The Broadway production of The Little Mermaid first opened on January 10, 2008. Soon after its very successful run on Broadway ended, a Jr version of the show was created so different schools, workshops, and theatres could perform a show specifically created for younger actors.  

 

Stars Theatre in collaboration with Stage Door Academy and the Boys and Girls club put on a production of this show in June with 110 participants. According to my sources, the set was colorful and detailed. The starfish on the set stood amongst the other set pieces in particular. The musical’s lighting set the mood for each scene impeccably. Choreography and direction were appropriate in difficulty for the ages of the very young performers, but remained engaging for all audience members.   

 

Because this is the June workshop, the performances will have passed by the time of this article’s publication. However, The Boys and Girls Club and Stage Door Academy do multiple workshops every year, such as the production performed at the Empty Space Theatre during August: Once Upon a One More Time. 

 

Once Upon a One More Time is a fairy-tale based jukebox musical featuring the music of Britney Spears. A jukebox musical is a musical that recontextualizes independently existing songs for the purpose of telling a story in the same way a musical with original music would.  

 

Stage Door Academy and the Boys and Girls Club’s productions of shows and their ability to bring out the talent of the kids who participate in their theatre workshops has been consistently impressive for every workshop, and Once Upon a One More Time was no exception. This workshop, rather than being a children’s workshop, was a teen workshop. This means that the actors are more experienced in theatre and in life, which often leads to even more impressive choreography, and even more incredible performances than the already impressive performances and choreography in the children’s workshops. 

 

When I participated in a different show put on through this workshop last year, Tarzan, it was absolutely incredible. The choreography was very fun to perform (and I’ve been told it was nice to look at), and all of the leads were fabulous singers and actors. The workshop for Once Upon a One More Time had even more challenging choreography, but the visuals it created were completely worth the hours spent wondering how to do a 540 degree spin.  

 

Every single actor and actress put their heart and souls into their roles, and their singing was gorgeous. I’d like to specifically highlight my friends Bodhi and Odhora, and myself. Odhora played Snow White, one of the two main princesses in the story. She has a gorgeous, unique voice, and I’d recommend going to see her in these workshops before she becomes a world-famous star and tickets to hear her sing cost thousands of dollars. Bodhi played the Narrator, one of the two main villains. He has a brilliant acting style and sang his solos beautifully. It was amazing to duet with him. I played the Evil Stepmother, the other main villain, and had a lot of fun with all of her lines and solos. All three of us go to Stockdale High School, so coming to these theatre workshops not only supports an amazing local youth theatre program but supports Stockdale’s morale in theater!  

 

Every summer there are more workshops, and there are a few more throughout the year! If your child is interested in theatre, please consider enrolling them, and if you’d like to support local theatre and encourage possible future Broadway performers, keep an eye out for shows to come see!