“I’m having so much fun,” beamed 7th grader Dominique DeSimone of Warwick.

Dominique plays Wendy’s daughter, Jane, in Theatre-by-the-Sea’s production of “Peter Pan,” now playing at the Matunuck theatre. Much of the fun comes from flying across the stage, one of the highlights of the popular musical.

“There are positives and negatives,” Dominique said. “The positive is that I get to fly really high. And what a feeling when you come down. I get excited, but not scared. The negative is that it is uncomfortable when you come down. There’s no padding.”

We sat around the dining room table, surrounded by scrapbooks of Dominique’s past performances, which her mother, Theresa, proudly showed me.

Dominique attends Masters Regional Academy in Smithfield and has performed in a number of church, school and community talent shows.

“My first performance? I was a broccoli in a talent show when I was 18 months old.”

Not many actresses start their career playing a sprig of broccoli, but Dominique went on to bigger and better roles at a very young age. She has performed for the Swamp Meadow Players in Foster and the Academy Players in Pawtucket. In 2007 and 2008 she played “Want” and then Belinda Crockett in Trinity Rep’s “A Christmas Carol.”

“I plan to try out again this year,” she said. “It will be my last because I’ll be too old in 2010.”

“I was also an extra in the Richard Gere movie, “Hachiko.” It was an eight-hour day for two and a half hour of actual filming. We had six rehearsals and seven takes for that one scene.”

Our interview took place early last Wednesday morning. Rehearsals had run until midnight the night before, and she had to be back at 11 a.m. for a full rehearsal that would again run until late evening. It will be her mother’s first chance to see her on stage.

“Parents are not allowed to stay,” Theresa said. “I‘ve put a lot of miles on my car. I need another oil change. Many times, I will stay down in South County and spend the day at the beach.” (Her tan gave her away).

The sacrifices for both mother and daughter are great, but neither would trade it for the world.

“I’m having so much fun,” Dominique said. “We’re like a big family. We all get along. We do a lot of hugging.”

“Peter Pan” is at Theatre-by-the-Sea through August 8. For tickets call 782-8587.