This spring, sophomore Noa Harris is taking a break from her usual studies in the BFA musical theater program to star as Amy March in the national tour of “Little Women: The Musical.”
“Little Women” tells the story of four sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — living in mid-19th century Massachusetts with their beloved mother, Marmee, while their father fights for the Union Army in the American Civil War.
The girls befriend Laurie Lawrence, who develops an unrequited love for Jo. The show takes place over several years of their life as they grow into young women.
Harris plays Amy, the youngest sister who is quite a troublemaker in her youth. She began the audition process for “Little Women” with a self-taped video submission.
Self-tapes are a toss-up because actors don’t know if they will hear back, but Harris received a callback just a few weeks later in September.
She excitedly flew to New York City for the next round of auditions. She was called back for the subsequent round, so she stayed in New York for a week, joining her classes remotely.
A few weeks later, after leaving rehearsal for “The Threepenny Opera,” she noticed several missed calls from her mom and her agent. She called her mom, who told her she had booked the job and received the role of Amy March.
When she found out while leaving rehearsals, she was surrounded by her best friends, which made the experience even more special.
“I was definitely overwhelmed with emotion because there was so much excitement, but also fear, because I had to make a big decision,” Harris said.
“That fear was definitely overpowered by pride. I just felt proud that I was going to be able to be in ‘Little Women.’”
In the end, she took the opportunity to embark on her first professional acting gig.
This January, Harris traveled to New York City for three weeks of rehearsals, which is shorter than any rehearsal process she has had.
To prepare for such a short period of rehearsals, Harris familiarized herself with the script, studying her character and memorizing her lines. She also re-read the titular novel by Louisa May Alcott to fully immerse herself in the story and the life of her character, Amy.
Though Harris “felt thrown into the professional world,” the cast and crew were welcoming and kind to one another.
Her three semesters at UM — which have consisted of classes in acting, auditions, dancing, singing, dialect training, stage combat and more — have helped her in this professional production.
“I’ve used all of the technical skills that I’ve been building in my classes to succeed in both the rehearsal process and performances,” Harris said. “I’m viewing this period of time as a lab or internship.”
Harris loves being on stage with all of the March sisters because their close relationship is a central part of the story. Each of the cast members bring new perspectives to the performance each night, so it does not feel overly repetitive.
One of Harris’s favorite numbers to perform is “Five Forever,” in which the sisters essentially declare Laurie as their honorary brother.
“I get to dance with the sisters and Laurie, so it’s a really fun and joyful number,” Harris said.
Harris believes the storyline of Jo March will resonate with UM students.
“[Jo’s] passion is writing, and she wants to write to make a change in the world,” Harris said. “I think that can resonate with a lot of young people who are in school that are choosing to follow their own passions.”
However, Harris wants to remind viewers that her character Amy has more to her than it seems on the surface level.
“I think it’s easy for people to see Amy as a villain or brat, because she definitely does some questionable things,” Harris said. “But audiences have to remember she’s also a kid during a lot of those moments.”
Students can check out the dates of the “Little Women” tour and see one of our fellow ‘Canes shine on stage.