All About the Arts - April 4, 2019
DIS to go ‘under the sea’ with ‘The Little Mermaid, Jr.’
The Daniel Island Middle School Drama Club will present “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6, at 7 p.m.
Hannah Castellano is the director of the show, Lisa Peterson is the choreographer, and Sheryl Scholar and Alexis Herndon are in charge of set and costume design.
Playing the lead of Ariel is eighth grade student Caroline Raus. This is her sixth performance at Daniel Island School. In his second musical at DIS, Weston Peterson will portray Prince Eric.
Molly Scholar is Sebastian and this is her third show at DIS. The role of Flounder will be played by Marin Florez. This is her eighth production at the school. Peterson, Scholar and Florez are all eighth grade students.
Bella Chambers, Sarah Legare Smith, Jenna Johnson, Grace Jenkins, Hannah Bennett and Madison Davies are the Mersisters and Bryce Franco is their father, King Triton.
The villain of our show, Ursula, is played by Berkleigh Hatch, with her evil sidekicks, Flotsam and Jetsam, played by Catherine Grizzle and Sophia Pitchford.
Andrew Jones and Andrew Scharnitsky add some comedic relief as Scuttle and Chef Louis respectively. Eli Crowley is Grimsby and Elin Herndon is Carlotta. All four are veterans of DIS drama with a total of over 20 performances between them.
The ensemble plays everything from the water, to sea creatures, to sailors and chefs.
“Everyone has worked so hard to bring this production to life!” said Alexis Herndon, a member of the production team. “They started before Christmas with casting for this show.”
Serving as stage managers are eighth grade students Reagan West and Makayla Brunetti.
Tickets for the performances are $10 each for adults and $5 for students/children. They are available at the door or online at: https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/disdrama/buy-tix?d=0
PSMS drama students showcasing talents at SCTA Theatre for Youth Festival
The eighth grade advanced theatre class at Philip Simmons Middle School will be taking their show on the road this week. The group will be performing their spring production, entitled “Cheaters” by Don Zolidis at the South Carolina Theatre Association Youth Festival on April 6. The event will be held at Howe Hall Arts Infused Magnet School in Goose Creek. The 2019 theme is “Create Your World.” The purpose of the festival, states the SCTA website, is to celebrate excellence in South Carolina’s youth, community, and elementary and middle school drama/theatre programs by providing an opportunity for younger theatre students to compete, observe and celebrate theatre in action.
According to PSMS theatre teacher Charles Atkins, the class performed “Small Actors” by Stephen Gregg last year at the festival and received the highest marks possible with superior ratings. A total of 18 students had the opportunity to audition for “Cheaters” and were cast in various roles. In the play, school administrators discover someone has cheated on a test and they determine that if the culprit doesn’t confess, the whole class will fail! The entire class is forced to play detective and discover the cheater before it’s too late.
The student cast members, part of the Iron Horse Theatre, will perform “Cheaters” and “Uncool” by Vin Morreale, Jr. at PSMS on May 2 at 6 p.m. After completing a rigorous audition and application process, two of the cast members have been invited to attend the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities Summer Theatre Discovery program.
DI HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO HOST ‘ART IN THE PARK’ APRIL 27
Calling all artists, art enthusiasts, history fans and nature lovers! The Daniel Island Historical Society, the Art Guild of Daniel Island and the Daniel Island Community Fund will present “Art in the Park: A Celebration of Daniel Island’s Live Oaks” on Saturday, April 27, from 1 to 5 p.m. in Smythe Park.
Join DIHS for a day of fun and creativity as they honor Daniel Island’s beautiful and majestic grand live oaks in commemoration of Arbor Day (April 26). Artists of all ages are invited to come and create your own rendition of a live oak tree in Smythe Park using any medium you would like. There is no charge to participate, but artists are asked to bring their own supplies, including a chair and easel (if needed), as well as art materials. Light refreshments will be provided.
The family-friendly event is open to the community. In addition to watching art in progress, attendees are invited to adopt a live oak through participation in the Daniel Island Historical Society’s Live Oak Campaign (available and adopted trees will be marked with ribbons). The afternoon will include musical entertainment, Gullah storytelling, a history presentation, kids’ activities, rock painting, and more! Art work will be showcased via social media following the event.
Participating artists are asked to register by April 20. To register, please send an email with your name, age (if under 18), address, email and phone to DIHS Art in the Park Committee Chair Valerie Miller at dihistoricalsociety@gmail.com.