Arielle Yanasak, age 13, and Camille Cole, age 10, may be young, but the theatre bug has already bitten them. Both girls were a part of Milwaukee Youth Theatre’s Fall Production: “Children’s Collection, The Sequel.”
Camille, who is a 5th grader at Holy Redeemer Christian Academy, has been dancing since the age of 4. While continuing to study dance at City Ballet Theatre, she decided to audition for her first play and was cast as Ellie in “A World Of Ellies” and Goldilocks in “Hair-um Scar-um,” both short plays within “Children’s Collection, The Sequel.” When reflecting on her first theatre experience, she said: “Theatre is fun because you can be loud, and you don’t feel alone because everyone is working together.”
Unlike Camille, Arielle has been involved in theatre for quite a few years. She has performed in “Les Mis” at Pius XI High School, “Snoopy” with Circle Stage Theatre, various school productions, “Birth of a Nation” and “Children’s Collection, The Sequel” with Milwaukee Youth Theatre. During Milwaukee Youth Theatre’s summer camp, she has also had the chance to go through the process of creating a play from scratch from beginning to end including writing a script, finding costumes, picking music and performing in the final presentation all within one week. When asked what her favorite part about being involved in theatre was, Arielle answered: “ I love being on stage and making new friends.” She also mentioned that it has helped her in school. “Theatre has helped me give better presentations and stay focused.” Arielle was also surprised when she and her classmates started learning about the American Revolution and she was already one step ahead because of her involvement in “Birth of a Nation” last year.
Outside of theatre, Arielle is enjoying being a first year member of Milwaukee Children’s Choir, she plays volleyball, likes to hang out with friends and collects miniature lighthouses. Dancing, singing, and shopping are a few activities that Camille enjoys.
So, even though theatre is not the end of Arielle and Camille’s interests, they both love this creative outlet that they have found and hope to continue learning and making new friends through theatre arts. They are both planning on attending Milwaukee Youth Theatre’s upcoming auditions for “Beanie and the Bamboozling Book Machine.”
