Three Madison Country Day School students take the stage at Children’s Theater of Madison this year, juggling demanding rehearsal schedules and performing in professional productions with their schoolwork.
Quinn ’28, Alisha ’30 and Darrell ’31 have roles in three CTM shows: The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza, now playing through Dec. 21, 2025; Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, which closed in October after a successful 13-show run; and The Hobbit, which begins its run on Feb. 7, 2026.
The commitment required for CTM productions means long hours and sacrifices. Quinn, who plays one of three squirrels in Pigeon, faced a particularly intense schedule this fall because she also had a lead role in the MCDS high school production of Urinetown.
On a typical day, Quinn said, she had “Urinetown rehearsal until 6 p.m., but I had to leave at 5 p.m. to go to Madison Youth Arts for Pigeon rehearsal that started at 5:30 p.m. and went to 9:30 p.m.” She added that she got back home around 10 p.m. on rehearsal nights and still had to do homework.
In Pigeon, Quinn’s role as a squirrel means she sings three-part harmony, which she says “adds imagination and energy to the story,” attributes she brings to her own life. Despite her demanding schedule, she kept up with schoolwork with help from understanding teachers. Pigeon began its run on Nov. 29 in the Starlight Theater at Madison Youth Arts and plays through Dec. 21.
Alisha, a middle schooler, played Erica in Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, which closed in October. Erica is one of Matilda’s classmates in the show. Alisha is also in The Hobbit, a CTM show that opens in February, which will be her third CTM show over the previous two years. In The Hobbit, she plays Bilbo Baggins, the main character. He likes to keep to himself and is pretty content with what he has,” she said.
The Matilda rehearsal schedule included four to five-hour rehearsals after school and eight-hour rehearsals on weekends. Alisha said she lost valuable class time because performances took place during the day. Additionally, Alisha was not able to attend the eighth-grade retreat to Mantotwish because of Matilda rehearsals and performances. “I feel like the trips will come and go, but this experience is once in a lifetime…and I would rather have been there than at Mantotwish,” Alisha said.
Darrell, who was an ensemble member in Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, also faced school schedule challenges. He missed a lot of school during Matilda because CTM offers many matinee shows for school field trips, he said, and he performed many shows during the school day with a dance feature in the song “Loud.”
Darrell, who made his debut in Matilda, said the experience caused him to “sacrifice study time,” and also helped him find more balance with his schoolwork and extracurricular activities.
Quinn, a high school sophomore, said she knows students can make it work to balance busy rehearsal schedules with schoolwork. She has been performing in CTM productions since seventh grade, and has been taking classes there since she was even younger.
“I have been in A Christmas Carol [at CTM] for three years,” Quinn said. “And last year I did three shows: Cinderella, A Christmas Carol, Elephant and Piggie, and Taste Of Broadway,” she added.
Looking ahead to 2026, Alisha, Darrell and Quinn have more stagetime ahead with Quinn performing in Miss Door County and Alisha in The Hobbit.
