Last week’s snowfall turned the region into a glittering wonderland … pretty, but cold. For area residents who are daydreaming about sandy beaches and sunshine, the Seward County Community College fine arts department has just the thing.

“We are proud to present Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ with book by Doug Wright and music by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater,” said director and drama instructor Michele Van Hessen. “We’re calling all actors, singers and dancers to audition for this fishy fable that will capture the audiences’ hearts.”

The popular movie and subsequent musical is based on a fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. His natural storytelling abilities and great imaginative power of folk legends produced a body of fairy tales that relate to many cultures.

“The musical has over 20 parts available for casting,” said Van Hessen, “so we are hoping for a big turnout at auditions next week.”

Auditions for SCCC’s stage version of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” are slated for 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jan. 24 and 25 (Thursday and Friday) in the Showcase Theater, Shank Humanities Building, SCCC campus.

As a community college, SCCC welcomes members from the public to try out for drama productions.

“In fact, we encourage team members and friends of Seward to show up and become part of the local theater community,” said Van Hessen. “It is not necessary to prepare a song from the show. Musical director, Dr. Magda Silva will conduct a series of exercises to place the actors’ vocal ranges.” Van Hessen also said the audition will include reading a portion from the book (script) of the show.

Performance dates for the show are 7 p.m.  April 5 and 6, with a 3 p.m. matinee April 7.

Contact michele.vanhessen@sccc.edu for further information.

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