ROCK OUT!

New Trier Freshman Julia Dale is already a veteran performer on the stage. She got her first professional role at Chicago’s Steep Theater in Edgewater when she was just in the 4th grade, and prior to that performed in community theater and school productions.

The 15-year-old Kenilworth resident says she used to do performances of Frozen for her parents in her family’s living room when she was 4 or 5 years old. Dale returns to the spotlight this week as she takes on the role of Katie in Paramount Theatre’s production of School of Rock—a musical based on the beloved movie that starred Jack Black as an imposter (but hilariously enthusiastic) middle-school music teacher.

With a few years off due to the pandemic, she’s excited to get back on the stage.

“A lot of theater got shut down because of the pandemic but I’m super excited to be back doing it again,” Dale says. “I think more than just the thrill of performing in front of people and making people laugh or cry or whatever, I like being in an environment where everybody’s really passionate about what they do. I like being with other people who like to do the same thing as me.”

Dale says she particularly excited about School of Rock because she is able to utilize the broad array of talents that emerged back in the day performing in her living room.

“I’ve always really liked singing and acting and dancing so I’ve always really loved doing musicals, and then my dad is really into guitars and music. We have seven guitars in our house,” Dale says. “I’ve been playing the bass since probably fourth grade and so this is just the perfect role that I can do. I’m doing a bunch of the things I love to do at once.”

Balancing schoolwork and rehearsals can be a challenge, but Dale says her teacher and her parents help keep her focused. She’s not looking for celebrity status.

“I do a lot of my homework in the car, but my teachers have been really understanding. Obviously, I don’t get extensions or anything, but if I need to leave class a couple of minutes early, they’re totally fine with it,” says Dale. “My parents have also been really supportive. I think I’ve been okay with managing the workload.”

One big difference between School of Rock and her previous productions is that Dale is able to work with a cast who all are close to her age. In the past, she’s often been the youngest member of the cast.

“This is my first show where I’ve been with a lot of other kids my age, so that’s really fun. And the adults are very, very talented also. Everybody behind the scenes—the supervisors, the stage managers, the directors— are also very helpful in welcoming the young performers. Everybody is just so nice,” she says. “We have a lot of fun on our breaks, too. If you walk into our break room, we’re all singing, even though we don’t have to be. We’re playing games, wearing our pajamas to work. It’s super fun.”

While Dale is obviously passionate about her career on stage, she might head in a different direction after she goes off to college.

“When I go to college, or after college, I want to be an OB/GYN,” she says. “It’s a very different career path than what I’m doing right now but I’ve always liked kids and I think delivering babies would be really cool and also just helping women in that way.”

Paramount Theatre’s production School of Rock runs now through June 4 in Aurora. For tickets and more information, visit paramountaurora.com.