ELY- Ruby Milton plays the big role of Queen Elsa. The Northeast Range senior has the substantial voice needed to carry this musically challenging role. Her dedication to the musical is considerable, driving in to Ely four nights a week for the last three and half months from her home in Embarrass, where she has lived all her life.
“I’ve become very good friends with the main characters as well as the entire ensemble,” Milton said of her experience in “Frozen.” That doesn’t discount the hard work she’s put into her role. “I am at a rehearsal for one to two hours before the rest of the cast. I have private vocal training with Elias (Mokole, opera singer and the vocal director for Ely’s “Frozen”). Outside of school I do a lot of humming and singing in the car since I have about a 45-minute commute.”
Milton added, “I love performing!” She is the veteran of many community plays and musicals directed by Mike Rouse (the director of Ely’s “Frozen”). Most recently she was in the “Addams Family” musical at Ely High School last year.
Milton wants to become a professional singer. She is enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with plans to major in musical theater.
Rachel Carter is a junior at Ely Memorial High School. She brings her solid singing voice, great acting, and slick dancing moves to the major role of Princess Anna. She’s new to Ely, having moved here a half year ago from southwest Missouri where she was active in local and school theater. The musical has made an impact in her new life in Ely. “I’m making so many friends that I sometimes feel overwhelmed with names. I feel a special bond with each member of the cast and crew.”
Carter has immersed herself in her role. ”Sometimes I’m playing the part in my daily life in order to know how Anna responds and reacts to things. I practice my songs in the hallways, I show up to the choir room before school and after lunch. I am at rehearsals much earlier than most because of vocal lessons. Sometimes I sing at work. I’m daily memorizing lines … Usually my heart skips a beat at the thought of (performing the music in “Frozen”) but that encourages me to practice harder.”
Besides her role in “Frozen,” Carter plays percussion in band and is a soprano the Ely High School Choir.
Carter hasn’t firmed up her plans for the rest of her life, but the list includes becoming a paramedic, a welder, a singer, a member of the Marine Corps, hiking the Appalachian Trail, and getting married and raising a family. “All of my life I have dreamed of helping people become the best person they can be,” Carter said. “So, in the next year or two, dreams may change for me, but my goals have and will always stay the same.”
Ely senior Matthew Johnson plays Kristoff, the ice seller who becomes Princess Anna’s Mr. Right in the musical. He’s been in Ely since he was four years old.
Johnson’s favorite Disney movie is “Frozen.” Given that preference, it isn’t too surprising that he tried out for the musical. It is the first show he’s ever been in, though he sings in school choir and plays tenor sax in band.
“I’ve been doing lots and lots of practice both on stage and at home,” Johnson said about his preparation for his role. Concerning the numbers he performs in the show, Johnson said “It’s a little scary but I think it is going to be fun.”
When not at school or rehearsal, Johnson remarked, “I am happiest when I can go on camping trips or hang out with family and friends.” After he graduates, he plans on attending Hibbing Community College to become an automotive technician.
Ely Senior Gabriel White plays Princess Anna’s Mr. Wrong, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. His solid acting will leave the audience convinced he’s a great guy, right up to his betrayal of Anna.
Living in Babbitt, he too has a commute to rehearsals, though not as bad as Milton’s trek from Embarrass. He’s another lead who is also in school choir. Like Johnson, this is his first stage production.
Along with the other leads, White has received extra singing lessons and has done a lot of preparation for his role. “I study my lines during lunch, practice all the time, and go to private vocal lessons. We meet before school and I spend any free time to work together.” Speaking about how he feels about performing on stage for the first time, White added, ”I’m nervous but ready to share my voice.”
Unlike many of the cast members who told the Timberjay that their favorite musical and Disney movie were “Frozen,” White’s favorite musical is “Hamilton,” and his favorite movie is “The Night before Christmas.”
Ely Sophomore Alison Poppler plays the difficult stage role of Olaf, the magical snowman. She provides his voice, saying his lines and singing his musical numbers in her versatile soprano. At the same time, she operates the life-size puppet that makes up Olaf’s body, supporting its weight from a substantial harness that wraps over her shoulders.
Poppler has lived in Ely all her life. Besides performing in “Frozen,” she remarked that “I am in and love playing in band.
“I love performing in front of big audiences,” Poppler remarked. It’s no surprise, therefore, that she’s been in multiple community shows and attended several theater camps.
Poppler likes to ski and make jewelry in her spare time.