INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — She makes people laugh. She makes people cry. She makes people smile. And she triggers all of those emotions just by using her voice. This little girl is "A Ray of Sunshine" who radiates positivity when she steps into the spotlight.
"I think she understands that she's good, but I don't know that she knows yet that she's great," said Production Manager Jennifer Estes.
Ainsley Sheets is 9 years old now, but her family noticed her talent years ago. Her mom, Jennifer, remembers the first song her daughter ever sang.
"She would say twinkle twinkle, and then she'd go STAR," said Jennifer Sheets. "I have a ton of videos of her singing."
Ainsley added, "Everyone else is kind of cool with it, except my brother. He's like, 'be quiet.'"
"It's eerily quiet when she's not home because she walks around singing all of the time," said Sheets.
Ainsley says her dream job is to be on Broadway.
Until she lands that gig, she steps out on stage and performs for smaller audiences.
"She did really well until the end and then she kind of faltered at the end because the music was a little different than what we’d been practicing with," said Sheets. "She lost her place a little bit, and she was really upset. She finished, but you could see even in the video, we have of her singing, you can see where she was really frustrated with herself. Then she didn't want to do the talent show anymore."
Ainsley's mom said her daughter eventually calmed down, got over it and decided to try again.
"I guess she's resilient," said Sheets.
Ainsley learned a thing or two about bouncing back as a toddler. At 2 and a half years old, she was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Eventually, doctors took out her tonsils and adenoids. And then when she turned 5, she started having seizures. But throughout all of this, she never stopped singing. She kept singing and healing. Then, she got back on stage and auditioned for her biggest role yet.
"She just came in and blew us away with 'Maybe,'" said Estes. "We were all just goosebumps head to toe."
Ainsley added, "She told me that I was Annie, and in my head, I was like 'oh my gosh I'm Annie.'"
"Ainsley is a ray of sunshine," said Estes. "She lights up the room when she comes in."
And maybe, you'll see her lighting up the room on Broadway.
"She's definitely something special," said Estes.
In His Light Players production of "Annie Junior" takes place May 4-6 and 10-11.
The performances are taking place at Valley Mills Christian Church, which is located at 555 Kentucky Ave. in Indianapolis. Click here for showtimes and ticket information.