Huntington , Cabell County , West Virginia

On her 16th birthday, the beautiful mermaid princess Ariel dreams of a life on the surface. She meets and falls in love with the handsome Prince Eric. But she must contend with a disapproving father and the scheming of the sea-witch Ursula to make her dreams come true. "Disney's The Little Mermaid, Jr." kicks off the 23rd season for Huntington's children's theatre.

"Ever since I was in sixth grade I always wanted to be Ariel," said Sarena Johnson. "I started singing "Part of your World" for audition songs. I guess she's so much like myself. She's very ambitious, very outgoing and she's kind of feisty. She's kind of like me in real life. She's a dreamer. I'm a dreamer."

With such a familiar story that loved by children of all ages, there is pressure to portray the characters as we expect them to be...without resorting to imitation. It's a challenge for any actor, but especially for younger thespians who may have a little less experience on stage.

"Well it is such a well known Disney movie, the original version, and a lot of kids really like it and they relate to it," said Luke Hagley, who portrays Prince Eric. "So I'm just hoping that they are really entertained by the show. That's our whole goal."

The cast is made up of about 50 young performers from all across the tri-state..ranging in age from elementary to high school. First Stage's mission is provide children opportunities to develop their social and communication skills, but they also want to put on a good show.

"Actually we chose this show because it just became available," said Chuck Minsker, who is the play's director. "The movie's been around a long time but the stage show is relatively recent. As soon as it became available we knew that the kids would enjoy doing it."

"Disney's The Little Mermaid, Jr."
Presented by First Stage Theatre Company
Friday, October 26th at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 27th at 2 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 28th at 2 pm
Renaissance Theater
900 8th Street, Huntington
Tickets: Adults $10, Students & Seniors $8
For more information go to www.firststagetheatre.org or call 304-416-KIDS

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