By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
The Upstagers theater group will be presenting its first play of the 2024 season at the end of the month with the musical “Finding Nemo.”
The play is a theatrical version of the 2003 Disney film, and it is a “junior show” starring an all-children cast. Gloria Culpepper, president of the Upstagers, said the group recruited 26 kids to be in the play when they held auditions in December.
Molly Harman, director, said she has helped the Upstagers with previous musicals. She said the group chose “Finding Nemo” as its first production of the year because it would be simple to do.
“What makes it special is that it’s all kids acting. There are no adults, and even our co-director and choreographer are teens. The adults are just there to guide them,” Harman said.
Along with the crew, Lucas Marshall is co-directing and Sophia
Marshall is choreographing the dances.
Samantha Barrera was cast as the title character Nemo, Cristiano Ramon will be Nemo’s father Marlin, and Abigail Norris will be the adventurous little fish’s comedic companion Dory.
Ramon and Norris said they have been doing plays with the Upstagers since 2022 and were really excited to be part of “Finding Nemo.” Barrera said she liked the movie and wanted to experience being part of the musical.
Culpepper said the cast and crew are getting used to rehearsing at the Del Rio Civic Center. She said this is the second time they have had a production at the facility, the first being “Upstagers at the Movies.” The Upstagers are using the civic center while the Paul Poag Theatre is closed for renovations.
“We are trying to get comfortable with the venue because it is new to us,” Culpepper said.
The performances will be on Friday and Saturday at the civic center, and tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Culpepper said they are expecting lots of kids to come and see the play.
The future plays lined up will be “The 39 Steps” in the spring, “The Addams Family” in the summer, and “Barbecuing Hamlet” at the end of the year.
