Berks County actress Angela DeAngelo-Erkert is on a mission to bring some Christmas magic to children this year, despite what looks like a very different holiday season.
An effervescent brunette, DeAngelo-Erkert has been acting professionally since the age of two and a half. “[My first role] was a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz!” she shared.
“I have been in well over hundred and fifty different shows in my life and was lucky enough to tour the country in the musicals, ‘Annie’, and ‘The Music Man’”.
DeAngelo-Erkert fondly refers to Berks County as “home”, noting that despite the many travels in her career, she loves returning to her roots at various local community theatres.
“I am currently the choreographer at one of Berks County’s oldest community theatres, Reading Civic Theatre,” she said.
DeAngelo-Erkert is a seasoned pro at transforming herself into various characters, and fully immersing herself in each role she brings to life.
She cites comedic actresses Lucille Ball and Megan Mullaly as some of her inspirations, and the roles of Tracy Turnblad in “Hairspray” and Sophie in “Mamma Mia” number among some of her favorite roles she has played over the years.
Her history of transformations came in handy when she decided to use her talents to transform into “Elf Angela” this holiday season to bring joy to children stuck at home during a decidedly different holiday season.
DeAngelo-Erkert had performed as a singing elf in past years, and at a petite 4’ 10”, already had a costume tailor-made for her. The transformation into an elf requires a physical process–hair, makeup, costume–but even more important is the heart behind DeAngelo-Erkert’s performance.
“The process of learning about the kids, setting up my Christmas backdrop, creating a solid filming station and recording and editing any videos takes a lot of pre and post work,” she said. “Luckily, my “manager”- aka, my mom and my “Santa”- my mom’s boyfriend, have been a huge help!”
“My biggest goal was to spread joy to the kids and families whose lives are drastically impacted by the pandemic,” said DeAngelo-Erkert, noting that she has made more than 10 Zoom calls and 15 videos thus far.
“Without interaction, family and even seeing Santa at the mall, I needed to provide the seasonal dose of jolly!”
To book “Elf Angela”, contact DeAngelo-Erkert at 610-451-9523 for booking and price info.
