Senior Rebecca Brumbaugh(Ariel) finishes up dancing along to the song 'Under The Sea' with the beginning acting class. Photo by Casey McDonald

By Casey McDonald

This weekend will be a very hectic weekend for the PHS stage crew and acting classes.  This weekend, the acting crew will be performing their annual fall children’s’ production of The Little Mermaid.

There are two different casts performing the show, the white cast and the red cast.  So there is a total of two of the same character, one for each cast.  Most the original characters are back and being portrayed by students in the school.  Senior Rebecca Brumbaugh in this year’s show is Ariel in the red cast, while senior Olivia Hilliard is Ariel in the white cast.  Another main character being portrayed is Flounder, who is played by junior Megan Senter.  Senior Kelsey Shaffer is playing Ursula in the white cast, and junior Andria Shook is Bethany, one of Ariel’s older sisters, “and I am in both casts!”  But even though the crew tries to portray the show as much as possible, they like to change things a bit by adding a few more characters.  An example is sophomore Ben Piazza who plays Turt the turtle in the red cast, and freshman Ana Piazza who is “a dancer person, a Jelly fish, and I’m in the red cast.”  And senior Priscilla Hammonds is the prince’s dance teacher in the red cast.  “I am Pearl the Narrator.  I am in the white cast,” says junior Becca Houser.  “I am Carrie, Ariel’s sister. I am the Red cast,” says sophomore Megan Biglane.  Sometimes, they are just backdrop people and actors within the play.  Junior Allison Berger says that she is playing the purple starfish and she is in the white cast.

Ariel, or senior Rebecca Brumbaugh, talking to Prince Eric, senior Connor Flynn, right after helping him out of the water in their scene together. Photo by Casey McDonald

With a popular Disney movie such as The Little Mermaid being portrayed in a play, there is bound to be those certain characters that the students know and love.  Junior Megan Senter says that she loves Sebastian. She continues on to say, “Eliza Kelly and Maicee Evans are playing him and I think he’s my favorite character!”  Hammonds says that Ursula is one of her favorites. She says that, “she is so scary and evil.”  Puglisi agrees saying, “There are a lot of characters that are being played that are not in the movie, but in both it would be Ursula of course!”  The main character is Houser’s favorite, saying “Ariel! She is my favorite!  She is one of my favorite princesses so I love seeing her on stage.  Also, Flounder is a favorite!”  Hilliard says that she really likes Ariel, Eric, and Sebastian.  She continues to say, “that Eric and Ariel are cute and in love all the time, while Sebastian is very funny and interesting to watch.”  Shaffer adds, “We don’t have the eel minions from the movie, but I love their equivalents, Turt, Tort and Terry. They are amazing comic relief played by some of our most funny people.”  Berger adds that “Sebastion, Ariel and Eric [are her favorite]. You really feel that Ariel is in love with Eric. Both actors in both casts are very good and it makes you lose yourself and focus on the play so much.”

Just like any other activity, everything takes practice.  The acting class puts in time in and out of school to work on this play.  Brumbaugh says that they usually start practicing the show a little before the 2nd six weeks.  She continues to say that “in the last 2 weeks before the show, we come in every night for Dress Rehearsals.  They usually last around 3 hours (give or take), depending on how well things go.”  Shaffer says they also have practices everyday during class time.  Piazza adds that “we have seven 3 hour practices in the evening in which we go through different chunks of the show, then the whole show.”
In order to be in the advanced acting class, people have to go through the beginning acting class and theatre arts. It seems like a lot, but some of these kids have been in the class for two, three, or four years.  After so many years, students in the class are bound to learn something while under the direction of Ms. Faulstich.  “This is my second year in the advanced acting.  I have learned how to articulate what I say and to be loud, which is not hard for me to do now,” says Houser.  As well as Senter, saying

(Girls from left to right) sophomore Mariah Brumley(Speech Teacher) and senior Priscilla Hammonds(Dance Teacher) are fighting over Prince Eric, senior Connor Flynn, on what lesson he will learn next. Photo By Casey McDonald

that this is also her second year in advanced acting. She says that she has learned to talk loud and that she is doing a lot better at memorizing things.  Brumbaugh adds that his is her fourth year in the theatre department; her ninth show.  She continues to say, “Being a part of the theatre department, you have to know how to juggle – not literally.  But when it gets closer the show you have 100+ lines to memorize, costumes to make, 3 hour dress rehearsal, and all on top of regular school work. It’s a lot of responsibility.  It gets challenging at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Because past all of the stress, the responsibilities, and list of things to do, it’s a heck of a lot of fun.”  Along with Shook, who says, “I have been a part of the acting crew for three years now and it has taught me to not care what people think of me.  Just have fun and if someone doesn’t like it or judges you, they aren’t worth it!”  Freshman Ana Piazza says “this is my first year in the play, I’ve learned the basics of acting in beginning theater class.”

Goals are usually set before everything starts, so everyone knows what they have to reach before it ends.  Goals were set before beginning play practice to figure out what they have to accomplish before that curtain opens for the first performance.  “The goal is to put on a great show and make kids and adults alike walk away feeling like they got the whole experience, because that’s what we try our best to do,” Shaffer says.  While Brumbaugh says “the main goal for the play is for kids to enjoy it.  The whole time we block, create characters, pick costumes we think ‘Oh kids will LOVE this part!’ It might not be the most thrilling for adults, but it is a “Children’s Show” and there is nothing more amazing than dazzle in their eyes and amazement on their faces, so we can say ‘That is a successful show.’”  Berger says that the goal is to create a huge imagination for the shildren and to create a story onto the stage.  “That everything turns out the way it is supposed to, and everything goes good, and we have positive feedback,” Biglane says.  But the main goal from everyone is to entertain and make sure that the children and parents enjoy it.

(From left to right) junior Megan Senter(Flounder), sophomore Markee Farler, sophomore Megan Bigane, and junior Andria Shook(Ariel's three older sisters) talking to senior Rebecca Brumbaugh(Ariel) about her upcoming rising in the show. Photo By Casey McDonald

People have favorites when it comes to the things they like.  They have favorite football teams, favorite drinks, and favorite foods.  Or sometimes they have favorite parts of things, like favorite parts of swimming,  or in the acting classes’ case, their favorite part of acting, and favorite part of the play.  Pizza says that acting is her favorite part is that “I like being creative and making up my own character. It’s fun and non-restrictive!” Puglisi’s favorite part of acting is “being able to be someone other than yourself, everyone likes a change once in awhile.”   Piazza’s favorite part of the play is that he really likes using funny character voices to better portray his character.  Senter adds that, “I love being on stage! I’ve always loved being on the stage with the lights and all the makeup.”  And Berger says that her favorite part of acting is that, “I love losing myself and leaving my life for a second and to be able to  become something that you normally wouldn’t. It is a lot of fun to become your character and make it you.”  Brumbaugh continues to say, “I don’t think there is a single favorite part. It is just the experience as a whole.  Being on stage, in the bright lights, in a crazy costume, the whole nine yards.  it’s an amazing experience that I love being a part of.”  And Shook says, “Having fun and acting crazy with everyone and no one caring because everyone is acting the same!”

The shows for this weekend are Friday night at 6:30P.M., Saturday at 2:00P.M. and 6:30P.M., and Sunday at 2:00P.M.  Come and see one of these shows to see the PHS acting and stage crew work their magic on stage.