite animal is a cat, because they’re soft and cuddly, but they���re also pretty tough when they need to be!

What is something special about you that makes you stand out?
Something that makes me stand out is my ability to cheer up my friends no matter how sad or stressed they are. I can always manage to make a friend smile or laugh when they’re having a bad day, which is the best feeling in the world.

What qualities do you think make up a heart of gold?
I think the most important quality in a heart of gold is being willing to help other people around you, and empathize with them. Empathy is being able to understand someone else’s feelings, and if you can do that, you can know how best to help them out or cheer them up!

What do you like most about being an actor?
My favorite thing about being an actor is that I get to experience other people’s (or animal’s) lives! Getting to play pretend and be somebody else for a whole show is the best job in the world, and I learn something new from every character that I play.

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
Stand up for what you think is right! Be like Jack, and have a heart of gold. Be courageous, and don’t let anyone push you down or hurt others around you.

Olympia Hatzilambrou is currently taking a leave of absence after finishing her first year at Harvard College. She is performing from the Washington, DC area, and she is planning to concentrate in Integrative Biology with a secondary in Music and a language citation in Ancient Greek.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
Like Fiddler Cat, I enjoy corny puns and play a stringed instrument in the violin family, though my instrument is actually a viola.

What is your favorite animal and why?
My favorite animal is probably an octopus because of its cool camouflage and ability to open jars from the inside. (I considered saying cats, but I am sadly allergic to them.)

What qualities do you think make up a heart of gold?
I think the most important quality in a heart of gold is a willingness to listen to others and show compassion to everyone.

What do you like most about being an actor?
My favorite part of being an actor is the opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes—playing a wide variety of characters throughout the years has taught me a lot about having a heart of gold.

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
My advice for young audience members is to focus on your own adventure. Your path is unique, so forge it proudly! I wish you the best and hope you enjoy the show!

Nikita Nair is a very excited Harvard College first-year student Zooming in from sunny San Diego, California! She hopes to pursue a joint concentration in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Astrophysics.

What was your favorite book or fairy tale growing up?
My favorite story has to be a tie between Beauty and the Beast and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. The heroines of both stories stand up for what is right and don’t take no for an answer.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
I think Jack and I both try to help in any way we can, but we also share a habit of acting without fully thinking (for better or for worse). We’re both also a bit starry-eyed, with our heads up in the sky at times, but we’ll never stop coming up with amazing ideas to try!

If you found a magic beanstalk, where would you want it to lead?
I’d want the magic beanstalk to grow all the way to the moon. It would be pretty cool if I could actually touch the sun as well.

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
Just like Jack learns throughout this story, don’t give up, make sure to think creatively, and above all, always remember that you get to tell your story!

Louis is a sophomore at Harvard College studying Molecular and Cellular Biology, and he’ll be performing from sunny Burbank, California!

What was your favorite book or fairy tale growing up?
Growing up, my FAVORITE book ever written was Airman by Eoin Colfer.

What traits do you share with your character in the show?
Like King Giant himself, I have a lot of ambition and TERRIBLE posture.

What is your favorite animal and why?
My favorite animal has to be the giraffe, because it, like me, is comedically tall and thin.

What qualities do you think make up a heart of gold?
In my opinion, confidence, uniqueness, truthfulness, and empathy are the most important traits to make a heart of gold.

What do you like most about being an actor?
My favorite part about acting is getting to learn the same lessons as my characters, and choosing what aspects of their stories I might be able to bring into my life.

What advice do you have for younger audience members?
Even strong people sometimes are scared to ask for help! But all of the strongest people have gotten help somewhere along the way.