West Washington Drama Presents "The Little Mermaid" This Weekend

Teaser video at end of article for our subscribers!

This weekend, prepare to be taken "Under the Sea" at West Washington Jr./Sr. High School, where the drama department will be performing their spring musical, Disney's The Little Mermaid.

The cast performs the show-stopping number "Under the Sea".

The show, based originally on the 1837 Danish fairy tale Den Lille Havfrue by Hans Christian Anderson, follows the journey of a teenage mermaid princess named Ariel (Abbi Ferguson), who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric (Malachi Weilbaker), which leads her to make a magic deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula (Elle Strother), to become human and be with him.

Strother, a senior, is thrilled to be doing Little Mermaid for her final high school show. "As soon as I heard about it, I knew I wanted to be Ursula. I like being able to play the villain," she said. "I hope to do my best with my best friend. Abbi (Ariel) and I may be enemies in the show, but in real life she's one of my best friends, and I wouldn’t want to spend my last show with anyone else."

Scuttle (Avan Ewing) and Sebastian (Brookes Deaton) rehearse a scene leading up to the music number "Kiss the Girl".

Not every cast member is a high or middle schooler. Several elementary school age children appear in the ensemble, and King Triton, the Little Mermaid's father, is played by none other than West Washington physical education/health teacher and 20+ year football/track coach Duane Nance.

"I'm pretty notorious for just walking around here singing," he explained. "So I was passing Ms. Ledgerwood, and she was like, 'hey, we're getting ready to do Little Mermaid again, and we wondered if you would be interested in being King Triton.' And I was just like, 'sure!'"

King Triton (Duane Nance) and Sebastian rehearse a scene.

"When I was growing up, my many talents included moving heavy objects and pushing people around," he smiled. "I wanted to challenge myself. I don't really get super nervous about things, so I wanted to put myself in a situation where I get butterflies again, like I was back in high school playing football."

In addition to those mentioned above, the substantial cast also includes Anistyn Sizemore as Pilot, Phillip Carlton as Grimsby, Marlee Chase as Flounder, Izzy Guthrie as Windward, Daniel Miner as Leeward and Chef Louis, Izzy Guthrie, Olivia McKinney, Presley Gibson, Lilly Grindle, Emma Meredith, and Ashton Briner as Mersisters, Lacy Webb as Flotsam, Juneau Main as Jetsam, and Deacon Burks as Blowfish. High/middle school chorus members are Liddy Williams, Stella Richards, Presley Gibson, Ashton Briner, Anistyn Sizemore, Lexi Chastain, Alyssa Davis, Michelle Curry, Kenzie Engleman, and Sierra Reed. Elementary school chorus members are Emily Bambusch, Hannah Brough, Caragan Brown, Lucy Brown, Sophia Chastain, Aislynn Compton, Ginger Devine, Adah Ledgerwood, Gracie Morehous, Laura Morrow, Brigid Nance, Delilah Owens, Josie Shields, Jaylah Tincher, Allyson Tripp, and Phoebe Weilbaker.

The crowd cheers at a backflip performed by Sebastian during a dance break.

Helping director Kayla Seybold, music director Hannah Ledgerwood, and assistant director Sarah Burks behind the scenes are crew members Paige Wofford, Axl Wofford, Scottie Cole, Kingston Sizemore, and Amelia Davis.

Crew member Kingston Sizemore demonstrates a breakaway set piece implemented during a dramatic scene.

Director Kayla Seybold had nothing by praise for her cast and crew. "We have the most talented kids! They just blow me away," she said. "My hopes for this weekend are that we really leave everything out on the stage. These kids are just amazing, and I’m so excited for everyone to see their performance. They have worked so hard, and they are going to have a wonderful run."

The show will run Friday, April 11th and Saturday,  April 12th at 7:30 P.M., with a matinee on Sunday, April 13th at 3:00 P.M. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Everyone is requested to enter at Door 17, behind the school. All tickets are $10, only available at the door. 

And, as a treat for our subscribers, look below for an exclusive video of the very first dress rehearsal for the show-stopping number "Under the Sea!"