With the upcoming musical running from April 12-22, the actors, crew, and instrumentalists prepare for months to perfect the production.

This year’s musical is Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” Over 50 students are involved in the cast and the musical pit.

Behind the scenes of the production, every member has a specific role. From the music and the lighting, to the stage setup and the actors, every piece contributes to the success of the show.

Choir teacher Brian Fancher is one of the directors for the musical and is looking forward to showcasing what the cast, directors, and instrumentalists have done. He said, “For the musical, I do everything that is music related. I teach all the music parts for the solos and ensemble as well as the pit orchestra and then for the performances. Also, I conduct the pit for the show for each performance.”

Fancher and the other directors try to match the parts as close as they can to the Broadway edition. Fancher said, “For the most part we try to kept the parts as close as possible but there are some instances where the part is out of range [to sing]. In one case the part is originally written for a male voice and we have a female part. For the most part it is written to the exact Broadway.”

For individuals who have only seen the movie, The Little Mermaid Broadway edition will have some new music not heard in the movie. “The [musical is the] same show they would perform on Broadway. The movie is very similar, the songs you find in the movie you will find in the musical, but there is a lot more music you can discover in the musical version which is a surprise to people who have only seen the movie,” Fancher said.

Fancher thinks time management for the cast is crucial as they practice for hours a week. Fancher said, “Between the three different rehearsal days we do [rehearse] ten hours a week. Four hours on Sunday, three hours on Tuesday and three hours on Thursday and then the week before the musical we have Tech week.”

Even outside of their rehearsals, cast members and instrumentalists need to practice in order to perfect their roles. Senior Dhimitri Lako is playing the role of Sebastian and rehearses beyond what is asked of him . He said, “To remember my lines, I rehearse them at home and envision myself on stage. I’ll listen to the music so that I have a good understanding of what it should sound like and how I can mirror that.”

The week leading into the production, the cast is called into Tech week. Fancher said, “So we have Tech week and it starts the Sunday before the musical. Tech Sunday is called Tech Sunday because we include all Tech such as full music and costumes and microphones. From that Sunday through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we continue to run the show fully so it is smooth.”

Tech week for the cast members is tiring with long hours. Lako said, “Tech week is so exhausting and time consuming because blocking [setting up] each scene on stage and getting everything to work smoothly, like the lights and the music, takes a while to really master. Then coming home and having to do homework at midnight is exhausting. It takes a lot of motivation to keep up with your school work during this week.“

Sophomore Brianna Mosely is playing Flotsam and awaits her role and the performance. She said, “I’m looking forward the most to seeing it all put together. I’m also looking forward to seeing the reaction of the audience of the show. We’ve worked so hard so far, and I’m excited to see what they think.”