Now, he is part of the annual American Conservatory Theatre production of "A Christmas Carol," opening next week.
Co-adapted from the classic Charles Dickens work by Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh, it differs from Dickens' novella in that it adapts to the stage and contains original music by composer Karl Lundeberg and choreography by Val Caniparoli. It is the 31st year for A.C.T. and the beloved classic, which has evolved in that time.
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It is also the first A.C.T. production for young Merritt, who is making his own transformation from small community stages to the large, professional A.C.T. on Geary Street.
"It feels good," he says of the change. "It's astonishing. We start small and get bigger. It's such a great time to be with (A.C.T.)."
Merritt, 12, a former student of Young Actors Workshop and Coastal Theatre Conservatory on the Coastside and of the A.C.T. Young Conservatory, plays the role of "Davey," a schoolboy from Scrooge's past, and also a young pickpocket in the early scenes.
Seeing the carefree boys, said Merritt, shows Scrooge "how we're so happy out of school, because in school (in 19th-century England, the play's setting), they feed us porridge and it's not so great."
The schoolboys are a big part of Scrooge's change, he added. "We're supposed to be part of him learning to care about Christmas."
He says that being involved with the story of Scrooge gave him a new take on the holiday.
"Christmas isn't about presents from Santa Claus," he said. "It's about learning to care about Christmas."
Merritt was chosen for his slot in this production out of about 100 competitors, he says. The multi-generational cast, with actors from 6 to seniors, features professionals, A.C.T.'s core of six or seven regular performers, and about 17 youth age 6 to 15, from A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory - and a few from public auditions.
Being a student at the A.C.T. Young Conservatory did not guarantee a role in the holiday classic. Merritt was tapped for the cast for deeper reasons.
Young actors who are cast in "A Christmas Carol," says Schwartz, must demonstrate facility with the script and Dickensian language, must audition well and must "have that mysterious quantity that is stage presence."
Merritt learned that beginning in northern Virginia, where he was born and played "a joker and a surfer" in his first play, "Stone in the Road," when he was 8. The family also lived in Maryland and San Francisco until settling in Half Moon Bay around a year ago.
Merritt says he likes the beach and the surf, but "I do miss the snow" of Virginia.
He studied with YAW from October 2006 through May 2007, learning "how to create things and how to use my imagination." With Coastal Theatre Conservatory, he picked up a range of theater skills, mastered improvisation and appeared in "Music Man Jr."
"I think the first thing that professional companies look for when dealing with children is, whether or not the child can take direction, and is the child going to be enjoyable to be around, and are they disciplined," said Michael Lederman, CRT artistic director and founder/director of CTC. "John is all of those things."
At the end of the "Music Man Jr." run, Merritt made the decision that he wanted to be a professional actor, perhaps in television. He cites several reasons.
"I'm very good at it," he said. Besides, that, "You can go on stage and do things and not many people can do that" and the fact that "you can do anything you want in character, and you won't look dumb because you're acting."
With the A.C.T. Young Conservatory he mastered British accents and improvisational skills, which he said come in handy in everyday life as well as in other stage roles. "Improvisation might help because sometimes you need to get away with something," he laughed, but then added, more seriously, that "if someone (on stage) messes up, you have to improvise, to make it look like it was supposed to happen."
He learned a lot about how to care, both from the story of Scrooge and from A.C.T. Learning to care for the production itself, too, is vital for this show, said A.C.T. press representative Martin Scwartz.
"For a lot of people, this is their first real encounter with theater," he said. "Everyone who takes part in it, is encouraged to remember that. This is how many people learn to dream. It's part of our responsibility."
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