Jorjan in Wonderland

For Jorjan the play is partly a family affair. On stage with her will be her aunt, Camille Jeter. Camille, who has been an actress for the NTD for 10 years and artistic director for 4 years, will have several parts in the production. She will play Alice's mother, the White Rabbit, and the Hare.

Andy Vasnick on stage with Jorjan; off stage Vasnick will be Jorjan's on-the-road tutor.

Jorjan with her aunt, NTD Director Camille Jeter

Camille Jeter's long time role has been that of Jorjan's mentor and role model. Jorjan saw her aunt perform in "Treasure Island" when she was eight years old, she said, and her interest in acting intensified. She joined the "Singing Hands" club at MSD and had a role in the school play.

Camille was the first to suggest that Jorjan play Alice. She approached Jorjan's parents and asked if their daughter could join the NTD for a season.
"My parents agreed to let me be with my aunt," said Jorjan who has visited the NTD many times. So when other students went back to school, Jorjan travelled to Chester, Connecticut, where the NTD has its home. While other kids adjusted to having homework, Jorjan adjusted to living miles away from family and friends and getting to know the character she would play on stage.

Class On Tour
Once the NTD starts touring, she will begin private classes, she said. She planned to study 3-4 hours a day, working with her tutor, Andy Vasnick, an NTD actor and former teacher. Jorjan said she was "a little homesick." She missed her parents and her friends from MSD, she said. Jorjan's parents planned to come to see their daughter in her first professional performance. Having her family near her is a comfort, said Jorjan, who admitted she was "a little" excited and scared at the thought of performing with a professional theater company.		After the opening, she--and the other actors and actresses in the play--will go on tour. They will perform "Curiouser and Curiouser" on stages around the country. The tour begins in Arizona in October. In November, Jorjan will return to MSD before resuming the tour in January in New York. Altogether, she'll visit 30 cities in 18 states. Asked if she thought that she'd enjoy travelling, Jorjan responded enthusiastically. "Very much..." she typed, adding a series of exclamation points that covered the TTY screen.

"A Natural"
Jorjan says she was a natural for the role because, like Alice, she manages to be charming and mischievous at the same time. Also her age is perfect for the part; she is 11 years old. "I'm honored and flattered to be with the NTD," she said, as she spoke with World Around You via TTY during her lunch break. "I always wanted to be an actress." Jorjan said that she was learning to separate herself--and her aunt--from the roles that they play on stage.		Off stage, her aunt is "on the run" and "loveable," she said. On stage, she is whatever the character demands. Now Jorjan is learning how to be Alice and to separate Jorjan from Alice-- important skills for any actress. Despite her homesickness, Jorjan ventured that it will be a bit difficult to return to MSD. After a year of acting and travel, it will be hard to be a student again.