At Home on the Stage – Eleven year-old David Sullivan stars in BCT production of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.’

David SullivanCharlestown resident David Sullivan is appearing in the lead role of Ching Ho, a comedic henchman, in the Boston Children’s Theatre’s (BCT) production of Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. this weekend at the Shore Country Day School in Beverly.

David, an 11-year-old sixth grader at the Advent School, was introduced to the stage at the Charlestown Working Theater when he was 5 years old. David’s talent and enthusiasm were noteworthy and he enjoyed the learning experience so much that he wanted to continue in the dramatic arts.

“I started at Charlestown Working Theater and thought, ‘This is fun, this is what I like to do,’ and it’s been amazing ever since; it’s been a favorite activity of mine for six years,” said David, who also plays soccer.

David has been fully immersed in the BCT program this summer. He spends half of his day in rehearsals and the other half in acting and musical theater classes.

“This is my third year working with BCT and it’s been great,” said David, who has also appeared in shows at the Wheelock Family Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, and the Charlestown Working Theater and in corporate videos. “It’s cool to work with other kids and interact with people my age.

David is getting serious about his craft. He takes private voice and piano lessons and is looking ahead to a potential future career in the dramatic arts.

“Actually I’ve been thinking about acting in my future for awhile,” said David. “It’s work but it’s also something that’s a lot of fun, so I think it would be cool as a job to do something that I really like.”

David said his parents have been very supportive of his acting endeavors.

“My parents and my grandparents have always been there for me,” said David. “I have one set of grandparents who have been at every show and it helps me a lot.”

Preparing for this weekend’s show offered some unique challenges for David. Most of his lines are in the Chinese language and he sings three of his songs in Chinese.

“All the actors have received excellent support from the our director, Mary Guaraldi, and all of the cast members know each other, so we feel like we’re a part of our community. Everyone has been so nice at BCT.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.