Two young boys from West Windsor are in this year’s production of McCarter Theater’s “A Christmas Carol.” This is Noah Hinsdale’s second year in the role of Tiny Tim. Benjamin Palmer joins the cast for the first time in the roles of the Beggar Boy, Ignorance, and a boy in the schoolyard.
“Noah is having a great time and is doing even better this year,” says his mother, Margie Hinsdale. “He is thrilled to be working with Graeme Malcolm (Scrooge) again. He loves being Tiny Tim and definitely understands the role better this year.” The seven year old first auditioned last year when his mother saw an audition notice in the WW-P News.
This fall he took a break from hip hop classes, baseball, and piano lessons when he was cast as the Child Minotaur in McCarter’s “Phaedra Backwards.” He was chosen because they needed a boy his age, and they were familiar with him. He auditioned for Emily Mann, and she offered him the role.
“It was a very adult play, with mature themes,” says Margie. “The staff at McCarter was very careful to bring him in and out of the rehearsals only when he was needed so he didn’t have to be exposed to the adult content.”
“Noah learned so much and the cast and director were amazing,” says Margie. “There was film done that was projected during the play, and Noah got to go to two film shoots for that. That was a great experience as well.”
He only had three days off between “Phaedra Backwards” shows and rehearsals for “A Christmas Carol.” He plans to take another dance class and play baseball in the spring. He will resume piano lessons in January. “He would like to take voice and acting lessons when he’s a little older,” says Margie.
He is a second grade student at Princeton Friends School. “The school has been wonderful and supportive of Noah’s acting,” says Margie. “His teacher gives us any work that he has missed. We just let them know ahead of time when he won’t be at school. Many of the staff at the school have come to see him in his performances.”
Benjamin Palmer, 8, a third grade student at Maurice Hawk School also heard about the audition from his mother, Victoria, a McCarter subscriber who has seen the production annually for the past 10 years.
“A Christmas Carol” is her favorite piece of literature and she has shared the story with her children at Christmas each year. Several years ago she took them to the Hershey Hotel to see Charles Dickens’ grandson do a show.
Ben did not want to audition last year but he did agree to see the show for the first time. Noah was also a student at Hawk School last year. “I thought acting was fun,” he told his mother. “I saw Tiny Tim and it looked like he was having fun.”
His older sister, Caroline, is in charge of a family production of “A Christmas Carol” performed with cousins every year at Christmas. “She’s really good at stuff like this,” he told his mother. “I think I’ll give it a try.”
More than 170 kids tried out for the 14 roles for children. “It’s important to let the kids try and succeed — or fail,” says Victoria. Both Caroline and Ben auditioned but only Ben was cast. “Most people never get to do professional theater and he knows it’s a huge success.”
Ben has taken acting classes through the Arts Council of Princeton summer programs. “He was able to let his creativity loose in those classes and he looks forward to taking more classes like that this summer,” says Victoria.
“He and his siblings and cousins put on plays all year through for family — even at the dinner table,” says Victoria. “I had to ban toys at the table during meals, but, somehow, this doesn’t stop them from twisting napkins into animals or using their utensils as people.”
“Ben really likes singing and will tell you how the song is supposed to be sung,” she says. “He just played the bells at Hawk’s third grade chorus concert, and he really surprised me by how much he was in touch with the music.”
His other activities are Cub Scouts, soccer in West Windsor recreation league, Little League baseball, tennis on Washington Road, and ice skating at Mercer County Park. He earned a black belt in Taekwondo in June at United Blackbelt.
Ben’s father, Michael, works in IT in New York City. The Palmers moved to West Windsor 13 years ago. Their daughter, Caroline, 10, is a fifth grade student at Millstone River School. A dancer since she was four years old, she is in American Repertory Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” Their son, Aaron, 4, is in pre-school at Cranbury Presbyterian Nursery School.
Victoria has been busy for many weeks now with both McCarter and American Repertory Ballet. Between rehearsals and productions she knows the importance of not being late for curtain time. “It’s all good and I’m lucky that they can do it,” she says. “It’s special to Ben that his older sister is also interested in the theater world.”
A Christmas Carol, McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, Princeton. Through Saturday, December 24. Holiday classic by Charles Dickens. $20 and up. 609-258-2787. www.mccarter.org.
