Brooklyn Nelson

{{Infobox person

| name = Brooklyn Nelson

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|14|2018|4|13}}

| birth_place = Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.

| nationality =

| other_names =

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 2015–present

| known_for =

| notable_works =

}}

Brooklyn Nelson (born {{Birth based on age as of date|14|2018|4|13|noage=y}}) is an American actress. Born in Huntington, West Virginia, Nelson began acting as a child in a local theater production of The Little Mermaid Jr. at age eight. She made her professional debut on Broadway as a small girl swing{{efn|In musical theater, a swing is a performer who understudies multiple roles.{{cite web |last1=Dilella |first1=Frank |title=Understanding Broadway: The Swing |url=https://playbill.com/article/understanding-broadway-the-swing-com-170521 |website=Playbill |access-date=August 16, 2022 |date=August 1, 2010}}|name=Swing}} in Matilda the Musical in 2015. In 2018, she returned to Broadway, originating the role of young Elsa in the stage adaptation of Disney's Frozen along with her counterpart Ayla Schwartz; she had initially played the role in the 2017 Denver pre-Broadway tryout, garnering critical praise. Nelson also lent her voice to the English dub of the characters of Nazuna Oikawa and Medmel in Fireworks (2017) and Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018), respectively.

Early life

Nelson was born in Huntington, West Virginia,{{cite web |title=Dean Cain Stars in Holiday Film Shot in West Virginia |url=https://apnews.com/article/19acefff295049a582fb95576c840902 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=April 15, 2022 |language=en |date=June 8, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416061448/https://apnews.com/article/19acefff295049a582fb95576c840902 |url-status=live }} to Tara and Todd Nelson. She has a younger sister, Lacey. Nelson became passionate about theater at the age of eight, when she landed a role in The Little Mermaid Jr. at Huntington's First Stage Theater. She later appeared in several local productions by First Stage, Curtain Up Players, and the Huntington Regional Theater. Nelson expressed interest in becoming a Broadway actress after seeing a performance of Matilda the Musical. She attended Village of Barboursville Elementary School and Barboursville Middle School.{{cite web |last1=Gardner |first1=Jeniffer |title=Local Girl Marks Second Run on Broadway in Frozen the Musical|url=https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/local-girl-marks-second-run-on-broadway-in-frozen-the-musical/article_baa0337c-b70e-5596-a338-69d60e42f410.html |website=Charleston Gazette-Mail |date=April 13, 2018 |url-access=limited |access-date=April 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018043007/https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/local-girl-marks-second-run-on-broadway-in-frozen-the-musical/article_baa0337c-b70e-5596-a338-69d60e42f410.html |archive-date=October 18, 2020|url-status=live}} She remained enrolled in the latter while rehearsing and performing Frozen; her schoolwork was done online.{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Bishop |title=Local Teen Lands Role in Disney's Frozen on Broadway |url=https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/local-teen-lands-role-in-disneys-frozen-on-broadway/article_c7de439a-f1bd-506c-85ae-a1dc25d6542c.html |website=The Herald-Dispatch |date=April 13, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504120026/https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/local-teen-lands-role-in-disneys-frozen-on-broadway/article_c7de439a-f1bd-506c-85ae-a1dc25d6542c.html |url-status=live }}

Career

After Nelson expressed interest in performing on Broadway, her mother searched for open casting calls on the internet. In April 2015, she auditioned for Matilda the Musical;{{cite web |last1=Patrick |first1=Anna |title=Local, Young Actress Makes Broadway Debut |url=https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/local-young-actress-makes-broadway-debut/article_fb699b66-1d4d-5984-aee6-fd0370a166a5.html |website=Charleston Gazette-Mail |access-date=April 16, 2022 |language=en |date=September 6, 2015 |url-access=limited |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420203825/https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/local-young-actress-makes-broadway-debut/article_fb699b66-1d4d-5984-aee6-fd0370a166a5.html |url-status=live }} she was cast after multiple callbacks. She rehearsed for eight to nine hours a day for six weeks to familiarize herself with the show's choreography and music. Her 16-month run in Matilda the Musical began in September 2015 at age 11, where she was a small girl swing,{{efn|name=Swing}} shifting between the roles of Lavender and Amanda Thripp. She eventually moved fully onto the role of Amanda.{{Cite web| url=http://www.playbill.com/person/brooklyn-nelson-vault-0000126699|title=Brooklyn Nelson|website=Playbill|language=en|access-date=May 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410201731/http://www.playbill.com/person/brooklyn-nelson-vault-0000126699|archive-date=April 10, 2018 |url-status=live}}

In February 2017, Nelson attended an audition for Disney's Frozen, a Broadway adaptation of the 2013 film of the same name. After three callbacks, she was cast as young Elsa. For several weeks, Nelson attended rehearsals for approximately eight hours a day, six days a week, during which she was tutored and did her schoolwork. An older sister herself, Nelson took inspiration from her real-life dynamics with her younger sister and family. She first played the role in the Denver tryout in 2017, sharing it with Ayla Schwartz. Reception towards the show was mixed, though the cast garnered praise.{{cite web |last1=Martinelli |first1=Marissa |title=Here's What Critics Are Saying About the Frozen Musical Before It Heads to Broadway |url=https://slate.com/culture/2017/09/review-roundup-of-the-frozen-musical.html |website=Slate |access-date=April 16, 2022 |language=en |date=September 15, 2017 |url-access=limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417110906/https://slate.com/culture/2017/09/review-roundup-of-the-frozen-musical.html |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |url-status=live}} Critics commended Nelson's performance,{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Chris |title=In Denver, Disney's Frozen Musical Plays It Too Safe with Elsa and Anna |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/sc-ent-frozen-review-0915-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=April 16, 2022 |date=September 14, 2017 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416062950/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/sc-ent-frozen-review-0915-story.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Wilker |first1=Deborah |title=Frozen: Theater Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/disney-frozen-theater-1039295 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=April 16, 2022 |date=September 14, 2017 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416061451/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/disney-frozen-theater-1039295/ |url-status=live }} with Variety stating: "The grown actresses {{bracket|playing Anna and Elsa}} are matched pound for wee pound by the youngsters playing Anna and Elsa as girls. ... Nelson captures a big sister's kind attentiveness and, later, her guilt at accidentally harming [Anna]."{{cite web |last1=Kennedy |first1=Lisa |title=Pre-Broadway Review: Frozen, the Musical |url=https://variety.com/2017/legit/reviews/frozen-review-musical-pre-broadway-denver-1202558998 |website=Variety |access-date=April 16, 2022 |date=September 15, 2017 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416061451/https://variety.com/2017/legit/reviews/frozen-review-musical-pre-broadway-denver-1202558998/ |url-status=live }} In March 2018, she and Schwartz originated the role on Broadway. She appeared in four of the production's eight weekly performances. She left the cast at the end of April 2018. Nelson also sang on the play's Broadway cast recording, which was released in May.{{cite web |title=Frozen: The Broadway Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frozen-Broadway-Musical-Original-Recording/dp/B07CVLL2J9 |publisher=Amazon |access-date=July 20, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Hayes |first1=Dade |title=Frozen Broadway Cast Recording Slated for Release Later This Spring |url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/frozen-broadway-cast-recording-release-later-this-spring-1202361204 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501185126/http://deadline.com/2018/04/frozen-broadway-cast-recording-release-later-this-spring-1202361204/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2018 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=July 20, 2023 |date=April 9, 2018}}

In 2017, Nelson voiced Nazuna Oikawa in the English dub of anime film Fireworks,{{cite web |last1=Chen |first1=Sandie Angulo |title=Fireworks |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/fireworks |publisher=Common Sense Media |access-date=April 16, 2022 |language=en |url-access=limited |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416061448/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/fireworks |url-status=live }} which received mixed reviews.{{Cite Metacritic|id=fireworks|type=m|title=Fireworks|access-date=April 16, 2022 |publisher_hide=yes}} Her second voice role came in 2018's Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, another anime film, in which she provided the English dub for the character of Medmel.{{cite web |last1=Trumbore |first1=Dave |title=Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Marathon Continues on Twitch from VIZ Media |url=https://collider.com/jojos-bizarre-adventure-twitch-marathon |website=Collider |access-date=April 16, 2022 |date=August 18, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416061452/https://collider.com/jojos-bizarre-adventure-twitch-marathon/ |url-status=live }} The same year, Nelson appeared as the titular character in Megan's Christmas Miracle, starring opposite Dean Cain.{{cite web |title=Actor Dean Cain to Come to Clarksburg for Movie, Will Host Meet and Greet Alongside Former POW Jessica Lynch |url=https://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Actor-Dean-Cain-to-come-to-Clarksburg-for-movie-will-host-meet-and-greet-alongside-former-POW-Jessica-Lynch--483362251.html |publisher=WDTV |access-date=January 16, 2021 |language=en |date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122211820/https://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Actor-Dean-Cain-to-come-to-Clarksburg-for-movie-will-host-meet-and-greet-alongside-former-POW-Jessica-Lynch--483362251.html |url-status=live }}

Credits

=Theater=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" ! scope="col"\| Year ! scope="col"\| Production ! scope="col"\| Role ! scope="col"\| Venue ! scope="col" class="unsortable"\|Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable"\|{{refh}}
scope="row"\| 2015–2016 \| Matilda the Musical \| Small girl swing{{efn\|Nelson shifted between the roles of Amanda Thripp and Lavender while she was a small girl swing.}} / Amanda Thripp \| Shubert Theatre \| \| {{center\|}}
scope="row"\| 2017 \| Frozen \| Young Elsa \| Buell Theatre \| Pre-Broadway tryout \| {{center\|{{cite web \|last1=McPhee \|first1=Ryan \|title=Disney's Broadway-Bound Frozen Musical Begins Performances in Denver August 17 \|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/disneys-broadway-bound-frozen-musical-begins-performances-in-denver-august-17 \|website=Playbill \|access-date=November 22, 2020 \|language=en \|date=August 17, 2017 \|archive-date=November 29, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129193756/https://www.playbill.com/article/disneys-broadway-bound-frozen-musical-begins-performances-in-denver-august-17 \|url-status=live }}}}
scope="row"\| 2018 \| Frozen \| Young Elsa \| St. James Theatre \| \| {{center\|}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

! scope="col"| Year

! scope="col"| Production

! scope="col"| Role

! scope="col"| Venue

! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes

! scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{refh}}

scope="row"| 2015–2016

| Matilda the Musical

| Small girl swing{{efn|Nelson shifted between the roles of Amanda Thripp and Lavender while she was a small girl swing.}} / Amanda Thripp

| Shubert Theatre

| {{center|}}

scope="row"| 2017

| Frozen

| Young Elsa

| Buell Theatre

| Pre-Broadway tryout

| {{center|{{cite web |last1=McPhee |first1=Ryan |title=Disney's Broadway-Bound Frozen Musical Begins Performances in Denver August 17 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/disneys-broadway-bound-frozen-musical-begins-performances-in-denver-august-17 |website=Playbill |access-date=November 22, 2020 |language=en |date=August 17, 2017 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129193756/https://www.playbill.com/article/disneys-broadway-bound-frozen-musical-begins-performances-in-denver-august-17 |url-status=live }}}}

scope="row"| 2018

| Frozen

| Young Elsa

| St. James Theatre

| {{center|}}

=Film=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" ! scope="col"\| Year ! scope="col"\| Title ! scope="col"\| Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable"\|Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable"\|{{refh}}
scope="row"\| 2017 \| Fireworks \| Nazuna Oikawa \| English dub \| {{center\|}}
scope="rowgroup" rowspan="2"\|2018 \| Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms \| Medmel \| English dub \| {{center\|}}
Megan's Christmas Miracle \| Megan \| \|{{center\|}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

! scope="col"| Year

! scope="col"| Title

! scope="col"| Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes

! scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{refh}}

scope="row"| 2017

| Fireworks

| Nazuna Oikawa

| English dub

| {{center|}}

scope="rowgroup" rowspan="2"|2018