TAMPA, Fla. — “Happy Holidays!” said Faith Dodge, stepping onto the stage of Cinderella’s castle. The lights were bright, the crowd was full of anticipation, and the season’s magic was in the air.
It is the top of the show, and as Dodge took a moment to observe the faces of the audience before her, her eyes caught a familiar sight — the Crystal Palace, the very place that had been an integral part of her childhood.
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year … with the kids jingle belling …”
Dodge had always been a Disney fan, a love that began in her childhood thanks to her late grandparents, who frequently took her to the Crystal Palace for breakfast. It was there where the seeds of her dreams were planted.
“I was always like, ‘they’re here with me,’” said Dodge. “I don’t even know how to describe it — it was surreal.”
That moment was the pinnacle of a dream come true for Dodge. The 23-year-old senior musical theater major at The University of Tampa had been hired in Sept. 2024 to perform in Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World. From Nov. to Dec. 2024, she would live out a childhood fantasy, her voice filling Main Street as the magic of Disney surrounded her.
Dodge’s passion for performing started early.
When she was a baby, the only way she would fall asleep was with her mother singing to her, and eventually, she would sing herself to sleep.
Dodge, a Jersey native, saw Wicked on Broadway at just 8 years old. After the first act, she turned to her mom and said she would be the lady in green when she grew up.
This caused her to pursue theater at 10 or 11, with her first role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
“Faith is one of the most genuinely kind and uplifting people I know,” said Alyssa Hernandez, Dodge’s roommate and friend, a senior musical theater major at UTampa. “She approaches everything with a performer’s heart — she’s dedicated, hardworking, and always striving to grow in her craft.”
Dodge’s dream opportunity came with early mornings and long drives. Rehearsals in Orlando began at 9 a.m., and with traffic, Dodge often left home by 6:45 a.m.
Performance days were even more demanding.
She had to leave Tampa by 3 p.m. to make it on time to her 6 p.m. call time. She did her own makeup and hair once she arrived.
Dodge performed four shows a night, sometimes wrapping up as late as 12:30 a.m., returning home by 2 a.m. at the latest. She did all this while balancing a full class schedule at UTampa and other extracurricular obligations.
Her resilience was tested one night when her in-ear monitor failed mid-performance. She couldn’t hear herself but continued with the full 20-minute show despite this setback. Her professionalism did not go unnoticed.
Even through technical issues and fatigue, Dodge’s joy never faded.
“It felt like all of her hard work had led to this moment, and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time [I watched her],” said Hernandez. “She belongs on that stage.”
Paul Finocchiaro, a musical theater professor at UTampa, witnessed Dodge’s growth firsthand.
“I could see that her versatility as an actress was masterful, her vocal ability is nothing short of amazing, and finally, her dance training and ability helped her to shine in every audition,” said Finocchiaro. “As soon as she played the lead role in Dames at Sea, I knew there was no going back to the chorus for her.”
There were two especially emotional performances for Dodge.
For one performance, 13 of her college friends surprised her with matching shirts that said, “I heart FD.” When Dodge walked out on stage, they screamed so loud that she could hear them through her in-ear monitor. Everybody on stage knew her friends were there.
So whenever they had a moment with her, they would squeeze her arm and say, “Oh, they love you,” said Dodge.
Another night, her mom was in the front row, proudly filming and wearing a shirt with her daughter’s face on it.
“Watching her at Disney made me cry. I was proud of her,” said Jennifer Dodge, Faith’s mom. “It was a full-circle moment … watching her wanting to sing at the castle and then achieving it.”
“[To] anyone who listened, I said, that’s my daughter,” said Jennifer Dodge. “It amazes me [that] she is my daughter.”
Now, as graduation approaches, Dodge is reflecting on what this experience meant.“Every day I was just … so glad to be there,” said Dodge. “A dream come true is really how I would describe it.”
—
Thumbnail image caption: Faith Dodge performing on stage at Walt Disney World. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Justus.