Whiz Kid of the Week: Actress Maddy Novak

Whiz Kid is a weekly feature in which Patch profiles an outstanding youngster or youth group. This week's Whiz Kid is Maddy Novak, who is awesome because she's a hardworking actress, with a bright future ahead. 

Whiz Kid: Maddy Novak

Age: 13

School: Stevens Cooperative, 7th Grade

At just 13 years of age, , acting and dancing in the Imperial Theatre's production of Billy Elliot. She's been a member of the ensemble for more than a year and half after answering an open casting call.

"I saw the flier in school," she says, "and I just told my Mom I wanted to do it."

Her early success has come after many years of training. She has been taking dance lessons in many styles, including ballet, since she was four. She's even passed down the dancing bug to her younger sister Millie, age 11, who also takes lessons.

A 7th grader at Stevens Cooperative, Maddy juggles her schoolwork alongside appearing in two rehearsals and eight performances per week. She has to leave school early several days per week and often has to do her homework backstage.

But the theater is also her classroom. She wants to continue acting and do it for a career when she grows up. She says the hardest but most fulfilling part about acting is to first connect with her character, and then connect with the audience.

"I play an angry character," she says.

But in real life, Maddy is a bright, polite-spoken young lady who knows what she wants to do when she gets older and how to get there.

“I've wanted to do this my whole life,” she says about acting. “I'm really lucky I'm able to do it at a young age.”

Do you know a Whiz Kid, or even a whole group of them? Send any and all nominations to alanskontra@hotmail.com, and check back every Wednesday afternoon to read about some outstanding youngsters in your community.