‘It’s time’

Members of the Delran theater program are gearing up for their spring musical production of “The Little Mermaid.”

Kathy Drachowski is at the helm as vocal director and producer. The Sun caught up with her amid the hustle and bustle of weekend rehearsals.

“I’ve been working in theater for Delran for the last 20 years,” she said. “I started out years ago as vocal director for the middle-school shows, then directed and produced (those) shows for a number of years. This is my third show at the high school acting as director, producer and vocal director.”

Drachowski’s previous productions at Delran High School included “Chicago,” “Mean Girls” and “The Little Mermaid.” Also choir director and a theater teacher at the high school, she said the producers “want to give all the kids a very well-rounded theater experience, with four years of different kinds of shows.”

“When I was fortunate enough to come in to direct at the high school, I thought of ‘Chicago’ … I always wanted to do a show like that,” she recalled. “We had a great cast for it that year and our choreographer is amazing. It’s very theatrical with very precise movement.

“I just felt it was just a great show and coming to the high school, it was so different than anything done before,” Drachowski added, “so I was really like it’s time to push the envelope a little bit and come in and do some serious theater … It was really well received. Last year, we totally kind of turned the tables and did ‘Mean Girls,’ which was very modern and pop rock.”

After a throwback jazz show and a modern contemporary rock pop production – both for mature audiences – Drachowski thought it was time for the theater program to do something Disney for a younger audience.

“Delran High School has never done a Disney show,” she noted. “It’s time, and also it really depends on the students that you have. I don’t cast the show prior, but I do pick the show based on what students I have in the cast. I knew that coming back I had a lot of kids that would be great for a Disney show. They would just really love it.”

And they do. The cast of “The Little Mermaid” is filled with many members who have been in the Delran theater program since elementary school.

Senior Morgan Jones plays Ariel, the little mermaid, who wants to be part of the human world and experience different things.

“One of the challenges is when she loses her voice,” shared Jones, who started theater when she was 9 years old. “The expressions are probably the hardest to do … (the role) opens a wide range of things that I’ve never tried and that’s pretty exciting.”

Senior Myacal West, who’s been performing since she was 2 and has been part of every musical her entire high-school career, plays Sebastian.

“He’s a very funny character and is very protective of Ariel,” West noted. “The most challenging is the vocals. He has a lot of soprano high notes that I gotta hit, but it’s still fun to play. I’m excited to perform my last show with the whole cast.”

Senior Olivia Messina, who started theater in the fourth grade, is cast as Flounder the fish, Ariel’s best friend.

“He has a little crush on her … It’s really funny, a cute role,” Messina said, relaying that the high-school musical is how she’s been spending her winters for the past four years. “Similar to Myacal, Flounder has a lot of high vocals, which is a little challenging for me, but I’m working through it to the best of my ability.

“I really like this role, because it’s one of my first lead roles at the high school and it’s just really fun and exciting.”

Senior Shania West, who started theater in elementary school and performed in “Chicago” and “Mean Girls,” plays Arista, one of Ariel’s sisters. West, too, has to hit some notes she says are a challenge.

“One of the things I like about the role,” she explained, “(is) it’s bringing me out of my comfort zone on stage, making me more confident.”

Sophomore Mason Traynor is in his seventh year in theater and plays Prince Eric.

“This is breaking my type cast,” Traynor explained, relaying that some of the roles he’s played have been Ralphie in “A Christmas Story, and Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast. “It’s hard to get those princely mannerisms because I’m not a prince …

“It’s a very fun challenge and it’s something I very much enjoy trying to accomplish.”

Senior Xander Ramsdell, who started theater in the fourth grade and has performed in and out of school, plays Grimsby, a mentor figure to Prince Eric.

“He is very mature and put together; I’m not,” Ramsdell acknowledged. “It’s hard to be very stoic the whole time. My favorite part of the role is probably the costumes.”

Senior Sophie Weber, who’s been part of theater since the fifth grade in both school and non-school shows, plays Adrina, one of the sisters.

“One of the most difficult things is figuring out how to move on heelys,” she said of roller shoes that have wheels like skates so the wearer can walk, run or roll. “All the sea creatures are wearing heelys, so we look like we’re under water … It’s a bit of a learning curve.”

Drachowski said securing costumes was one of the hardest things to accomplish at the beginning of last year, when the theater program decided to do “The Little Mermaid.”

“Costume rentals are very expensive,” she pointed out. “We just happened to luck out and were able to purchase costumes from another school that had done (“The Little Mermaid”) a few years ago, so that was really great at an affordable price. And it’s amazing everything fits everybody. We are really grateful for that.”

All that comes with a Disney show – especially special effects with lighting – has been a fun challenge, Drachowski observed. “The Little Mermaid” cast of 37 students includes 12 to 15 stage crew students and a student-run production staff.

“They do everything from vocal directing to apprentice scene directing to costume coordinator,” Drachowski said. “This is really something we developed over the years, a leadership opportunity for students who really are interested in learning behind the scenes the ins and outs of what really goes into putting on a show within a budget …

“By the time we get to the shows, all of the adults just supervise in case something falls apart, which it never does,” she added. “It’s really their show, and our goal is to teach them what they need to know so they can take ownership.”

The theater group at Delran High falls under the umbrella of the Delran Thespian Society.

“The kids are part of the national organization, Troop 4646,” Drachowski said. “The kids get points and then get inducted into the Thespian Society for being in shows. We have a fall play and produce a Broadway Night in the spring. All of it falls under the umbrella of Delran Theater, something that is new this year.

“We really wanted to be a cohesive unit.”

Following are show times for “The Little Mermaid” at Delran High:

• Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 1, with an Under Sea Party meet-and-greet cast at 11 a.m. and show at 1 p.m.
• Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
• Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m.
• Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m.