Three young actresses to take on leading role in “Oliver!” production

Since January, The Westminster Schools’ Rachel Doman, Sutton Middle School’s Maya Curnow and Morris Brandon Elementary School’s Marley Jones have been training alongside other children actors for this production.

They underwent practical and musical theatre training in preparation for the production. And, yes, they’ve spent plenty of time practicing the British cockney accent, according to Laura Doman, mother of Rachel Doman.

According to Christina Hoff, Fabrefaction’s Theatre Conservatory, all three actresses have been training with the company since they were about six years old.

Hoff described Fabrefaction as a “college-level conservatory where we give them a crash course in [theater] and then expect them to apply all of the techniques to the show.”

She said it was important that they make Oliver Twist “relevant in 2016” so that viewers can see the similarities between 1830s London and the world today. Having girls play the lead role, Hoff said, lends itself to some unexpected twists, too.

“[The issues in this production] are not just distant and in the past,” Doman said.

In addition to the girls who will portray Oliver Twist about five times each, 33 kids have been trained for this production, in which many of the roles have been double cast.  The young actors range in age between 7-18 years old and represent 23 schools around metro Atlanta.

“The students have always been the heart of the work that we’ve done,” Hoff said.

One of Fabrefaction’s former actresses, Mabel Tyler, recently acted in the leading role for a travelling production of "Matilda."

If You Go: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays. April 21-May 8. 7 Stages Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. Fabrefaction.org.