Kendall Tubbs has already spent half her life doing what she loves.

The Flower Mound 6-year-old is playing Gretl von Trapp, the youngest of the family of singers, in Denton Community Theatre’s production of The Sound of Music. The show’s final, sold-out performance is today.

“I think this show is my best,” Kendall said. “It’s my biggest role. I made myself look like Gretl.”

Kendall, the daughter of Brian and Debbie Tubbs, is a student at Old Settlers Elementary School.

Courtesy photo

Six-year-old Kendall Tubbs, center, plays the littlest von Trapp in Denton Community Theatre’s sold-out production of The Sound of Music. Kendall is also a spokesgirl for juvenile diabetes awareness. The von Trapps are shown in a scene with Maria (Cori Lynne).

The play is Kendall’s fifth theatrical performance in two years; the other four were Actors Conservatory productions in Lewisville. She earned this latest role — her first show to include a music director and choreographer — following a January audition, having already received professional vocal and dance training.

“I enjoy being part of the shows and making people happy,” she said.

Kendall has been acting since age 3, and she’s attended roughly 70 productions since she was 7 months old.

Her mother said Kendall’s focus was not just on acting but also on each show’s breakdown of props, costumes, lighting and extras. 

“I remember her watching Barney on TV and watching the kids interact with Barney, and she was more interested with the kids than with Barney,” Debbie Tubbs said. “She wondered, ‘How can I be one those guys?’”

Since 2006, Kendall has done a number of speaking engagements and video appearances promoting juvenile diabetes awareness. At age 2, Kendall was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Since she must use an insulin pump continually, her costume for Sound of Music was designed with extra space, making the pump inconspicuous. Her eating is constantly monitored, and when working on a play, she maintains a low-carbohydrate diet.

“A low-carb diet has less effect on her blood [sugar] than a normal diet would,” said her father, Brian Tubbs. “When her blood sugars go high, it is more difficult for her to concentrate. During a play, she can feel a bit better if her blood sugar is going through not as big a swing.”

Before she began using the insulin pump, Kendall required regular shots, her father said.

“It’s a constant monitoring of the situation and trying to react to it in an attempt to somewhat manage it,” he said. “I can’t say we fully manage it, since there are so many unknown factors.”

Nonetheless, Kendall’s talent makes her a natural spokesgirl for juvenile diabetes. In 2007, she appeared in a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation awareness video intended for North Texas schools. It was later adopted for a national educational program.

This year, she spoke about the disease at regional conferences for Marshalls Department Stores and Coca-Cola.

Kendall said she will remain a public speaker and actress for now, but when the time seems right, she’d like move into production.

“I’ve done it for a long time, and it just makes me feel happy,” she said. “I think I’ll just get more courage and do bigger, better things.”

GREG RUSSELL can be reached at 940-566-6861. His e-mail address is grussell@dentonrc.com.