Four days a week, Rohan Parekh, 11, a sixth grader at Mellon Middle School, takes the T to the O’Reilly Theater to rehearse for his role as Flick in A Christmas Story. Balancing school and acting, he completes his homework during the commute. Landing the role is a testament to his willingness to take risks and embrace new opportunities.

Brian Pope, the theater’s casting and literary director, says Rohan’s natural comedic talent makes him a perfect fit for Flick, a loyal but often picked-on friend. “He has such a unique sensibility,” Pope said. “He taps into Flick’s little bit of patheticness but still manages to be fun and charming.”

Rohan’s especially enjoys performing the infamous tongue-to-lamppost moment. “It’s my favorite, and that’s the biggest part I’m in,” he said with a grin.

The competitive audition started with video submissions of monologues and jokes to showcase actors’ personalities and comic timing. It was followed by callbacks, group exercises and scene rotations to assess interaction and direction-following.

“I was very surprised and excited that I was going to get to do this opportunity at this age,” Rohan said. “It’s a professional job, and not a lot of kids can say that.”

Rohan’s mother, Joanna Parekh, Highvue Road, is proud of her son’s accomplishments. “When he told me he really wanted it, I got nervous because as a parent, you have to prepare for the disappointment,” she said. “But you also have to be positive for them. When he got the part, it was incredible. It’s such a rare opportunity, and I’m so excited he gets to experience this.”

For Rohan and his family, including his father, Gopal, and sister, Norah, 3, A Christmas Story is a holiday tradition. “Every Christmas, my mom puts it on TV, and that’s the only thing we watch,” Rohan said. “Now that I’ve been rehearsing for the play, it’s interesting how much I remember!” His mom laughed. “He tries to slip in the lines all the time,” she said.

Rohan’s love for acting began with the Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest, one of several school-wide enrichment opportunities open to all students. He earned honorable mentions in 2023 and 2024. Since kindergarten, he’s also participated in Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem-solving competition, making it to the World Finals in 2023.

Joanna believes these experiences have helped develop Rohan’s creativity and confidence. “He’s quick on his feet, and that makes him so comfortable on stage.”

Kathryn Duchin of Hazel Drive, coordinator of middle-level gifted support services in the district, praised Rohan’s willingness to try new things. “He’s a risk-taker,” she said. “He stretches himself and isn’t afraid to try things others might shy away from.”

Rohan offers the following advice for other kids who might be curious about acting or theater: “Try to do as many things as you would like to do,” he said. “If something gets offered, do it, because what can go wrong?”

For A Christmas Story tickets and the full schedule, visit www.ppt.org.