BY MARIAH MOORE
Lights beam down on handmade props, splatters of paint stain the knees of the actors as they all assemble, waiting for their cues. The first character takes to the sage, her voice ringing clearly, a time old tale coming back to life. Voices can be heard echoing through the Hays Community Theatre as talented community members join together to make their summer musical Part of Your World.
This July, the theatre is proud to present The Little Mermaid. Under the careful eye of director Cody Kreutzer, this performance is bound to make audience members sing with delight, too. Opening day is July 25th, and with the date drawing ever-closer, the cast is in their final rehearsals.
The show’s director, Cody Kreutzer — a recent Fort Hays State University graduate — has been deeply involved with the theatre ever since he was young. He reminisced about his involvement in the arts starting in second grade. In recent years, he has directed and worked closely on plays through FHSU, but this was his first community theatre based project.
“My favorite part is just seeing all the hard work that people put into this…you can really tell they go home and work on this outside of rehearsal,” said Kreutzer.
This hard work was a very clear fact, as anyone could tell the immense effort put into the construction and growth of this production just by walking into the building. Just sitting in the theatre, there is an air of electricity and the bond between the actors is evident. People laugh and joke with each other, and with such a welcoming atmosphere around it’s hard for anyone to feel like a fish out of water.
One thing that was immediately evident was the drive and passion of the community members and speaking with a few of them while waiting for the rehearsal to start, there was a common ideology between everyone there — the chance to allow people more opportunities to express themselves.
The theatre provides an opportunity for everyone, both young and old to try something new. There are chances for interested community members to get involved through various musicals and plays offered throughout the year. Kreutzer mentioned both the upcoming Seussical musical and a Christmas show when asked about other shows for the community to be involved in.
The push for the next generation of musical fanatics is something which was heartwarming about the entire time spent at the theatre. From the start of rehearsal, looking to the sides of the stage area and seeing the faces of about a dozen children watching in awe, it was evident these were the next generation of stars.
Kreutzer also explained how the show and the classic film would relate and what the audience could expect. He reaffirmed that the musical was pretty close to the movie, and that it follows the original storyline very closely. Music lovers should rejoice, as Kreutzer also promised more songs, both from lesser-known characters as well as the main cast. Sitting in on the rehearsal, I was able to listen to the beautiful renditions of a few classic pieces. The actors blew me away with their ability to adopt these characters so flawlessly.
“They bring their own spin to the characters that we already know,” Kreutzer said, and this certainly rings true with this production.
Tickets are now on sale for this bubbly performance. Opening night is Thursday, July 25th at 7 pm, with shows the 26th and 27th at the same time. The show will be held at the Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The director promises an amazing experience for the whole family to enjoy, and encourages everyone to come see just how much hard work has been put into the show. One things for shore, all of the creatures and cast look forward to sea-ing you there!