This March, the Schreiber Theatre Company will be putting on the Broadway musical adaption of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. 

“The Production Staff of Disney’s The Little Mermaid is so excited to bring this wonderful musical to the Schreiber stage.  The music from this show is iconic; so many classic songs came out of this movie and subsequent Broadway show, and hearing the students bring the music and lyrics to life is truly amazing,” said director Ms. Lauren Foster-Holzer.

The Little Mermaid was originally written by Hans Christian Andersen, published among other now-famous fairy tales like The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Princess and the Pea.  Many people know it from the Disney adaption, which follows Ariel, the youngest mermaid daughter of King Triton.  Ariel desires legs to explore human life on land, her curiosity leading to signing a contract with the sea witch Ursula that gives her legs in exchange for her voice, and states that if Ariel is unable to marry the man she fell in love with in three days, she will be unable to return to the sea ever again.  In 2008, a Broadway adaption was written and ran for a year.  Schrieber’s actors will be performing based off of the Broadway adaption. 

“From the first day of auditions through our first few weeks of rehearsals, we continue to be in awe of the incredible work ethic of the cast, crew and pit orchestra.  Watching the actors embody their characters and rise to the challenges of learning and performing the blocking and choreography is remarkable.  We cannot wait for people of all ages to join us on March 6-8 to celebrate the magic of The Little Mermaid!” said Ms. Foster-Holzer. 

Tryouts for the musical took place in Dec., and after two rounds of auditions plus callbacks, the cast was set.  The actors hit the ground running in their preparation, working tirelessly every rehearsal on their scripts, working with the vocal coaches, choreographers and numerous other coaches to make this musical a show worth watching. 

“I think the musical will be fantastic, better than ever before!! In my opinion, the Little Mermaid was a good choice because it’s a known musical and it’s great for the little kids to get to have fun with it and everyone (young and old) know it, so it’s good. I also think we have a nice cast that brightens up the energy!” said sophomore Daniella McElroy. 

Behind the scenes of the actors, the stage crew and tech crew are also working hard to ensure the performance runs well.  They are responsible for scene changes and all backstage movements that allow any stage show to run well.  The stage crew spends their rehearsals getting to know the sets and how to manipulate them to create the best effect, while also ensuring that if and when actors need to do costume changes or need to be somewhere for a certain scene, they get there. 

“Currently the actors are learning the songs with the choreographer and vocal director, and they’re doing really well. Part of my job is being the costume director, renting part of the show they can’t do themselves, such as obtaining proper wigs.  I think the casting was spot-on; the kids really earned their spots in the tryout.  The Little Mermaid is a real ensemble piece – the kids really treat each other with respect throughout rehearsals and without the key parts played by each person, the performance would not come together as well as it will,” said producer Ms.  Christine Nelson. 

Another key part of the musical performance is the music provided by the pit orchestra. Sign ups to be a part of the pit orchestra opened around the same time as the auditions for parts in the show, and their rehearsals take just as long as the actors’ do.  There are a limited number of people who can take part, and not all instruments have parts that allow them to participate, which leads some pit players to learn new instruments in order to be able to take part.  They put in just as much effort into their performance to make the musical feel the smoothest and most natural it can be. 

The Schreiber Theatre Company’s performances have audience members who range from students to family members to community members who all attend to support the actors and enjoy the show.  When March gets closer, be sure to watch out for ticket sale posters around Schreiber and around town.

“I feel like the musical will turn out amazing as we are continuing to work hard every day at rehearsals.  I liked the choice of The Little Mermaid being the musical this year!  This show has so many great numbers and songs that I hope the audience loves when it comes to show weekend!  I absolutely love The Little Mermaid being my last show at Schreiber.  This show is going to be so much fun to perform onstage and I am definitely going to miss it and the other shows I performed in,” said senior Lucy Babaian.