Marietta 7

Olivia Hiepler, 7, of Marietta, plays Trixie in Walnut Street Theatre's production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

In many ways, Olivia Hiepler, of Marietta, is a typical 7-year-old. She loves to eat chicken nuggets, play Fortnite, make TikTok videos, sell Girl Scout cookies and annoy her 11-year old sister Jennifer. But when she launches into a monologue with a deep Southern drawl, it's clear that Olivia isn't the average second grader.

That talent for accents surely helped land her the role of Trixie in the play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," which opens this week at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

"It started when she was 3 or 4 years old and she started saying ‘cotton candy’ with a British accent," said Olivia's mom, Jessica. Her dad Eric suggested she try a Southern accent. After he complimented her on her new drawl, Olivia said she "talked that way all night."

Olivia insists her favorite accent to speak is still British, which was partially inspired by "Harry Potter." She says that with practice, her accents become more fluent.

"I won't stop talking," she said with a giggle.

After watching "Project Runway" when she was 4 years old, where people were cheering for a model walking the runway, Olivia thought that "looked like fun." When she was 5, her parents enrolled her in Barbizon Modeling and Acting Center in Harrisburg. Olivia said she learned to "look at the red dot (on the wall) and smile" at the end of the runway as well as various "letter poses" like T, I, and V. And she got her first professional headshot. Given Olivia's penchant for chatter, acting was a better fit than quiet modeling.

Jessica researched local talent agencies and discovered I.T.S. Models and Talent Management in Lancaster, which "seemed promising" she said. Olivia's new manager, Tara Graham, recommended her for the part of Trixie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

"Olivia has a ‘look,’ but it was more her spunky, funny personality" that made her a good fit for the part, Graham said. "She follows direction well too, which is huge in the industry."

It was Olivia's first in-person audition.

"Being one of the largest professional theatres in our region, we seek the best kids for roles in our productions from all across the tri-state area," said Brian Kurtas, associate artistic director of Walnut Street Theatre, in an email.

He said they auditioned 100 kids for the two teams of four kids that were cast. The kids were asked to prepare a Southern accent, as the play takes place in the South.

"What goes into our casting decisions is a mix of what the show's needs are and the actor's skills," said Kurtas, a native of Lancaster.

Kurtas said the director was seeking kids that not only met certain height requirements to fit in with the adult actors already cast, but who had "a confident presence to be comfortable performing in front of over a thousand people each night."

"Olivia's big personality and fearlessness are what came through in her audition — those qualities are great for a young actor's future," he added.

Olivia Hiepler, 7, seen here with her mom, Jessica, will perform in Walnut Street Theatre's production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

Olivia said she was excited to get the part of Trixie — her first acting experience — and get to play an obnoxious kid. Trixie is a child of Gooper, the brother of main character Brick.

"She and her stage siblings run around causing chaos," Jessica said. "They run around yelling, fighting and running amok."

In addition to a modest salary, Olivia is happy to be earning a scholarship to take more acting classes at the Walnut Street Theatre.

While she admits she doesn't have many lines in this production, she likes "being in front of people and showing them that I’m a good actress."

Olivia said that the most difficult aspect of speaking in a Southern accent occurs in the middle of the lines and maintaining the accent while the words may be "regular" in her head.

Olivia's acting skills have already proved useful in her classroom at Donegal Primary School. After reading a book passage in a Southern accent, her classmates clapped for her performance, she said.

"Her friends are excited for her," Jessica said.

Fortunately, she has the support of her parents to pursue her acting. They take turns driving her from Marietta to Philly for rehearsals and performances after school.

"If she wants to do it, we’ll back her up," Jessica said. "But when she doesn't, we can stop."

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opens Tuesday and runs through March 12. Olivia will perform weeknights. She said she was glad to not work on Sundays so she won't have to miss her beloved Eagles games.

Olivia's long-term goals include playing Princess Aurora in a movie and becoming a marine biologist. She's confident she can study underwater creatures — whales are a favorite — during the week and act on weekends.

She has already gleaned wisdom from the stage.

"Being afraid is OK in acting because everyone is afraid of something," Olivia said. "And once you get the hang of it, you won't be afraid of anything."

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Tennessee Williams’ classic play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is about a dysfunctional family living in the sweltering Mississippi Delta where Brick and his wife Maggie "the Cat" are celebrating the birthday of Brick's father, Big Daddy. The play covers a gamut of motifs including deceit, sexual desire, alcoholism, homosexuality, masculinity, repression and death. It won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The 1958 film based on the play starred Elizabeth Taylor (Maggie the "Cat"), Paul Newman (Brick), Burl Ives (Big Daddy), Jack Carson (Gooper) and Judith Anderson (Big Mama). The cast includes Gooper's children, a few "no-necked monsters," as delivered by Taylor in a memorable scene in the film version, who intermittently interrupt the action on stage. One of those kids is named Trixie, played by Olivia Hiepler at the Walnut Street Theatre. For ticket information, call 215-574-3550 or visit walnutstreettheatre.org.

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