Since she was seven, junior Annabelle Grimaldi has been a devoted fan, executer, and performer of the thing she loves to do most: theatre. She has been a part of countless performances and productions, with her favorites being The Polar Express, The Wizard of Oz, and her one of the more recent ones, Heathers.

Her most recent project was Coral Springs Charter’s fall production of Puffs, a comedic retelling of the beloved Harry Potter series from the perspective of the underdogs: the Puffs. Grimaldi starred as the female lead, Megan, who was the goth-styled rebel with an evil witch of a mother. This character wished to be seen by her mother with her tough exterior, though she desires love and acceptance, which leads to her strong relationships developed throughout the production. Grimaldi played this character for three nights: November 6th, 7th, and 8th.

She has spent three months working to perfect her performance and is very satisfied with the results. She also recently starred as Pinocchio in Charter’s adaptation of Shrek the Musical in the spring of 2025. Grimaldi looks forward to the upcoming spring musical: Suessical in 2026 and encourages all to come and enjoy.

Outside of school theatre, she undergoes countless hours of rehearsal in singing, dancing, and acting all week long after school. She does out-of-school productions and auditions for many roles for shows or movies. By age 10, she was acting professionally and was a part of many big name shows; most notably, The Polar Express.

Grimaldi’s reasoning for doing all this extensive activity is to prepare herself for her dreams. She works hard and wishes to achieve her dream of getting into a successful and accomplished theatre program at a prestigious college/ university. After learning and evolving throughout her time there, she then wishes to book roles and work up her resume to become a thriving and triumphant modern-day actor.

With all that she has already learned throughout her time studying and practicing, she helps teach and choreograph some of the middle and high school dances in their shows. Her and a past senior helped choreograph many of the dance sequences in Shrek the Musical this past school year. She also helped choreograph the middle school production of Alice in Wonderland last school year, along with the directions and tech backstage on the nights of the performance.

The theatre world is a big part of Grimaldi’s life, and through it, she has made some life-long friendships that she would even consider a family. As she grows and adapts to her ever-changing life, she will make mistakes and learn, but she will never quit the thing she loves to do most: theatre.