Story and photos by Olivia Brauer ’28
For MICDS 2024 Winter Term, many students chose “The Little Mermaid Jr.” as their one course throughout the two weeks. Winter Term highlights the idea of students trying new things and opening their eyes to new experiences. The Little Mermaid was a musical, run by Middle School Seventh Grade Dean/Drama Teacher Charlotte Dougherty. The actors devoted most of their time throughout the two weeks of Winter Term, rehearsing and memorizing their parts for the final performance of their Musical. “Muscle memory is a big asset of acting,” states Reagan Saur ’29. Similar to what Reagan says, you can’t produce a musical without everyone putting forth their best effort.
Throughout the first few days of rehearsing, the actors’ work consisted mostly of blocking and rehearsing their dances for the different musical sections. Many students have stepped out of their comfort zones to experience and try new things when it comes to the arts. Eighth-grader Tess Thompson ’28, says “I’m a band kid so I won’t really sing a lot, so this class is really helping me with harmony and different pitches.” Tess just states one example of how The Little Mermaid has helped her as an actor and singer.
Musicals and plays help improve our Arts community as a whole at MICDS. Everyone in The Little Mermaid devoted their time inside and outside of school to practice their parts and memorize their lines, which allowed The Little Mermaid to highlight all the amazing qualities of an actor including being able to sing, dance, and act all at once. Chloe Shamsham ’28 stated, “You get to experience lots of new stuff.” Being in an acting community or an acting group helps you experience new things and learn new skills.
Acting is an amazing way to express your current self, and who you want to become. The Little Mermaid helped students to express more than just acting, singing, and dancing, it helped them express emotion, improve communication skills, and build relationships and confidence.
