By Eric Erickson,
Como Park High School senior Harriet Spencer will walk across the stage of the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul with her classmates on June 3. Her weighted grade point average of 4.59 from Advanced Placement and college courses ranks eighth out of a class of 256.
Those academic credentials are impressive enough on their own. But combine that with 20 to 30 hours a week of acting and singing and her accomplishments are even more amazing.
Between April 21 and June 14, Spencer will be starring on the stage of the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis for 40 performances as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”
After a month of 25-hour-a-week rehearsals, followed by two even more intense tech weeks, Spencer will perform five times a week once the show is running.
Earlier in her senior year, as well as her junior year, she played the prominent role of Max the dog in the CTC production of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
As previously reported by the Bugle in 2024, the role of Max required a high level of physical acting. One show-stopping scene featured Max running and catching toys the Grinch threw at the dog from all directions—an athletic display.
Spencer was well suited for that component of the role, having played youth basketball including her freshman year at Como. One memory from that season recalled by fans and teammates was Spencer competing in the junior varsity game, then picking up the microphone to sing the national anthem at center court for the varsity game. It was a pitch-perfect a cappella rendition.
Fast forward to April 3, 2026, and Spencer was singing the national anthem at another sporting event. This time it was at Target Field for the Minnesota Twins home opener.
The upgrade in venue was both a fun experience and a responsibility tied to her role as Dorothy in promoting the upcoming run of shows.
Playing a leading role at the nationally renowned Children’s Theatre is a dream come true for Spencer. Her parents were professional dancers and active in the arts but didn’t push theater.
Spencer loved the artistic community she experienced through her parents’ circles, and she began auditioning for plays at CTC during middle school.
Harriet received a few callbacks but didn’t land any roles. Meanwhile, the Murray Middle School theater program was inactive during COVID and distance learning.
Spencer participated in a class at CTC in the summer before high school and acted in Como’s production of “The Unusual Suspects” as a freshman. The CTC class, taught by Autumn Ness, inspired Spencer to analyze and appreciate acting through a new lens. Spencer emerged from it with her own mantra: “Acting is the physical realization of empathy.”
With hard work and purpose, Spencer’s breakthrough into a CTC production came in 2023 when she earned an understudy role for “Corduroy.”
Landing one role at CTC is not a guarantee of future roles. But Spencer was thrilled to have her foot in the door and loved working with the adult actors. She observed their techniques, asked questions, soaked up their knowledge, and put in the work to learn and improve her craft.
“I am always thrilled when I get a chance to work with Harriet,” said Dean Holt, a 30-year veteran in the CTC acting company. “I have directed and performed alongside her several times and find her to be an open, eager and generous performer. She connects not only with the material, but with her fellow actors and the audience. She brings genuine heart to her work while striving to strengthen each moment within her performance.”
Seeing the multi-generational talent perform on stage at the Children’s Theatre is a celebration of the arts in our community. For show times and tickets, visit https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/the-wizard-of-oz-2/ where you can also find bios for Spencer and the entire cast.
“All I ever wanted was to be in the room at CTC,” Spencer said. “But now to be playing these roles in my senior year, and to do it with people who I respect so much and have been so kind to me—it’s so beyond what I could have hoped for. It’s so rewarding.”
As for life after high school, Spencer has been accepted into several theater programs that excite her. She will need to make that difficult choice by College Decision Day on May 1—in between her academic studies at Como and her performances on the CTC stage where she has developed her passion.
Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park Senior High School and a regular contributor to the Bugle.
