Downers Grove’s young star shines in the Mrs. Doubtfire national tour

By Maureen Callahan

Ever wonder if the actors in a Broadway national tour get tired of show business? Not for nine-year-old actress and Downers Grove resident Ava Rose Doty! Since September, Doty has been on the road playing Natalie Hillard on the Broadway National tour of Mrs. Doubtfire, a musical based on the 1993 film. At the time of publication, eighty-one American and Canadian cities were on the schedule, meaning Doty will see many parts of both countries.

Ava and her mom, Erin (Harrington) Doty, took time on a day off to chat with Downers Grove Magazine Contributing Editor Maureen Callahan.

Downers Grove Magazine (DGM): What was the first show you ever performed in?

Ava Rose Doty has been acting since she was five years old

Ava Rose Doty: My first show was Shrek when I was five at the Chicago Theater of Western Springs. My sister Aubry was into theater too, so that’s how I got involved. And I thought it was so fun, so I kept doing more and more shows. I was Young Cosette in Les Misérables at BAM. I played Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol at Drury Lane and also The Goodman. I also did Who’s Tommy there, and I played Young Tommy. Then I got an agent and a manager.

DGM: How did you end up getting the role of Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire?

Doty: The role of Young Tommy in Who’s Tommy helped me a lot with getting the part of Natalie in Mrs. Doubtfire because both shows have the same choreographer and production team, so they already knew me. The audition was a self-tape, so we did it from home. Then I got a callback in New York, and then a final callback. From there, we booked the role (accepted the part) and did rehearsals in New York in August. We only had three weeks to rehearse, but we got to see some other shows like Hamilton and & Juliette.

DGM: If you ever get sick, how does the show handle that?

Doty: The show is double-cast, and the other girl who plays Natalie is from Texas. There are two people who play every role, just in case anyone ever gets sick or injured. But both casts still have to be there, standing by for every show, even if it’s not our turn to perform. I do schoolwork, watch TV, or play games with the rest of the cast kids who are off that day, too. We just have to be really quiet backstage because of our microphones. 

Cast siblings become like real family!

DGM: What’s your favorite thing about touring? And what’s been a little challenging?

Doty: I like to travel. It’s super fun! I get to see a lot of places, and I love the other cast members. We’re like a big family! There are some not-so-great things, too, like not being able to go to friends’ birthday parties because I’m not home. And my mom and I weren’t home for Christmas this year, so that was kind of hard, but we celebrated a week later with my family because we had some time off from the show.\

DGM: What has been your favorite city so far?

Doty: I liked Milwaukee because many of my family and friends could be there. When we were there, Craig Allen Smith, the guy playing Mrs. Doubtfire, zoomed into my class at St. Joan of Arc (SJA) to talk about what we do on the road. He knew someone who went to school there some time ago! I also liked Lexington, Kentucky, because we went to a horse farm and one of the moms of someone on the cast is a veterinarian, so she was able to tell us a lot about horses. We definitely learned a lot that day.

DGM: How do you keep up with school while touring?

Doty: All the kids in the cast do schoolwork most days except Monday. Sometimes it’s three hours, sometimes it’s thirty minutes or an hour – as long as it’s 15 hours a week. Miss Jane, our tutor, tours with us. Most of the kids are following a homeschool program, but my school, SJA in Lisle, has been very supportive, so I am able to keep up with my class from out here. My teacher at SJA is very flexible. Sometimes I even check in with her on Sundays or Monday nights, since there aren’t any shows that night. She has been so helpful!

On days off , the cast kids go on fun adventures

DGM: What do you do on days off?

Doty: It depends on what schoolwork I have to do. If there is no show and no schoolwork, then it’s called a Golden Day, and on those days we can rest or go around the city.

DGM: Who has the opportunity to travel with you on tour?

Doty: Someone has to be with me at all times, so my mom is on tour with me. Sometimes it’s hard because she works full-time, so she just works from the hotel. She tries to go home for a week and a half each month, and sometimes my dad and she switch places. Sometimes other friends help, too.

DGM: Do you have any advice for other kids who dream of performing?

Doty: I’d tell them not to give up on their dreams and to keep trying, because in theater, there’s a lot of auditioning. Even if you don’t get the role you wanted, sometimes it’s meant to be. Maybe you’ll get a bigger role than the one you were hoping for, and you’ll be happy you didn’t get the other one.

Visit doutfirethemusical.com for more information.