Many students sing, dance and perform on stage for school plays, but members of the community who wish to go even further pursue the performing arts outside of school as well. It takes a lot of time, commitment, and practice as well as passion and motivation.

Starting Nov. 1, Hansel and Gretel, based on the children’s tale, will be coming to the Ordway. Three members of the St. Paul Academy and Summit School community are involved; juniors Anna Biggs, Emma Taussig, and Claire Walsh.

Biggs got involved in theater in middle school. “Once that developed as a passion, I started pursuing it [theater] outside of school as well,” she said. Biggs said that it is a huge honor to work with professionals in this Hansel and Gretel production.

“I got cast in it through Project Opera… none of us [Biggs, Taussig, or Walsh] had to audition just because we were in Project Opera and our director thought that we were good for it,” Biggs said. This is her second year with Project Opera, an opera program which meets every Saturday throughout the school year for about three hours to practice vocal techniques and singing.“There was no audition process, just a height requirement,” Taussig said.

Taussig began her involvement in theater years ago through Upper School Theater Director Eric `on’s out-of-school program called Theater E3, which she went on to intern for.

Much like Taussig, Walsh began in programs outside of school plays and musicals. “I started doing community theater when I was in third grade and I did some stuff with Stepping Stone… I started training with [them] when I was nine,” Walsh said.

Biggs, Taussig, and Walsh are members of the children’s chorus in the play, but haven’t practiced with the rest of the cast yet, and won’t until the performance date nears. They have not yet been informed of the exact setting of the play or how it will fit together as a whole. However, Walsh said that they are aware of some sort of a modern twist, based on the 1930’s.

Practicing and preparing for this opera involves rehearsal Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 hours and then again all day on Saturdays. “It’s a much bigger time commitment so it advances your skills further,” Walsh said.

This time then increases as the performance dates near, and tech week can demand up to 3 hours every night. Biggs said that the time spent rehearsing is worth it as she is very passionate about performing: “I had never performed at the Ordway before, and it’s a big deal for me.” According to The Ordway’s website, it is “one of the U.S.’s leading, non-profit performing arts centers.”

The musical’s dates at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday and Saturday beginning Nov. 1 until Nov. 8 and then again 2:00 p.m. every Sunday from Nov. 2 until Nov. 9.

“It’s always nice for us to have people supporting us in the audience,” Taussig said.