Aleigha Morton plays many roles at the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre in Little Rock.
She might work backstage as a member of the crew or make clothes in the costume shop, but more often than not, she can be seen on stage.
Morton, 25, will appear as Kitten One and Thing One in the upcoming Children’s Theatre production of The Cat in the Hat. The familiar Dr. Seuss story will open March 6 and continue on weekends through March 29, with special spring-break matinees March 25-28.
Performance times are 7 p.m. Fridays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and 2 p.m. March 25-28.
“If you’ve read The Cat in the Hat, you remember it’s a rainy day, and the Cat comes in to cheer up the kids,” Morton said. “The Cat opens the box and Things (Thing One and Thing Two) come out and cause trouble, such as flying a kite in the house.”
Morton grew up in Searcy, the daughter of Mike and Shela Morton, who now live in Beebe. Aleigha Morton has three brothers — Bill, 24, of Jonesboro; Max, 15, who is a boarding student at Subiaco Academy near Paris; and Luke, 13, who lives at home with his parents in Beebe.
Morton graduated from Searcy High School in 2007 and from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater in 2011.
Morton said she did not go to college to study theater, but when she got there to register, there was some confusion, and she was listed as a theater student.
“I had a chance to be in a show and switched my major,” she said.
This is the fourth season Morton has worked as a company actor at the Children’s Theatre.
“I really like working here. I really love the ensemble acting company,” said Morton, who now lives in Little Rock.
“I get to stay in one spot and work with the same people,” she said, adding that she has no interest in moving to New York City to try her hand on Broadway.
“I love Arkansas,” she said. “I love what I do here.
“I’m part of the company here,” she said. “They put me where they need me. I sometimes go on tour with the company as well. I am interested in all aspects of theater.
“I’ve been sewing since I was 10, so I can make costumes, too.”
In addition to acting, Morton also teaches three Saturday classes in basic acting for 3- to 5-year-olds and 9- to 12-year-olds, as well as summer classes in the Junior Arts Academy and in the Summer Theatre Academy.
Morton most recently appeared as Nana in the Christmas 2014 production of The Velveteen Rabbit.
“One of my favorite roles was Pierre the Troll in The Three Little Pigs and Three Billy Goats Gruff,” she said. “I was a live Muppet.”
When she is not busy at the Children’s Theatre, Morton does visual art “at home, for fun,” she said.
She lives near the Arkansas Arts Center and commutes by bicycle.
“I don’t have a car,” she said. “My bike is my transportation.”
Morton said she has switched “to a natural lifestyle.”
“I build my own stuff. I make my own deodorant, toothpaste and shampoo,” Morton said.
“I’ve known Aleigha since she was an intern here,” said Katie Campbell, director of The Cat in the Hat.
“She brings such vitality to everything she does,” Campbell said. “She is a good motivator and an inspiration to me as a director. I am so appreciative of her efforts, artistically and personally.”
Morton said she does not know what her next role will be following The Cat in the Hat.
“I’ll most likely go on tour, but I’m not sure,” she said. “We take plays to rural areas or little festivals around the state. We usually do that in the spring.”
General-admission tickets for The Cat in the Hat are $12.50 for children and adults, and $10 for Arkansas Arts Center members.
Pay What You Can Night will be March 5; curtain time is 7 p.m. Tickets must be purchased from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 5 at the Stephens Inc. Visitors Center or when the box office opens at 6 p.m. at the Arkansas Arts Center, Ninth and Commerce streets in Little Rock.
For more information, visit arkansasartscenter.org, call (501) 372-4000, or “Like” the Arkansas Arts Center on Facebook.