“Little Women” was among Susan Cook’s favorite childhood reading.

“I always loved the book, and I always wanted to be Jo,” she said.  “Getting to do that now is an amazing experience.”

Cook is cast in the role of Jo March in the Leeds Arts Council’s production of “Little Women: The Broadway Musical,” which wraps a three-week run at the Leeds Theatre and Arts Center this weekend.

It’s Cook’s third production in Leeds, where she also had leading roles in “Beauty and the Beast” and “My Fair Lady.”  

“I’ve been blessed to play so many great, iconic roles like Eliza Doolittle.  Those experiences make up one of the reasons I love theater so much,” she said.  “I’m really thankful for the local theater community.”

Before one of last weekend’s performances, Cook, who is pursuing at master’s degree in English at UAB, discussed her love of performing arts, including her current and former roles.

“Little Women: The Broadway Musical:” Based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel, performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday.  Tickets are $15, with special rates of $12 for seniors and $10 for students.  Reservations are available by calling 205-699-1892.

Her stage debut:  Although involved in performing arts “for a very long time,” Cook’s first community theater role was the lead in the Gardendale Arts Council’s 2003 production of “Cinderella.”

A favorite role:  Belle in “Beauty and the Beast.”  “I felt like I was working at Disneyworld every day.  The families and little kids who came out, you could see how much the show meant to them.  To make dreams come true for kids in this area has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve been a part of.”

Her most challenging role:  Lavinia in the tragedy “Titus Andronicus,” one of Shakespeare’s least-performed plays.  “I had very few lines – I think only 16 in the whole show – because the character has her hands cut off and her tongue cut out.  It doesn’t happen on stage, but it’s still gruesome and horrifying to think about.  I thought, ‘How interesting is this?’ Everything I had to do was with my actions and my face.  I wore socks on my hands to prepare for the role.”

What’s next?:  “I’ve been offered the role of Ophelia in ‘Hamlet.’  That’s the first play I ever read, and I’ve always wanted to play that role.  I get to do that in February.”  The production is set for 11 performances at Theatre Downtown in Birmingham.

The appeal of theater:  “There is a great sense of satisfaction seeing a work of art come to life, and in community theater, (cast members) really bond together and become a family making that happen.  Then there’s the settings – the borrowed furniture, the fake fruit, the wood that’s barely held together and yet becomes the Jo’s attic or the living room of the March house during the play each night.  All those items that aren’t anything really are real for a little while.  There is a magic to it.”