After Beef & Boards’ original actress for Wednesday Addams in their fall production, “The Addams Family,” got vocal strains and could no longer play the role, the theatre had an emergency audition and ended up awarding the role to Samantha Russell, a senior at Mt. Vernon High School. Below is a via email Q&A about her experience with professional theatre.

Q: What is the story about?

A: The story is centered around Wednesday Addams turning 18 and the Addams family’s values. When Wednesday announces that she is going to be getting married to Lucas Beineke, a normal boy, both sets of parents are shocked because they didn’t know that Wednesday and Lucas were that serious. This causes the conflict of the show. Wednesday wants this “One Normal Night” to go ok because she doesn’t want to scare off the boy she loves and make sure that the way her family acts doesn’t scare off Lucas and his family. Intertwined throughout the show are the subplots of both sets of parents, and other characters of the show who are all coming to terms with what their own versions of love are.

Q: What is your character like?

A: She is very blunt and has a very dry sense of humor. She also gets very intense about things she cares about and I love this show because I feel like I get to show more sides of Wednesday. I say this because her love changes her and makes her feel things she’s never felt before. There’s a song in the show called “Pulled” where she talks about how “the boy’s got her pulled in a new direction” and she’s feeling things she’s never felt before but she thinks she likes it.

Q: How did you find out about auditions and what did you do when you found out?

A: It was actually by chance. I had posted a picture on my Facebook about my (Indiana Repertory Theatre) audition and one of my Facebook friends, Daniel Klinger, commented and asked me if I was auditioning for Wednesday. I then proceeded to ask what audition was on Wednesday and so he probably saw my confusion and sent me to this Facebook page that had the post about the audition. So I sent an email with my headshot and resume to the person that they said to email to get an audition and I got one! I got really excited because this was my first professional audition and started preparing that moment. I found out on the Wednesday before the Monday that the audition was being held and practiced all weekend. This was the shortest amount of time I had to prepare for an audition and I was kind of freaking out. I watched one of the movies and the show and listened to her main songs over and over again until I had them practically memorized. So by the time I got to the audition I was still a little freaked out, but I felt really good about it.

Q: What did you prepare for your audition?

A: I prepared a song called “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” (from Footloose) because they wanted a song that would show off our belt voices. I also prepared the two script sides that they gave me and “Pulled” and “Crazier than You,” two songs from the show.

Q: Was there a callback?

A: Yeah, it wasn’t anything crazy or anything. They had me and this amazing 15-year-old named Cynthia Kauffman stay to sing some of the songs again. Then they asked us to do some basic dance steps like a chasé, a ball change, and a pivot turn to see how we move.

Q: How did they notify you that you got the part and how did you react to the news?

A: They called me shortly after the audition to tell me, and my mom and I started to cry. I was so excited and I still am! I just felt so blessed and this made me feel that following my dreams is a good idea. I’m so happy getting all of this support from my friends, family and people I don’t even know! Getting into a show like this just made my dream seem even more real, and I can’t wait to see what else might be hiding in my future.

Q: What have you done for the production so far?

A: I’ve written my bio and sent in like basic paperwork. I’ve also gone in for my costume fitting and makeup lesson. I haven’t really gotten to meet with any of the cast members yet but I can’t wait it’s going to be so fun!

Q: What other roles have you played before?

A: Laurey Williams in “Oklahoma,” a council member in “Hairspray,” Janet Van de Graaf in the “Drowsy Chaperone” and Rusty in “Footloose” are my most recent credits.

Q: Do you have to miss school for this show? How are you making that work?

A: I have to miss some, but it’s nothing super crazy. I’m on fall break for two weeks during the run so it’s pretty convenient. To make up for what I miss I work on our Google Classrooms and (my teachers) will give me assignments in advance. My school and teachers are being super supportive and I’m very thankful because I know not a whole lot of schools are.

Q: How often and what times will you be rehearsing?

A: The rehearsal process is about 10 to 12 days and we have rehearsal every day for about eight hours a day.

Q: Do you want to do theatre as a career in the future?

A: Yes, most definitely. I love it so much and I feel like I can’t do anything else!

Q: What advice would you give to people who hope to be in professional productions in the future?

A: I would advise that this profession is not for the faint of heart. The entertainment business is very hard and very competitive and you have to constantly work on getting better if you ever want to make it anywhere. Even though I’ve been cast in this amazing show with these amazing people I still have to work super hard to improve myself because there is always something new or old to improve on. Also, another thing to remember is that sometimes the industry isn’t just about talent; it’s also very much about networking. If you know someone, he or she could know someone who knows a casting director who would like to see you perform in his or her show. I got this audition because I knew someone who knew about the audition and said that he thought I should go for it, and I did, and look what happened. Networking can get you jobs and help you make great connections with many wonderful people. Also, performers need to remember that everything they do reflects who they are to the world and if they are hard to work with and mean and don’t take direction, then directors won’t want to work with them again, but a lot of the time I’ve found that being nice, humble and following directions has gotten me a pretty great reputation and many many great friends inside and outside of the industry. All of the things I said really apply to everything in life, not just performing.

“The Addams Family” runs at Beef & Boards from Oct. 8 to Nov. 22, with evening shows at 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and at 8 p.m. on Sunday as well as matinee performances at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday and 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Tickets can be bought at www.beefandboards.com or by phone at 317-872-9664.