Director Tiffany Nichole Green addresses the cast of the Children’s Theatre Company’s original production of Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical. Photo: Children’s Theatre Company
We speak with ensemble member Jon Schumacher to get a look behind the curtain.
Audiences of all ages are invited to enjoy the wonders of winter at the Children’s Theatre Company’s (CTC) original production of Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical. But Anna and Elsa aren’t embarking on this musical journey alone. A cast of ensemble actors is helping to bring the story (and the town of Arendelle) to life, including Jon Schumacher of Minnetonka.
Seventeen-year-old Jon, a junior at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, credits his interest in theater to the robust arts programs at Notre Dame Academy, which he attended for elementary and middle school. “Ever since then, I’ve been taking classes and performing throughout the Twin Cities,” Jon says. “This is now my second show with the CTC.” His first CTC performance was as part of the Who ensemble in Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in 2025.
Jon Schumacher. Photo: Jon Schumacher
Although ensemble casts are unnamed, they have a vital role to play in any musical. Audiences might not realize that “a huge part of the work we do in the ensemble is the storytelling aspect,” Jon says. “A lot of the work that we have been doing is thinking about how we, as an ensemble, push the story forward and build the world of this show through our individual characters.”
Jon says director Tiffany Nichole Greene has talked a lot about individuality and specificity within the ensemble, and he’s put this information into action. “I approach creating a character without a name by giving them an occupation and a name,” he says. “Based on those things, I decide how my character would feel about the events of the play, what their center of gravity is, how they move, talk and interact with others. The costumes also influence the characters that I play because they help me to understand what occupation or status I might have in the play.”
There’s plenty to learn between choreography, blocking and lyrics, but there has also been plenty of levity during rehearsals. “The funniest moment I’ve had during rehearsals for Frozen has been getting to rehearse Hygge,” Jon says. Hygge, which is specific to the Broadway musical, is a song that explains the Danish concept of comfort and coziness. “It is such a funny number, and I find myself almost bursting into laughter every time we do it,” Jon says.
When the curtain rises on opening night, Jon says he imagines that he will feel overwhelmed with immense gratitude for the cast, crew and creative team of the show, as well as feeling excited for the next two months of production.
Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical opens at CTC on April 19 and runs until June 15. Select performances will also include a preshow adventure led by CTC teaching artists during which audience members can construct their own paper Olaf. Visit childrenstheatre.org for tickets and additional show details.
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