b'Theres No PlaceLike Home, For the HolidaysHow Ginna Claire Mason made her dreams a reality BY AMY LYNN-CRAMERW hen South Orange resident Ginna Claire Ma- Little Orphan Annie to Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, she acted, sang son was just 13, she sat in row K of the Gersh- and danced her way to Elon University in North Carolina, where she was win Theatre, captivated by Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and the original cast of Wicked on Broadway. She turned to her father and declared that one day she too would be on that stage. Although it was a dream shared by countless young girls, for Mason it came true on Nov. 25, 2015, when she made her Broadway debut as Glinda, the good witch in Wicked.In anticipation of the film version of Wicked, which premiered on Novem-ber 22, Mason had the opportunity to screen it with its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. She was joined by former Broadway Glindas and Elpha-bas for the love letter to Broadway that exceeded my wildest expectations.Masons determination to see her name in lights started in the fourth grade when she and her family traveled to Manhattan for the first time. I saw Les Miserable at the Imperial Theatre, and my world was changed, she says. That was the first time I realized that my after-school hobby could be a job. I could be an accountant or I could do this for a living.Growing up in Brentwood, Tenn., right outside of Nashville, Mason fol- Ginna Claire Mason (fifth from right) attended the screening of the film version of Wicked along with former Broadway Glindas and Elphabas. Photo credit: Chad lowed in her older brothers footsteps in community theater. From Annie inKrauss.12/ matters magazine / holiday 2024'