BWW Q&A: Trent Stork of Disney's FROZEN at Paramount Theatre

The first locally staged production of Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical is receiving its Midwest Regional Premiere at the historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora. The cast will feature Emily Kristen Morris in her Paramount debut as Elsa. Beth Stafford Laird, Belle in Paramount’s Beauty and the Beast in 2019, plays Anna. 

Adam Fane is Sven, Christian Andrews is Kristoff, Jake DiMaggio Lopez is Hans and Ryan Stajmiger is Olaf. (bottom) Everleigh Murphy and Genevieve Jane will alternate as Young Elsa. Elowen Murphy and Avelyn Choi will alternate as Young Anna.

Paramount’s Artistic Producer and Casting Director Trent Stork will direct this Midwest Regional Premiere of Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical. Most recently, they helmed Paramount’s Billy Elliot and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, School of Rock, and Into the Woods with co-director Jim Corti. Stork also won their first Jeff Award, Director-Musical-Large, for Paramount’s Kinky Boots in 2022. 

Trent Stork (they/them) is a Jeff Award Winning Director based in Aurora, IL. Frozen marks Trent’s 25th production on a directing team for Paramount Theatre, the latest being Billy Elliot and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Previous Paramount directing: Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots (Jeff Award Winner- Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of a Musical), Hand to God, Into the Woods, School of Rock. Trent also serves as the Artistic Producer & Casting Director for Paramount.

Paramount is producing the regional premiere of Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical and you're directing it! What makes you excited about directing this show in particular?

I am so honored to be able to direct the regional premiere and to be able to give it a the Paramount stamp.  From the talent, to the design and special effects, this show has everything all in one place!  We have something very magical on our hands and we’re ready to make magic like never before!

What do you think this production will mean to the community?

The holidays at Paramount are always a special time.  A time where families and friends gather together to come see our holiday production and make life-long memories. That is the most important thing for me as a director, why I feel like what I do is my calling. Theatre can bring together all types of people and form them into a community. This community then makes moments that they can share and stay with them for years to come.  I’ll never forget sitting behind a father and his daughter at one of our holiday shows and during one of the softer, lovelier songs, the daughter tips her head onto her dad’s shoulder and gives his arm a squeeze.  He kisses her lightly on the forehead and then rests his cheek on the top of her head.  Just seeing that little gesture made my head ring with “This is why I do this.”  I am honored to get to help make those kinds of memories for people, especially at the holidays.

What is a message or quality you really want to highlight in Disney's Frozen The Broadway Musical?

Frozen is the perfect show for the holidays.  For me, the holidays are always a time where I get to reflect on all the goodness humanity can bring to the world.  Elsa summons the strength to be bold and live her life how she wants to live it and learns to “Let it Go.”  Anna’s pure devotional love for her sister makes her brave the wildness and climb a mountain to get through to her sister.  We learn that true love in its purest forms can melt a frozen heart. These themes are akin to many shows we see around the Holidays and is a great reminder of how we can reorient ourselves for the year head, leading with kindness, faith, and love.

In your heart, who is the show for?

It’s not a cliché when I say that it is for everyone!  There isn’t a single area that this show doesn’t deliver on: the actors are incredible, the design is gorgeous, the music is fantastic. Whatever aspect of theatre you enjoy the most, Paramount has it with this production.

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