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On with the Show, Under the Sea

Students work on their performances at an early practice.

The Disney dreams of children everywhere are coming to life with Brownell Talbot’s fall musical production of The Little Mermaid. With larger-than-life characters, a magical underwater world, and classic musical theatre numbers, BT is going to create a fantastical world filled with mermaids and talking sea creatures.

Stage crew paints steps that will be used in the production. (Ms. Morgan)

Under the guidance of our new Theatre teacher, Ms. Morgan, our cast and crew are looking forward to creating an engaging and professional performance. The show will be the first complete on-stage production BT has put together since Catch Me If You Can in 2019, which is both exciting and nerve-racking. “I think as an educator and as a theater director I really wanted to do something that first of all the students would get excited to do, the community would get excited to see,” says Ms. Morgan, “And it would challenge all of us to be the best possible, but also this musical has a flexible cast.”

The role of Ariel has been cast as Senior Maia Su and the role of Prince Eric has been cast as sophomore Guy Shipley. Students have also taken on a much larger role than in the past with the general production. Upperclassman Clare Miller Petznik, Emma Gould, and Audrey Klinefelter will be assisting in choreography, along with former BT teacher, Jessie Schnack. Ms. Morgan elaborates on the audition process and her decisions on the student leadership in an interview, saying: “First, I was just really excited that we had so many amazing kids come to auditions. And that in itself was an adventure. Then, when we had Jessie Schnack, who lives in Kansas, she was zooming in to show the choreography audition part. The Zoom was glitching out because her internet wasn’t great. I asked Clare, Audrey, and Emma to do the dance in the hallway and then they came back in and taught it to all the little kids and they were just fabulous. And that truly was a great moment.”

Following the graduation of some prominent thespians, a new stage manager was appointed as well to senior Mary Schinzel. “I like getting to know everything on the tech side, like sound ques and light ques and switching the light colors. I also like watching everyone learn and grow together while learning the parts and dancing. It’s really exciting and awesome to see everyone’s creative input and everyone has great ideas and it’s cool to see an amazing show come together because everyone’s working so hard,” says Mary.

The cast has begun rehearsing the music and setting the blocking for the scenes in preparation for the show. With all the preparation the cast is ready to make a splash with their performance. Junior Emma Gould, also known as Ursula, says “I’m so excited that we get to do this musical because last year we didn’t get the same experience due to the restrictions of the pandemic. The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Morgan does with the set and the costumes! I think this cast is going to be so much fun to work with and this show is going to be so spectacular!”

The cast has combined efforts with the tech students to create a memorable and captivating performance. Ms. Morgan elaborates, “If we didn’t have the tech side there would be no show. So, the tech crew is of equal importance to the rest.”

Extravagant costumes, larger-than-life sets, and elaborate light designs are all coming together to create an underwater world. The cast and crew are very excited to share their work, especially with BT’s Lower School. BT’s unique accessibility to students of all ages will be an asset in creating an engaged audience as both young and older kids have fond memories of the Disney movie. The show will premiere on November 4th, 5th, and 6th.