Our school is presenting The Little Mermaid. The cast and crew have worked tirelessly and are prepared to go live April 25 and 26. While audiences enjoy seeing the fanfare of a finished production, people typically only see the show itself, not all the hard work that goes into it. 

The Little Mermaid is such a special play and this play requires dedication from both the cast members and the producers. 

¨Rehearsals have been great. We are moving rapidly, and the actors are doing a good job learning this material,¨ Director Daniel Cerullo said. ¨This play is so unique because it is so gigantic. This is truly a big, sparkly Broadway production. It is so much fun and is a story so many people know.¨

The actors and Cerullo have put their all into perfecting all aspects of the play, including singing, dancing, and acting where they put their souls into making the characters as amazing as they are on screen. 

¨My big focus is blocking out all the acting scenes, but we do everything. Once we are done with that, we will start locking in the different acting moments. During this time, I will approve costumes, check in on the set builds and start to plan out our PR plan,” Cerullo said.

Senior Clara Gee has been casted for the main role of Ariel and for the role of Ursula they cast senior Emma Fortin. They have both worked hard for their roles and have taken time in their days to work towards this goal.

¨I analyzed scripts and watched the movie multiple times so I could understand and portray Ariel’s mannerisms better,¨ Gee said

¨Over the entire winter break, I practiced for about 15 to 30 minutes every single day, just to make sure I got the body language correct and make sure I got the vocals correct for Ursula,¨ Fortin said.

There are many amazing things about those actors and teachers ranging from their leadership, vocals and their positivity that is bound to help the Little Mermaid production become breathtaking.

Along with the play getting rehearsed by the actors, another key factor that goes towards making an amazing play is the scene and background crew. Tech theater has built the set for the Little Mermaid working through the many hardships that come with building a set as unique as the Little Mermaid.  The crew of teacher Timothy Domack, Lee Thompson, Reese Parsons, Drake Luvuski and many others have helped get this show ready for the eyes of our community. 

Building a set as incredible as the Little Mermaid comes with many challenges and obstacles. 

 ¨Making sure the entire set looks like it is actually submerged in water is probably the hardest part of making the set look good and realistic. It is such a crucial part of the set, and it’s very tricky to make sure it’s good quality,¨ Thomspon said  

With all the effort put into designing the set to make it look as magical as it does in the movie, comes attachment to the amazing things built. 

¨My favorite part has to be the thrust, which is the front of the ship for Eric and Ariel. It is such a big and unique project that I didn’t think it would turn out as great as it has,¨ Parsons said

Building a set like that takes skills, and with so many new people bringing this play to life, it allows them to develop new techniques and skills they’ve never had before.

¨It has made me a better carpenter and builder. It has developed how I think about a problem and how I approach it since it can take a lot of creativity to find workarounds,¨ Luvisi said

While the final production of a show is satisfying to watch and full of multiple impressive aspects, it is important to remember and recognize the work that goes into making the production a reality.