It was Christmas in summertime at the Presbyterian Church in East Hampton, where for the last few weeks South Fork Performing Arts’ junior cast has been rehearsing the musical “Elf Jr.” The show, based on the popular Christmas movie, follows Buddy the Elf from the North Pole to New York City in his quest to find his true identity. The group of actors, ages 6 to 14, will bring the show to life at Guild Hall on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Wednesday at 1 p.m.
“At first I was kind of confused, because we’re doing Christmas in July,” said Dorothy Borsack, 13, from Springs School, who plays Emily, Buddy’s stepmom. “And then I was like ‘It’s going to be fun. What the hell! I’ll do it.’ “
Amanda Jones, the music director, and Tamara Salkin, the theater director, co-founded South Fork Performing Arts nine years ago. They have since teamed up with Megan Callahan as their choreographer, and said the holiday-themed musical is a nice change of pace.
“It’s such a different thing, Christmas in the summer. It’s been so fun,” Ms. Jones said. “This show is just happiness from beginning to end. There’s a serious storyline in there — obviously with the absent father — but it’s true Hollywood, true musical theater, and a happy ending.”
At next week’s shows they’ll be selling Christmas ornaments and mugs with hot cocoa mix — their first foray into merchandise. They couldn’t resist the theme, which was easy to coordinate this time of year.
“Let me tell you how easy it is to get Christmas stuff in the summer,” Ms. Salkin said.
Besides the ease of acquiring costumes and merchandise, “Elf Jr.” was a great choice for a junior company because it offered roles and opportunities for actors of all ages.
“The smaller, younger actors have stuff to do and they’re not always in the background of a scene,” Ms. Salkin said. “When you have elves that are literally small in height, it’s perfect for kids up to age 10 in the elf contingency who have lines and their own songs.”
That kind of inclusivity is at the core of this group.
“What I love is not just that I’m performing, but the fact that it’s a safe space for everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe in, what your pronouns are, who you love. They all welcome you. It’s a really warm place,” said Dorothy, who uses they/them pronouns and has been acting with the group from the age of 5 or 6.
Macsen Alvarado, 13, who plays the manager at Macy’s, just graduated from East Hampton Middle School, where he took part in the theater program all three years. South Fork Performing Arts is helping him prepare to act at the high school next year.
“This is my first time being here in a performance with S.F.P.A. It’s been one of the best experiences. It was a scholarship that I got and I’m so lucky that I was able to be here,” he said.
“We’re all one big family. We all just come together and it’s great. I got better at enunciating and putting out energy, and developing more stage presence.”
Roger Kriegsman, 13, from Pierson Middle School, performs as if he were born to play Buddy the Elf. He’s worked hard to memorize his lines and get the dance blocking and choreography just right. This is his second show with with the group.
“It’s really fun, but it’s a lot of work, all of the lines. Buddy’s in the whole show,” he said. I really like the fake Santa scene; I rip off his beard. It’s really fun. I love Christmas and it’s July so I don’t have to wait until December.”
Tickets to “Elf Jr.” cost $30 and are available now at southforkperformingarts.com and at the Guild Hall box office.