An orphan washes up from sea and gets  raised by two peasant. She later grows up to fall in love with a landowner’s son  after his car crashes near the village. Her name is Ti Moune and she is the lead character in CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School spring musical, “Once On This Island.”  While her grown self is portrayed by Academy senior Esperanza Atkinson, her much younger version is played by 9-year-old Khloe Golding from CREC’s University of Hartford Magnet School. 

Golding, who is in the third grade, was chosen to join the cast of high schoolers after answering an audition call put out to all CREC Elementary schools by director Stacie Beard. Since then, she had been working tirelessly through rehearsals and will take the stage among her much older cast mates on opening night. Golding says she feels at home within her cast and is really enjoying her time. At her young age, Khloe says she already has ambitions to pursue the performing arts and will be attending Hartford Stage’s youth theater program this summer.