Theatre Winter Haven will be one of the first community theatres to perform Disney's 'Frozen' on stage

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Theatre Winter Haven will be one of the first community theaters to perform Disney's 'Frozen' on stage.

There are always nerves among performers and production staff prior to the first dress rehearsal of a big production. 

"Thinking about all of our costume changes because we've never gone through them and there's quite a few brisk ones and some that happen on stage," actress Ashley Nadeau said. 

The 21-year-old plays Anna, so costume changes play a big part of the role. Of course, there is tons of singing too. 

What they're saying:

"It was so exciting to see that it was going to be here at a theater that I love, so I jumped at the chance to audition," Nadeau said. 

Nadeau grew up with the original film, which debuted in 2013. She was in fourth grade at the time. 

"I'm really excited to share the joy and the journey that the characters go on and how they view love and true love through sisters and friends and all of the people they meet and make along the way," Nadeau said. 

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Stella Snapko has been performing at Theatre Winter Haven since 2021. The 10-year-old is playing Young Anna. Her best friend is playing Young Elsa. 

"Singing 'Do You Want To Go To Snowman', it's just an iconic part, and it just makes me feel so happy," Snapko said. "The best part is having this great opportunity of being another person and being also myself too."

Dig deeper:

"Frozen" features many iconic parts, scenes and songs. For the staff at the theatre, balancing audience expectations with putting their own spin on the performance presents a welcome challenge. 

"In a lot of ways, it's a gift because it allows you to be creative and come up with solutions and have the ability to still surprise the audience and what they're going to see," Theatre Winter Haven Director Sara Catherine Barnes said. 

The Broadway and traveling productions use LED screens and projections for many of their magical effects. Barnes and staff had to build many practical effects as a substitute. 

"We've stripped it down from that and we've made it much more theatrical," Theatre Winter Haven Executive Director Dan Chesnicka said. "We'll be the first anywhere that has done it this way."

For the actors, those challenges creative bonding experiences. 

"I think it makes it really special just because we get to be a little bit more creative with our space, and we also get to work together to make the magic," Nadeau said. "Instead of it just being one person or just a few people having this magic power, it kind of brings us all together. We breathe together. We sing together, and we get to make magic together."

What's next:

"Frozen" debuts tonight, Sept. 25, with a 7:30 p.m. performance. 

There will be shows Thursday through Saturdays until Oct. 26. 

Tickets are $39.