Eighth grader Taylor Becht is involved with the French Lick Scenic Railway. She is currently playing as an elf and chef in The Polar Express.
“On The Polar Express, you are an entertainer and try to make every night the best for all the families. You also see how you can change any person’s life in a positive way,” said Becht.
A skill Becht has that helps her with her job is being able to talk with people and communicate in different situations.
“You should be able to make up conversation, see happiness in any situation, and be great with children,” explained Becht.
In order to have a good, well functioning show, everyone must work as a family. Each person must do their part as an “elf” so everyone on the train can keep the Christmas attitude. This job suits Becht very well simply because she loves to make people happy and has good communication and improv skills. In this type of job, you must be able to do lots of improv.
“This job suits me because I can make things up on the spot, act like a child, and sing and dance like nobody’s watching,” said Becht
Becht is good with communicating with not only kids, but adults too.
“I feel like being able to talk to the kids and adults is a big part of it all. I mean, you want to sing and dance, but if you can’t act and be an elf, then it kills everything about the show,” said Becht.
Over the years that she’s been involved with The Polar Express, she’s improved in areas such as communication. At first, she didn’t know how to talk to people, but now she is more confident than ever in herself. Becht’s favorite part of The Polar Express is being able to make people laugh and be happy and being able to change someone’s life in a positive way.
“Being involved with such a big corporation really makes you feel great. Knowing that you could have changed a person’s life in a positive way is one of my favorite things about the entire experience,” said Becht.
Becht plans on doing The Polar Express throughout her high school years, and her performance skills will only improve.
“I will probably stick with The Polar Express all the way through high school. Once you get out of school, you can no longer be an elf. I’m going to make the most of my time and do it every year,” said Becht.

Story by Angie Ceja