Go Under The Sea With Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’
Disney’s The Little Mermaid, presented by Valley Youth Theatre (VYT), showcases Ariel and all her sea creature friends swimming onto Center Stage at the Herberger Theater Center through June 26.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a love story about a magical kingdom beneath the sea, where the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. Based on Hans Christian Andersen‘s story and Disney’s classic animated film, this production includes music by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”
The show features a cast of talented young actors from all over the Valley including Phoenix, Cave Creek, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Peoria, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Surprise, Laveen and New River. “We auditioned approximately 170 young people for this production,” says Bobb Cooper, VYT’s producing artistic director. “There was more talent under one roof that week than is imaginable. We had some very tough decisions to make and this cast is going to blow your socks off.”
Nathan Sheppard returns to the Herberger stage as the handsome Prince Eric. Sheppard was last seen at VYT as Joseph in this season’s opening production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where he received excellent reviews. Sheppard lives in north Phoenix. He is a recent graduate of Sandra Day O’Connor High School and has been accepted to the Lyric Opera Program to study musical theater at Arizona State University. “Honestly, this is a dream come true for me,” says Sheppard. “This is a movie that I grew up watching so it has a very special place in my heart. To portray a Disney prince, like Eric, who has so much heart and pure love for Ariel, is going to be an absolute blast.”
Prince Eric: Nathan Sheppard (Phoenix) and Grimbsy: Griffin Fletcher (Phoenix)
PHOTO BY WADE MORAN
The beautiful mermaid, Ariel, is played by Kayla Dobbs. Dobbs lives in Scottsdale and will be a sophomore at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek in the fall. She returns to VYT after recently winning a National Youth Award for Best Lead Actress in The Wizard of OZ. “All Kayla wanted was a call-back for any role so she could perform on the Herberger stage,” says Jennifer Dobbs, Kayla’s mother. “It was two in the morning when we discovered that she had been cast as Arial. She was in disbelief … she started crying and jumping on her bed and laughing all at the same time … she was ecstatic.”
Ariel: Kayla Dobbs (Scottsdale)
PHOTO BY WADE MORAN
Ira Hill (from Tempe) will appear as the cranky crab Sebastian. Hill is a trained jazz vocalist who sang with Grammy-nominated Dennis Rowland and the Count Basie Big Band. This is Hill’s third show with VYT, and he recently released his first album titled Tomorrow.
Making her VYT debut, playing the infamous Sea Witch, Ursula, is Tatumn Zale. Zale lives in Phoenix and is a recent graduate of Xavier College Preparatory where she performed in several productions. Another newcomer to VYT is 10-year-old Kylan Chait (from Tempe) playing Ariel’s adorable friend Flounder.
Clay Rollon returns to VYT to play King Triton. Rollon is a recent graduate of Desert Vista High School and will be attending the University of Arizona in the fall, where he plans to study marketing. He was last seen on the Herberger stage sashaying his fruit-basket hat and driving the girls crazy as Naphtali in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Rounding out the cast of Disney’s The Little Mermaid are many talented, up-and-coming entertainers playing all sorts of colorful sea creatures and humans.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
June 10 – 26, 2016
At Herberger Theater Center
