Favazza plays Young Scrooge in NSMT’s A Christmas Carol

Giacomo (Jack) Favazza was ten years old when he starred in his first play, Swinging on a Star, a performance involving a classroom full of students stopping time and learning about the solar system.

Fast forward eight years and Favazza is participating in his fourth production of A Christmas Carol with the North Shore Music Theatre, one of the largest operating theatres in New England. This year, he is playing Young Scrooge.

Despite all of his distinguished roles, Favazza wasn’t simply born passionate about acting. In fact, he hadn’t given acting much thought until his friend pressured him to try it.

“Amy Geraghty made me start acting,”  said Favazza. “And then I liked it. If you play a character who robs a bank, you can rob a bank and get away with it. So you can get away with it in a fake world, when you couldn’t a real world. By performing these fantasy tasks, you can dissect a problem better to find a goal.”

The skills Favazza learns via stage are transferable to the real world, most recognized when he and Geraghty hosted the first pep rally of the year.

“I feel like my public speaking is better than most,” said Favazza. “I guess if I didn’t do bigger performances, then I wouldn’t be able to talk in front of a large crowd, like the school.”

Favazza got his start performing in the O’Maley Middle School productions, including Annie, in which he played Rooster Hannigan. He also played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, and Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. He also played young Tarzan in the North Shore Music Theatre’s production of Tarzan.

After all his experience, Favazza hardly gets nervous during a performance.

“I’m nervous until they say it’s time to go,” said Favazza. “This is my number four for the Christmas Carol so I’m not that nervous anymore. I had worked with a lot of people who had been in “A Christmas Carol” before, so I knew a lot of the people and I knew the story so that helped.”

For those interested in performing in a NSMT production, Favazza explains what to expect.

“There were five-hundred thirty-three kids at the audition,” said Favazza. “I was four-hundred ninety-third. They quickly eliminated four-hundred people so I was one of the last. I went in and sang another song. I came in the top fifteen for people auditioning just to be included. It took us like fifteen days to put the whole show together.”

Even the most experienced actors have mishaps, which Favazza attests to.

“I ripped my pants the other night,” said Favazza. “I squatted. On stage. It’s harder to cover up your mistakes on a circle theater because – where do you turn? I’ve made up a whole song before. I think it was in “The Sound of Music”. You need to get into the character and fully understand them in order to make something up to cover a mistake.”

Favazza didn’t have to make up a song for this particular wardrobe malfunction.  “My clothes were dingy anyway. Good thing I didn’t wear my red banana boxers.”

Despite Favazza’s talent, he does not want to pursue acting as a career.  “There is no money at all,” said Favazza. GHS students hope to see Favazza in the upcoming GHS musical “Into the Woods”.    “A Christmas Carol” runs at The North Shore Music Theatre until December 23rd.