by Anna Bauman

For the past two years, senior Emmie McCabe has taken part in “A Christmas Carol”, the annual Christmas production at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. With three-hour practices every day after school from October through December, the show demanded a lot of time, which McCabe was more than willing to dedicate to something she enjoyed doing. That is, until this year.

As a senior, McCabe’s responsibilities of applying to colleges and working interfered with doing theater, and she decided not to participate in “A Christmas Carol.”

“Since it’s senior year, I’ve got so much stuff to do, like applying for colleges,” McCabe said. “I needed a job to pay for my [college] applications, so I didn’t have time to do [‘A Christmas Carol’] but I wish I did.”

Although she regrets not being able to be in “A Christmas Carol” this year, McCabe is grateful for the experience she had the past two years. Her experience was a memorable one from the very first day she auditioned.

“[At my first audition] I had the worst monologue and song picked possible,” McCabe said. “It didn’t make sense. I sang a song that was for a 30-year-old woman, not a sophomore in high school.”

Despite her initial doubts, McCabe was cast as a member of the young adult ensemble. As part of the chorus, she had no lines, but played several roles, including being a guest at a party and a beggar in the streets.

“I was surprised when [the director] cast me because I didn’t have any experience,” McCabe said. “But it was the best thing that has ever happened to me theater-wise.”

McCabe said she reflects fondly on her experience with being in “A Christmas Carol.”

“It was a great experience,” McCabe said. “It’s a lot of fun. I miss a lot of the things we used to do.”

According to McCabe, she misses a lot about the show, including her ornate 19th-century-style costume, the friends she made and “silly” cast traditions like a Secret Santa gift exchange.

McCabe said she loved being involved in telling a classic Christmas tale. The play portrays the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly old man visited by various ghosts who help him understand the true meaning of Christmas.

“The carols in the show are just really touching and the story behind it is such a simple, well-known story that I love telling,” McCabe said.

One of her favorite moments in the show is when the actors sing “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

“We come from the back with candles and it’s lovely,” McCabe said. “[That scene] is one of the things I miss the most. I sing it in the shower sometimes.”

The cast includes not only children and young adults like McCabe, but also professional actors from all over the country. Being part of a professional show helped inspire McCabe’s love of theater.

“The thing that I appreciate is that I had the opportunity to watch [the professional actors],” McCabe said. “I basically just soaked in education by watching them and I improved myself quite a bit.”

Despite not participating this year, McCabe believes that she gained enough experience through being in “A Christmas Carol” to study theater in college. She is applying to several BFA acting programs at various colleges.

“I would love a future for myself in theater,” McCabe said. “I think I have a chance [of getting into an acting program] and I’m really excited to start studying [theater] in college every day.”