By Theatre in the Park Producing Artistic Director Tim Bair
If you’ve seen Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” you probably know the story.
A curious young mermaid dreams of another world. She takes a leap into the unknown, discovers who she is, and ultimately finds her voice.
It’s a beautiful story.
It also happens to sound a lot like a week at Theatre in the Park Academy.
Join us as Ariel’s adventure come to life on the Theatre in the Park stage before another beloved Disney musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” arrives Aug. 14-22
On Aug. 7 and 8, more than 120 young performers and technicians will come together to create Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.” as the academy returns to Theatre in the Park’s outdoor stage for one of its biggest educational experiences of the year.
For one unforgettable week, rehearsal rooms will be buzzing with music, choreography, costume fittings, lighting cues, scene changes, and the occasional reminder that yes, you really do need to enter from stage left.
Some students will be walking into their very first rehearsal. Others will be returning after years in the academy, excited to tackle bigger challenges, encourage younger performers, or spend another summer doing the thing they love most.
And somewhere between the first read-through and opening night, something wonderful starts to happen.
A shy student suddenly sings just a little louder.
A technician realizes they can run a light cue with confidence.
A cast member who arrived knowing no one leaves with a whole new group of friends.
Those moments don’t usually earn standing ovations.
They’re still some of our favorites.
That’s because Theatre in the Park Academy has never been about creating perfect performers. It’s about creating a place where young people feel safe enough to try, curious enough to learn, and confident enough to surprise themselves.
Around here, we call our performances Sharings.
Not because they’re unfinished.
Not because expectations are lower.
We call them Sharings because that’s exactly what’s happening. Students are sharing everything they’ve discovered over the course of the week: new skills, new friendships, new confidence, and yes, a pretty spectacular musical.
The applause celebrates the performance.
The smiles usually celebrate something much bigger.
Of course, audiences are also in for a fantastic evening of theatre.
Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.” brings Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, Ursula, and a colorful underwater world to life with familiar songs, energetic choreography, and enough imagination to fill Theatre in the Park’s outdoor stage. Whether it’s your first trip under the sea or your fiftieth, there’s something timeless about a story that reminds us it’s okay to dream bigger, take chances, and discover who we’re meant to be.
You’ll also be watching more than 100 young performers share the stage while over 20 youth technicians work behind the scenes to make every entrance, lighting cue, costume change, prop handoff, and magical moment happen. Theatre has always been a team sport, and this production is proof of just how much young artists can accomplish when they create something together.
So come celebrate more than a musical.
Come celebrate courage that got a little bigger.
Confidence that grew a little stronger.
Friendships that started in a rehearsal room.
And a whole lot of young artists who found their voices, both onstage and behind the scenes.
Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.,” a Theatre in the Park Academy Sharing, will take place Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8, at Theatre in the Park’s outdoor amphitheater, 7710 Renner Road.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Show begins at 8 p.m.
Anytime Ticket Seating is general admission and reserved seating is available on the website.
Come cheer on more than 120 incredible young performers and technicians as they share the culmination of an unforgettable week of creativity, collaboration, and growth.
Tickets and additional information are available at theatreinthepark.org.
