Young Baldwinsville actor in Syracuse Stage’s performance of ‘Our Town’

BALDWINSVILLE – A young local actor from Baldwinsville will make his Syracuse Stage debut in the upcoming performance of the Thornton Wilder classic “Our Town.”
A fifth grader at Elden Elementary School, 10-year-old Quentin Ladd’s interest in theater is a recent phenomenon. His mother, Sarah, said he had really gotten into the show Stranger Things on Netflix, and had watched all the behind-the-scenes trailers learning about the actors. In particular, he studied actor Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the quirky fan-favorite character Dustin.
Trying to kindle his interest in acting, Sarah found the Syracuse Children’s Theater and Quentin participated in his first show over this past winter break.
It was there that he learned of the Syracuse Stage opportunity. He did all the research on the audition and the part. Being that it was his first time auditioning for a role like this, Sarah was doubtful he would get the part, but she thought it would be great experience and encouraged him to try.
The audition was very short – only three or four minutes, Quentin said. He said he was nervous as he went into a room with two people seated at a table and the director, Robert Hupp, tuning in to the audition virtually.
He handed off his headshot and resume and read the lines he had prepared for and it was over almost before it had begun. Five days later, he learned he had gotten the part.
Ladd plays the part of Wally Webb, the little brother of Emily Webb, one of the main characters of the show. In the haunting third act of the play, Wally appears as one of the “dead souls,” having died a premature death from a ruptured appendix on a Boy Scout trip. The role is double cast, so Quentin will perform in half of the productions. In all, six local children will be performing in Syracuse Stage’s Our Town.
As they prepare for a March 29 opening performance, rehearsals have ramped up to a “very intensive” six days per week, Sarah said.
The Syracuse Stage performance is headlined by Jim True-Frost, who has performed in dozens of movies and television shows, most notably as one of the lead characters on HBO’s The Wire. Quentin hasn’t seen The Wire (much of the content is not suitable for 10-year-olds), but he has a real admiration for True-Frost and the way he goes about his business.
“It’s really cool and inspiring to be with him,” Quentin said. “He does a really great job.”
Quentin said most of his classmates at Elden Elementary aren’t really aware of Syracuse Stage and what it means for a 10-year-old to have the opportunity to perform in a professional setting, but his teacher has been excited for him. He is also participating in the Drama Club at school and although he has had to miss some of the club’s gatherings because of his rehearsal schedule, they plan to perform a play at the end of the school year.
“The life of a village against the life of the stars” is how Thornton Wilder described his heralded play. “It is an attempt,” he wrote, “to find a value above all price for the smallest events in our daily life.” The play depicts everyday life in a small town, Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century.
“Wilder’s enduring classic asks us to stop and ponder what truly matters, and to consider that for a great many of us the answers will be the same,” according to the Syracuse State website.
“Our Town” runs March 29 through April 16 at Syracuse Stage. Ladd will be at the 7:30 p.m. performances on March 30, 31, April 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, and 15; at the 2 p.m. performances on April 1, 9 and 15; and at the 10:30 a.m. performances on April 12 and 13.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit syracusestage.org/ourtown.