Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Chantilly’s Emily Price has come a long way. In 2006, at age 14, she played Dorothy in The Alliance Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Now 22, she’s performing in the Broadway national tour of “Mamma Mia!”
The hit musical is at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., March 4-9. In the story, a young woman named Sophie is getting married in Greece. She wants to learn who her father is, so she invites three former suitors of her mother’s to the wedding.
“I play Ali, one of Sophie’s best friends, who’s come to the Greek island as a bridesmaid,” said Price. “Ali’s quirky, funny and excited to be reunited with Sophie. I love it; I get to jump around and have a blast every night with wonderful performers. The audience loves the show — we always get a great reaction.”
Price was drawn to acting as a child. “I was shy, so this was a great outlet for me,” she said. “I also fell in love with the idea of diving into someone else’s shoes and getting into their feelings and lives on stage.”
Her first show was Alliance’s “Oliver” in 2003, followed by “The Music Man” in 2004. “I grew up with [Alliance founder] Elaine Wilson as my director,” said Price. “She allowed the ensemble members to work together to create something artistic. I remember having a lot of fun — it was like theater camp for me. I was also a counselor during their summer production of ‘Willy Wonka.’”
Price enjoyed acting so much that, from age 12 on, she also performed with community-theater companies in Leesburg, Sterling and Reston. In addition, she worked with the Adventure Theatre, a children’s theater company in Maryland.
The daughter of Cheryl and Jeff Price of the Pleasant Valley community, Emily was homeschooled, as were her two younger siblings, Timothy, 20, and Carolyn, 17. Her two older brothers, Daniel, 26, and Justin, 23, graduated from Westfield High.
Meanwhile, the Adventure Theatre’s artistic director recommended CAP21 (the Collaborative Arts Project in the 21st Century) to Price. It’s a musical-theater conservatory in Manhattan and, after completing high school, that’s where she went.
After graduation, she stayed in New York City, worked with an agency and, in December 2012, auditioned for “Mamma Mia!” By June 2013, she was cast and joined Worklight Production Co., the show’s Broadway national tour.
“I was ecstatic, finally getting cast and getting to work with a bunch of creative people,” said Price. “We sing, dance and put on a fun show.”
“Mamma Mia!” opened Oct. 3 in Orlando, Fla., and, since then, has toured from city to city all over the U.S. and parts of Canada. “We do eight shows a week, so I’ve learned how to be consistent and deliver the same quality of performance every time,” said Price.
She said the toughest part is traveling all the time because she has to decide what clothing to take with her. She also has to stay fit and healthy because the show entails so much dancing.
“But I’ve had a good time,” said Price. “The cast is awesome; everyone gets along, works so hard and puts in 100 percent each night. I also like getting the chance to dance more and I love the fun ’90s costumes we get to wear.”
This show will run until June 15 and will then head to Bogotá, Colombia in August for three weeks of performances. Enjoying her life in musical theater, Price’s advice to theater students considering a career in the business is to not be afraid to “put yourself out there and make bold choices.”
“And if you’re auditioning and not getting the parts, then switch it up and try something new,” she continued. “Look at yourself and figure out who you are in the industry. You’re always going to be growing and discovering what you can do and where you fit in the arts.”