Spotlight On: Julia Stone

Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Spotlight On…” series continues with a look into the cast of The Wedding Singer. Get to know Julia Stone who is portraying Holly in our production!

Introduce yourself to our audience.

Hi! I’m Julia Stone and I have been an entertainer for almost 16 years. I’ve been a part of a variety of acts. I started off as a tap dancer and eventually branched out to different styles of dance. From there I began acting and singing, and haven’t stopped since. My favorite thing to perform in is a musical, but recently I’ve been lucky enough to participate in shows from a behind the scenes perspective, including choreographing and stage makeup. This is my first show with CTC and my second time in “The Wedding Singer”.

What aspects of your character do you find most relatable or challenging to portray?

Honestly, I don’t really find anything challenging to portray when it comes to Holly because her personality is similar to my own; she is very outgoing and eccentric.

How do you prepare for a performance, both physically and mentally?

Outside of drilling lines, choreography, music, etc., I don’t have any routines that I follow to prepare myself. I just get out there and do my thing. The one personal “tradition” I like to follow, however, is each show I pick a person (could be anyone) and I dedicate my performance to them, and remember them whenever I can while I’m out there.

What Is your favorite moment or song in “The Wedding Singer” and why?

My favorite moment/song is “All About the Green” (for a couple reasons.) Firstly, I love the bass guitar/synthesizers in it, and how the lyrics are written similarly to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” where it just lists off several time-appropriate events. More importantly, however, this is the second time I’ve been a part of “The Wedding Singer”, and “All About the Green” has become a fan-favorite number amongst my close family who saw the show the first time. Since then we’ve continued to make countless references to it, so it holds a special place in my heart.

When did you first start performing?

I started performing when I was around 4 years old. I began as a dancer, gravitating towards tap, jazz, and acrobatics, and then performed in my first musical when I was 5. I fell in love with being on stage, and now “The Wedding Singer” will be my 27th show.

What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage / the curtain goes up?

I find the nearest mirror, fix my hair, and say out loud to myself in the mirror, “Let’s rock and roll!” (Sometimes I’ll say something else, but I probably shouldn’t put it here.)

What’s your favorite 80’s song/band/performer and why?

I was raised on more 80’s music than anything else, so that’s a tough pick. I pretty much love everything 80’s including (but certainly not limited to) Billy Joel, Queen, and Cyndi Lauper. Overall, however, I’m a big 80’s metalhead with some of my favorites being Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, and, of course, The Prince of Darkness; Ozzy Osbourne. I love this music because it’s always a great way to bond with my Father, who got me interested in it to begin with. Furthermore, my Aunt was a metal singer back in the 80’s (known as Connecticut’s Queen of Heavy Metal) so it’s also a tribute to her.

What do you hope audiences take away from this production of “The Wedding Singer”?

I hope people take away a feeling of nostalgia. The 80’s, in my opinion, and I’m sure for many others, is considered the best decade. I hope that “The Wedding Singer” allows the audience to relive or experience that forgotten charm that they miss, or, like me, wish they had.

“The Wedding Singer” opens on July 11th and runs through July 20th at Connecticut Theatre Company. Tickets on sale now!

“A good-natured, harmless, high-energy knockoff of the 1998 Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore romantic comedy” — LINDA WINER of NEWSDAY

“The Wedding Singer has more heart and a better sense of humor about itself than some of its similarly wacky, winking peers.” — ELYSA GARDNER of USA TODAY