Leslie O’Carroll and Olivia Wilson

Olivia Wilson just made her professional stage debut as an understudy in the Denver Center Theatre Company’s (DCTC) annual production of A Christmas Carol. Saying she comes by her acting talent naturally is an understatement. Her father, Steve Wilson, has worked throughout the Colorado community as a director, arts administrator, teacher, and performer for more than 30 years. Her mother, Leslie O’Carroll (whom Olivia calls “Denver’s Queen of Comedy”), has acted on stages across the state including 24 years with the DCTC. Of those two dozen seasons, Leslie regaled audiences for 17 years as Mrs. Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol…a role her daughter now covers. 

 Currently, Leslie is starring across the Arts Complex in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors in the DCPA’s Garner Galleria Theatre while Olivia is the swing for seven roles in A Christmas Carol,  including Martha, Mrs. Fezziwig, Maid, Fezziwig Daughter, Charwoman, Laundress, Fred’s Wife, and the Wife’s Sister. 

 To commemorate the passing of the baton, the DCPA NewsCenter asked this mother-daughter duo to interview one another about what this moment means to them. 

Leslie O’Carroll in A Christmas Carol. Photo by Adams VisCom.

Leslie O’Carroll: You were basically born into theater. You have such a good array of experiences because you got to watch your dad direct Phamaly for 16 years, and you’ve seen me in many, many shows here at the Denver Center, including A Christmas Carol. What is it like to step into this world?  

Olivia Wilson: It’s definitely surreal. I don’t think it’s really hit me yet that I’m getting to do this and living on your legacy. When I got the call that I was going to get to understudy Mrs. Fezziwig, I shed a few tears. It’s really full circle — getting to watch you do it and Kathy Brady (Mrs. Fezziwig 1990-99) do it, and all of these other incredible performers. I’m just so honored to be able to do it myself and put a little of me in there…and some of you. 

Leslie: I may or may not have seen a bootleg copy of you [going on in A Christmas Carol]. What I loved was that you took the framework, but I still saw Olivia there. I saw what you brought to the role. And I was really, really proud.  

Olivia: You’ve obviously been at the Denver Center for many years. What advice do you have for me as I begin my career here as a young performer just starting out?  

 Leslie: When I coach little kids, I talk about the three P’s. You need to always be prepared. You need to be professional, and you need to be personable. If you’re a kind and giving actor, other people want to work with you. Somebody said to me: “Don’t be the problem. Be the solution.” So, if someone asks you to do something, say “yes” and figure it out. 

Leslie: You are the understudy for seven roles, which is very complicated in A Christmas Carol. What did you do to prepare to go on at a moment’s notice?  

Olivia: I had never understudied or swung before, so it was definitely intimidating especially since I just graduated and this is my first big job. And obviously I have a lot of shoes to fill, and I want to do you proud. 

Everybody has their own methods. I have notecards for each of the characters I cover. On the front, I write their entrances, I write their cue lines, I write their lines. I can look at those, make sure I remember everything, put it down, and go right in. 

And then on the back I have pictures of the stage and where to go and who the character is standing next to with arrows to show where they’re going. Plus, we’re allowed to shadow as many times as we need. It’s so amazing to just stand there and be like, okay, this is the actress, this is how she does her steps.  

And (I love that you said this) my job as the swing is to go in and help everyone else feel supported and not nervous that someone is out.  

Kathy Brady and Mark Rubald in A Christmas Carol (2005).

Leslie: I remember when I went on for Kathy Brady. It was the last week. I had already packed all my stuff, so I thought, “I’m good.” And then I got the call. I remember going into that rehearsal, and I’ve got Robert Westenberg sitting over there…Broadway star. I’ve got Randy Moore who’s done hundreds of shows. And I’m like, “I better know what I’m doing.” That is when I realized as an understudy, it wasn’t about me. It was about them. It was about Bob knowing that he’s going to get all his laughs. I will give them what they need, and that is the first time I really felt like a professional actor. 

The first time that I went on for Kathy as Mrs. Fezziwig, we were in our dressing room. She was not feeling well. She felt really dizzy. She said, “I don’t think I can go on.” She took her wig off and she handed it to me, and I was like, “Wait, what?” because I was in the show as a different character. The Fezziwig number had already started, so Harvey Blanks was already on stage. We called the stage manager, and I said, “I’m going on for Kathy.” [Everyone backstage knew.] All the dancers knew. Everyone…except the people on stage, and there’s no time to think about anything. All I’m thinking is, “Okay, I’ve got this.” I came on [to Mrs. Fezziwig’s special] music and Harvey looked over at me and he said, “Mrs. Fezziwig. Look at you!” And then we just did it.  

Leslie: You recently had to go on in the middle of a show. You were in the catwalk looking for one of the character’s you cover who didn’t appear. What did you do? 

Olivia Wilson, understudy in A Christmas Carol (2025)

Olivia: They were about to finish Act One, and I was like, now wait a minute. I think the girl who plays Martha is supposed to be right there. Then it actually registered…she’s not on stage. I checked my cell phone, and our stage manager was asking me to come downstairs. I ran down seven flights. [I kept saying], “It’s okay, it’s okay. This is your job.” I grabbed my notecards. I got to my dressing room. I put on my makeup as fast as I could. I put my hair in pin curls that were very bad. (Thank you to the wig people who really helped those wigs stay on!) I put on my costume, and I was like, “Okay, here we go.” And I was Martha for all of Act Two. It was a very surreal experience. I don’t think my brain caught up with my body until after the show. This is why they say be ready. 

That’s where swinging is fun. I think it’s also helped me become more professional too. Like you said, this is my job. This is how you show up every day and if you go on, you go on. If not, then there’s always the next day.  

Leslie: Do you have a specific memory of A Christmas Carol as an audience member?  

Olivia: I will never forget [spoiler alert] Marley coming out of that trap door. I’ve always remembered that entrance and the door knocker turning into Marley’s face. I always thought that was so cool. I was like, “Oh my gosh! This is a mystery.” 

I think the funniest thing that I remember is the first time I could recognize what you were doing. Like, it registered. You kissed Mr. Fezziwig on the lips, and I was like, “Oh!” 

Olivia: What does it mean to you to see me join the Denver Center Theatre Company family and carry on this tradition?  

Leslie: Oh, you’re gonna make me cry. 

The Denver Center has been my artistic home for over 30 years. When [former DCTC Artistic Director] Donovan Marley was here, he saw something in a young 24-year-old character actress and decided to invest in that person. I joined this family who invested in me, and I learned to act by watching the other actors on stage. 

It really means everything to me that you get to join this artistic family. It’s a little bit like passing the torch to the next generation, and it makes me feel like the time that I’ve invested here is worth something because I can now see that you will be part of the next generation. And, who knows, maybe this will become your artistic home or maybe you have other journeys. But to know that you have been able to experience what I’ve experienced….it just validates everything I’ve done. It makes me very proud to be a part of this company, and now it makes me super proud for you to be a part of it as well.  

 Mrs. Fezziwig Actresses (1990/91-2025/26) 

 90-91    Kathleen Garvin-Brady 

91-92    Kathleen Garvin-Brady 

92-93    Kathleen Garvin-Brady 

93-94    Kathleen Brady 

94-95    Kathleen Brady 

95-96    Kathleen Brady 

96-97    Kathleen Brady 

97-98    Kathleen Brady 

98-99    Kathleen Brady 

99-00    Kathleen Brady 

00-01    No production 

01-02    Leslie O’Carroll 

02-03    Leslie O’Carroll 

03-04    Leslie O’Carroll 

04-05    Kathleen Brady

05-06    Leslie O’Carroll 

06-07    Leslie O’Carroll 

07-08    No production 

08-09    Leslie O’Carroll 

09-10    Leslie O’Carroll 

10-11    Linda Mugleston

11-12    Leslie O’Carroll 

12-13    No production 

13-14    Leslie O’Carroll 

14-15    Leslie O’Carroll 

15-16    Leslie O’Carroll 

16-17    Leslie O’Carroll 

17-18    Leslie O’Carroll 

18-19    Leslie O’Carroll 

19-20    No production 

20-21    No production 

21-22    Leslie O’Carroll 

22-23    Emily Van Fleet 

23-24    Emily Van Fleet 

24-25    Stephanie Lynn Mason  

25-26    Stephanie Lynn Mason (understudied by Olivia Wilson)