ESTEVAN — The Estevan Comprehensive School is set to premiere The Little Mermaid this week.
The musical will return to the Comp. from Jan. 18-21, with three evening shows and a matinee on the final day. The classic Disney production involves high school students, as well as some Grade 7-8s from other Estevan schools. ECS teachers Kyle Whitehead, Jillian Connely and Tamara Franklin are the three directors.
A week before the first show, Whitehead said the preparations were going well, and the crew was close to being ready.
"We've been putting a lot of hours in. We did about 40 hours last week alone, at the end of the Christmas break there, and we're going every night this week. We've got our dress rehearsals this weekend and the show starts next week," Whitehead said.
The musical involves close to 40 students.
Whitehead noted that getting back into the routine differed from his previous experiences, as due to an extended break none of the participants had experience with a musical.
"It was very difficult, lots of speed bumps, lots of trying to get everybody back into a routine. But we've gotten there," Whitehead said. "Our last show was 2019, and I think they've all graduated. Our stage manager, though, is a former student who has come back to help, so we've got some that have experienced our shows before."
The students were very engaged, Whitehead said, and there is a lot of talent in the group.
"They're having a blast. They're making new friends, they're learning the songs. They knew some of the songs from the cartoon version. Now they're learning some of the songs that were added for Broadway. And they're enjoying it," said Whitewood.
"We're starting to see some of the kids that we had inklings from auditions that they were going to be good and we're seeing them start to shine. There are some amazing voices and kids in this graphic cast."
Tickets are currently on sale online at estevan-comprehensive-school.ticketleap.com/the-little-mermaid and at the front office at the ECS, and will also be available at the door. They are $20 each.
"It's rush seating and ticket sales are starting to pick up, so we're really encouraging people to get them online or go up to the school and buy them ahead of time, so that they don't show up and we end up with a sellout and they don't get tickets," Whitehead recommended.
He also thanked everyone involved with the musical for their support.
"As the group of directors, we want to thank all of the kids and the parents for all of the time that they've put in, and the community for the support for bringing back musicals. I think it's something that we've been missing since the COVID years. We're hoping that we get lots of people to come in and enjoy an evening of music and fun," Whitehead said.
