![\"\"](\"http:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Play-31.jpg\" "\\"Play")
<\/a>Senior Rebecca Brumbaugh(Ariel) finishes up dancing along to the song 'Under The Sea' with the beginning acting class. Photo by Casey McDonald<\/p><\/div>\n
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By Casey McDonald<\/p>\n
This weekend will be a very hectic weekend for the PHS stage crew and acting classes. \u00a0This weekend, the acting crew will be performing their annual fall children’s\u2019 production of The Little Mermaid.
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\nThere are two different casts performing the show, the white cast and the red cast. \u00a0So there is a total of two of the same character, one for each cast. \u00a0Most the original characters are back and being portrayed by students in the school. \u00a0Senior Rebecca Brumbaugh in this year\u2019s show is Ariel in the red cast, while senior Olivia Hilliard is Ariel in the white cast. \u00a0Another main character being portrayed is Flounder, who is played by junior Megan Senter. \u00a0Senior Kelsey Shaffer is playing Ursula in the white cast, and junior Andria Shook is Bethany, one of Ariel\u2019s older sisters, \u201cand I am in both casts!\u201d \u00a0But 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. \u00a0An 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.”\u00a0 And senior Priscilla Hammonds is the prince’s dance teacher in the red cast. \u00a0\u201cI am Pearl the Narrator. \u00a0I am in the white cast,\u201d says junior Becca Houser. \u00a0\u201cI am Carrie, Ariel’s sister. I am the Red cast,\u201d says sophomore Megan Biglane. \u00a0Sometimes, they are just backdrop people and actors within the play. \u00a0Junior Allison Berger says that she is playing the purple starfish and she is in the white cast.<\/p>\n
<\/a>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<\/p><\/div>\n
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. \u00a0Junior Megan Senter says that she loves Sebastian. She continues on to say, \u201cEliza Kelly and Maicee Evans are playing him and I think he’s my favorite character!\u201d \u00a0Hammonds says that Ursula is one of her favorites. She says that, \u201cshe is so scary and evil.\u201d \u00a0Puglisi agrees saying, \u201cThere are a lot of characters that are being played that are not in the movie, but in both it would be Ursula of course!\u201d \u00a0The main character is Houser\u2019s favorite, saying \u201cAriel! She is my favorite! \u00a0She is one of my favorite princesses so I love seeing her on stage. \u00a0Also, Flounder is a favorite!\u201d \u00a0Hilliard says that she really likes Ariel, Eric, and Sebastian. \u00a0She continues to say, \u201cthat Eric and Ariel are cute and in love all the time, while Sebastian is very funny and interesting to watch.\u201d \u00a0Shaffer adds, \u201cWe 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.\u201d \u00a0Berger adds that \u201cSebastion, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just like any other activity, everything takes practice. \u00a0The acting class puts in time in and out of school to work on this play. \u00a0Brumbaugh says that they usually start practicing the show a little before the 2nd six weeks. \u00a0She continues to say that \u201cin the last 2 weeks before the show, we come in every night for Dress Rehearsals. \u00a0They usually last around 3 hours (give or take), depending on how well things go.\u201d \u00a0Shaffer says they also have practices everyday during class time. \u00a0Piazza adds that \u201cwe have seven 3 hour practices in the evening in which we go through different chunks of the show, then the whole show.\u201d
\nIn 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. \u00a0After so many years, students in the class are bound to learn something while under the direction of Ms. Faulstich. \u00a0\u201cThis is my second year in the advanced acting. \u00a0I have learned how to articulate what I say and to be loud, which is not hard for me to do now,\u201d says Houser. \u00a0As well as Senter, saying<\/p>\n