Orinda Native McKenna Rose To Star In Award-Winning Musical

ORINDA, CA — Orinda native McKenna Rose is about to pass the ultimate “Bechdel test” this weekend.

The 6th grader at Orinda Intermediate School is going to play the child version of Alison Bechdel, the celebrated graphic novelist and cartoonist, in a San Francisco production of “Fun House,” the musical based on Bechdel’s bestselling 2006 graphic memoir.

It is Rose’s first professional show, and she says that she’s enjoyed the experience, even though “the schedule and the show are a lot more intense than anything I’ve ever done before.”

“It has been so great!” Rose told Patch in an email. “Everyone has been so supportive and fun to work with. It really feels like a family.”

San Francisco-based 42nd Street Moon has become the first Bay Area theater to adapt the acclaimed musical, which won five Tony Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, and was even a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical tells the story of Bechdel’s life at three different ages, her relationship with troubled father, depressed mother, and how she came to terms with her sexuality.

“FUN HOME is one of the most important musicals of our generation, taking Alison Bechdel’s groundbreaking and heartfelt graphic novel and lovingly adapting it to the stage,” 42nd Street Moon Executive Artistic Director Daniel Thomas said in a statement. “It is at turns beautiful, powerful, poignant, and sorrowful in its look at family, sexuality, and coming of age; and Jeanine Tesori, who had already proven herself one of Broadway’s most versatile songwriters, gives us the best score of her career. We are honored and humbled to have some of the Bay Area’s best talent bringing this show to life on our stage.”

“'Fun Home' thrilled me from the first time I saw it… I'd never experienced anything like it in the theater before,” director Tracy Ward said in a statement. “To see my story onstage, to get all the references, to fully understand where the impulses of the character(s) came from, was something I'd never seen in my life as both a lesbian and a Director. When offered the chance to direct this production, it was an immediate YES!! But as Alison says, I had NO IDEA. Beyond the obvious connections, I saw my own family - the exact constellation - 2 boys and a girl, my father was also an artist… For me, this is a gift I get to both receive and now give - a dream come true for this director.”

Rose also said she was able to identify with the character of Alison. “We are close to the same age, and I like that she always tries to speak up for what she wants, so I can definitely relate to that,” she said. “But we’re also different because I’m the youngest in my family, so I don’t really have anyone to boss around!”

Rose also wanted to thank the many people around Lamorinda who helped train her for the big stage. “I would love to say thank you to Rena Wilson and Renee DeWeese from Performing Academy and to Leslie Noel Hansen from the Peter Pan Foundation!” she said. “They have all supported me as a performer and as a person since I was really little and just doing my first dance classes, singing lessons, and musical theatre shows. And thanks to Justin Cole at Joy In Motion for introducing me to some new styles of dance in the past couple of years.”

“Fun Home” will premiere at the Gateway Theatre on 215 Jackson Street in San Francisco on Saturday at 6 p.m., and run until May 8. Tickets run from $35-$76 and can be purchased here.