There was magic both on and off the stage during the December production of Frozen Jr. at McCulloch Intermediate School.
Fifth and sixth graders poured their talent and creativity into transporting audiences to the enchanted land of Arendelle, where they joined Anna and Elsa on their journey to break an icy spell and bring back summer.
The 75 members of the cast and crew began preparing for the production in early September. Their performances from Dec. 4 to 6 featured special effects, elaborate costumes, handmade props, showstopping vocals, and dances that were both fun and funny.
Olaf the snowman and loyal reindeer Sven were each brought to life through large puppets that could open and close their eyes and mouths.
Ice monster Marshmallow stomped his way across the stage thanks to an inflatable costume, and snow machines brought unseasonable winter storms to the school’s auditorium.
The Disney show was the school’s biggest ever in terms of ticket sales, said middle school theater director Genevieve S. Croft, who co-directed Frozen Jr. with Shannon Howerton.
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And, like the characters whose stories they told, cast and crew members found as much magic in the friendships they made as audiences saw in their final product.
“I think it’s really cool because you get to meet new people, especially since it’s our first year here,” said fifth-grader Charlotte Cohen, who played a townsperson and ballroom dancer.
“I like how everyone’s so nice,” remarked Tessa Singleton, a fifth-grade member of the ensemble. “You can have a very magical experience, because everyone is so amazing.”
Creating community and a place for students to shine is a goal of the theater program and reason why the fall production is limited almost exclusively to fifth and sixth graders. The spring production is open to all MIS/HPMS students in fifth through eighth grade.
“They may not continue on with theater, but they’re learning valuable skills that will carry them from this age to high school to adulthood — communication, self-confidence, opportunities about themselves that they might not know existed before,” Croft explained. “We want them to feel good about themselves and be proud of their work.”
The show isn’t going to be perfect, she said before one dress rehearsal, but perfection isn’t her aim.
“You all have something amazing that you have brought to the stage,” she told students. “Whether it’s your creativity offstage, or your singing voice, or your facial expressions, everybody has something to contribute.”
Highland Park ISD fourth graders have been invited to preview the middle school’s show for years. For the first time this fall, fifth graders also took an afterschool “field trip” to watch their classmates perform.
“We are trying to get as many students as possible to commit to a fine art that they will feel passionate about, and where they will find their place and belong,” Croft said, adding that students may not have had much opportunity to experience musical theater.
It was seeing the middle school’s production of Annie Jr. as a fourth grader that inspired Ricardo Hernandez, who played the Bishop in Frozen Jr., to try theater for the first time. He was eager to share his love of theater with younger audience members.
“I really do hope they feel that they want to do theater,” he said. “And I really do hope they love the show.”
