La Jolla Students Give 'Fantastic' Performance

For two young La Jolla students, acting is already a passion. Nora Joyce, 11, and Julia Ramsey, 10, both took on roles in this month’s rendition of Fantastic Mr. Fox at the San Diego Junior Theatre. The play, which ran through March 20, sold out for several of its show times, placing Nora and Julia in the spotlight.

Name: Nora Joyce
Age: 11
Organization: San Diego Junior Theatre
Key to Awesomeness: When Nora heard that the San Diego Junior Theatre would be putting on a rendition of one of her favorite author’s books, she knew she couldn’t miss the opportunity to play a part. The ambitious fifth-grader took a leap of faith and auditioned for Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, landing the part of a rabbit child.

“She had been wanting to expand beyond school and summer camp plays to learn what it was like to work with a big company where you have to audition,” said Nora’s mother, Jena.

Although Nora has always been interested in acting, getting the parts that she wanted hasn’t been easy, but she never gave up and encourages other students to do the same.

“I’ve tried twice to get into junior theatre before, but I didn’t stop trying and I eventually made it into the performance,” she said. “My advice for kids who want to do junior theatre is to never stop trying.”

And Nora’s interest in plays doesn’t just stop at acting; the fifth-grader has high hopes of becoming a play director some day or doing something else “artsy.” In fact, she has already won numerous awards for her writing skills, including a contest put on by the Friends of the in which, ironically, she wrote about Roald Dahl’s The BFG. When she’s not auditioning for her next role, Nora is active at . In addition to serving as president of the Associated Student Body, she serves on the school’s Peace Patrol, making sure younger kids enjoy their time on the playground

Name: Julia Ramsey
Age: 10
Organization: San Diego Junior Theatre
Key to Awesomeness: For Julia, acting was love at first sight. After auditioning for her first role at the age of 9, she was immediately drawn to the stage.

“When I did my first play, I really enjoyed making new friends and being able to do shows,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to do more.”

After participating in Junie B. Jones, over the holiday season, Julia decided to audition for Fantastic Mr. Fox and landed a role as a fox child. Throughout the month of March, Julia performed her role to sold-out crowds, but says that stage fright isn’t a factor.

“I get butterflies right before we’re lined up to go on stage, but once I say a few lines at the start of the show, I’m comfortable,” she said.

One of the things that she enjoys most about acting is seeing all of her hard work pay off. After auditioning and practicing for months, she is always pleased when the first show is a success.

“After the first show there is always a celebration for the whole cast,” she said. “You celebrate that you finished your first performance and it’s really great.”

Julia hopes to continue acting as she gets older and even participates in the La Jolla Playhouse Younger Performers Workshop each summer. When she’s not taking to the stage, Julia enjoyed playing midfield position in soccer and participating in the Science Team at the .