Set to take audiences on an undersea adventure, “The Little Mermaid” opens Thursday on the Flagler Auditorium stage for one weekend only.
Set to take audiences on an undersea adventure, the Flagler Palm Coast High School Thespians will open “The Little Mermaid” this Thursday on the Flagler Auditorium stage for one weekend only.
Giving up their Sunday to rehearse, drama students gathered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to run through the start of their “tech week” — costumes, lighting, the works — in preparation for opening night.
For some students, like seniors Austin Branning and Gerald Kitt, this will be their final performance on the auditorium’s stage as high school students, and closing out the season with the musical is a dream come true.
“In some retrospect, I’ve played characters like this before and it’s always fun to be the male lead,” said Branning, who will go on to study musical theater this fall at Daytona State College. “It’s very special, like the perfect picture to the perfect ending. Really sweet."
Kitt, who received scholarships for acting and directing, is looking forward to honing his skills in the University of Central Florida’s theater program and returning to share his experience with other students.
“I’ve been in every show during my high school career at FPC and this show ... I love Disney and asked to do 'Little Mermaid' so that’s why I’m really happy and get to play one of my favorite roles of my entire life,” said Kitt. “I hope to come back and one day choreograph and give some master classes once I learn more at college, to give back to the troupe."
The production is costly to present and requires a cast that can support the demanding roles. Kelly Rivera, drama teacher and sponsor for the Thespians, said she knew this year she had the caliber of performers to pull off the final show of the season.
“If you’re going to do Disney, you’ve got to do it right,” said Rivera. “We go all out. It’s not one of those productions we could afford to do every year because it is extremely pricey, but we have the cast to do it. Our cast is so talented, when you see it, you’ll know exactly why they’re up there doing this show."