Published in the January 25, 2018 edition
By GAIL LOWE
WAKEFIELD — “Line!”
If that were the only word Walton grade 4 student Frances Corcell had to memorize. But then, she wouldn’t have half as much fun.
The young thespian, age 9, will play the lead role in Greater Boston Stage Company’s “The Phantom Tollbooth Jr.” being presented Sunday, Jan. 28 through Sunday, Feb. 4.
When she learned she had been chosen for the lead, Frances “freaked out.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “There were so many other great kids who auditioned and were truly stunning, so when they told me that I — Frances Corcell — got the role, I just could not believe it.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, her classmates from the Walton School will attend the 9:30 a.m. performance to cheer her on. The field trip was organized by her teacher Kristin Liberti.
“When Frances handed me the flyer for ‘The Phantom Tollbooth Jr.,’ I thought how fun it would be if the entire fourth grade could see her performance,” said Liberti. That day, she got the ball rolling and started organizing the trip.
“The entire fourth grade at Walton and the staff are so excited to see Frances on stage doing what she loves,” Liberti continued. “Frances is a sweet, outgoing, and hard working 4th-grader. With a lot of hard work and determination she excels in both school and her acting.”
Frances plays the part of Milo, a 10-year-old boy who thinks everything in life is boring. He unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do, drives through it in his toy car, transporting him to the Kingdom of Wisdom, once prosperous but now troubled. There, he acquires two faithful companions and goes on a quest to restore to the kingdom its exiled princesses — Rhyme and Reason — from the Castle in the Air. Valuable lessons are learned along the way.
This is not the first time Frances has been in a play. When she was in kindergarten in Somerville, where she lived at the time, she played Dorothy in her school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” She was also in a Somerville Arts Council summer production of a play titled “Space Pirates” when she was 8. Most recently, she was featured as Dr. Doolittle at Greater Boston Stage in the role of Sophie the Seal.
Frances thinks she was chosen for the lead role in “The Phantom Tollbooth Jr.” because of her big character choices and strong voice.
“The directors said they liked the spirit I brought to my acting,” she said. “They saw that I could connect with the character while still challenging myself. At some points, I understand why Milo does and believes certain things. At other times, it’s a stretch for me to put myself in his shoes.”
Frances is constantly practicing, whether with her sisters or her mother, Marybeth Savicki. She also wonders what she would do in certain situations. “What would Milo do?” she asks herself.
Her latest role requires singing, and her favorite is called “At the Market.”
“It’s a scene where Milo takes an important step forward on the journey he makes throughout the play,” she explained.
Frances said she had never had formal acting training until now. When she was four or five, she would do what most little girls do — play dress-up and talk in funny accents with her mother.
“In past plays like ‘Space Pirates,’ there was no real training but in this play, the directors are showing me new, more complicated ways to act,” she said.
She added that the theater’s summer festival program was like acting camp, and she learned how to control the way she spoke her words and how to write her own one-minute play.
“I hope to study voice some day,” she mused. “Right now, I’m learning to play viola.”
Asked about her favorite child actor, Frances admits that the question is difficult to answer.
“While I love old stars like Shirley Temple, I also love new stars on TV shows,” she said. “An old favorite who has remained with me for a while, though, is Shirley Temple.”
She said that “The Wiz” is her favorite play.
Stage life is not all glamour, Frances pointed out. She gets home after 7 every night she has rehearsal so it is hard for her to do homework.
“But I can always manage,” she said. “Another hard thing is memorizing everything I have to memorize.”
When she does miss a line, she calls out “Line!” and the stage manager reads it to her.
“What I do when I get nervous on stage is to look for my mother or another comforting face,” she said. “During a show, I can usually rely on my friend Ruby, who plays my dog, to help me out. If neither of those things work, I improv my way through it.”
In her spare time, she loves to read and calls herself a “nerd.” She also loves to play with her cat and sisters, as they are her “biggest supporters and best friends.”
“My brothers, while they annoy me to death, have been so supportive and helpful,” she said. “I have nine people in my immediate family and one cat. They always believe in me and stick by me, no matter what.”
Frances also gives credit to her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.
“I also think of my closest friends as family,” she said. “They’ve been with me since practically the beginning and though we live in different towns, our friendship has yet to end. I would like to thank them all for everything, especially my mom.”
Though she has many years ahead of her to make life decisions, Frances said she has actually thought about acting or singing as a career.
“It’s what I love to do and feel passionate about,” she said. “I hope to share my talent with the world and help people in need by using the power of my voice or acting.”
Frances had some parting words of advice for kids her age who would like to take up acting.
“I would tell them to work hard, be on time, know your lines and to always have a smile on your face,” she said. “Those are my essentials of theater.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 781-279-2200, e-mail boxoffice@stonehamtheatre.org or visit greaterbostonstage.org.