![\"Gabriella](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Gabriella-Dimmick-with-Grinchwebtop.jpg\")
<\/a>Returning to the stage are La Mesa\u2019s Sophia and Gabriella Dimmick, sisters who share five years of experience in Whoville between the two of them. Gabriella, 8, will star as Cindy Lou-Who for the second consecutive year.<\/p>\n
Although her age is still in single digits, she\u2019s already appeared in productions by the Actors\u2019 Conservatory Theatre \u2013 San Diego, San Diego Musical Theatre and the California Ballet Company. Appearing beside her sister in many of these performances, Gabriella said it\u2019s nice to have someone nearby to depend on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always nice to know that if I ever feel lonely, there\u2019s always someone I can go to,\u201d Gabriella said of working with Sophie.<\/p>\n Sophia, 10, will return for a third year in \u201cGrinch,\u201d this time as a member of the Whoville ensemble. She, too, warmly welcomed the opportunity to work with her sister in another production.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just really nice to share the stage with [Gabriella] \u2014to know she\u2019s always there for you,\u201d Sophia said.<\/p>\n The fifth grade actress said the play\u2019s story, as well as the cast and crew, drove her to audition year after year.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just a really nice story, and all the people back stage and on stage are so awesome, especially our stage manager Leila [Knox] and our director James [Vasquez],\u201d Sophia said.<\/p>\n Another member of the Whoville Ensemble excited to return is 14-year-old Luke Babbit, a veteran cast member of the play and a student at the La Mesa Arts Academy. Luke said the mixed cast of children and adults make the production alluring as a developing actor.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is one of the only shows I\u2019ve been in with adults, and that\u2019s been really great because you can have a mentor, and you can learn from them and watch them during rehearsals, since they do so much,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n While Luke acknowledged that the holidays are \u201cthe busiest time of the year\u201d for him and his fellow actors because of the play, he still manages to stay on top of his school work with a little extra effort.<\/p>\n \u201cI would miss maybe a couple classes every day for rehearsal, but I would just talk to my teachers before class everyday so I could do my work before that, so it\u2019s definitely manageable,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n Rehearsal for the production begins a mere three weeks before opening night, a much shorter timeline than your typical performance, regardless of whether youth are involved. This means that every actor big or small needs to have the chops prior to stepping into rehearsal.<\/p>\n The Old Globe makes up for the short timeline by packing six rehearsals into each week. For many of the young actors, balancing a major performance with school and other activities is quite a challenge.<\/p>\n La Mesa resident Brooke Henderson, 12, who plays Cindy Lou-Who\u2019s mother, Betty Lou-Who, also spoke to the play\u2019s rigorous rehearsal schedule. It is Brooke\u2019s first year in one of the leading roles, and she said she didn\u2019t mind the work that came along with the great acting experience. The seventh grader said acting in front of a large audience at The Old Globe was a big change from the community theater performances she\u2019s used to.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve really wanted to get this far in my career,\u201d Brooke said. \u201cAnd I think the Old Globe is a very big step from doing community theater, so I think it really puts you out there in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooke, who plans to pursue acting as a profession when she\u2019s older, said she enjoys the friendships forged each year at The Old Globe. She said it\u2019s one of the reasons she thinks \u201cGrinch\u201d gets better each year.<\/p>\n \u201c[The Old Globe\u2019s \u2018Grinch\u2019] has actually changed for the better, because there are a lot of new kids coming in,\u201d Brooke said. \u201cMy first year, I met so many new kids and they didn\u2019t come back the next year. But I still talk to them and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n The show runs at the Old Globe until Dec. 27. There is a sensory-friendly performance for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families on Dec. 13. For tickets, show times and a full list of the cast, visit elviejoglobo.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>
(Courtesy The Old Globe)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/a>