What’s Playing
T
his fall, local theater goers can take a journey “under the sea”
with Ariel and her aquatic friends at South Valley Civic Theater’s
production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., adapted from
Disney’s 2008 Broadway production.
Local teenager Emily Pember stars as Ariel, a beautiful young mermaid
princess living in a magical underwater kingdom, who longs to leave
behind her ocean home and her fins to go live in the world above the
water. But first she’ll have to defy her father King Triton, make a deal with
the evil sea witch, Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that
she’s the girl with the enchanting voice he’s been searching for.
Emily started her journey as an actor when she was seven years old.
As a child she was naturally drawn to entertaining people, and being on
stage gave her that opportunity. She has been in 17 different productions
over the past seven years since her first performance; her first memorable
role being the Baby Elephant in Seussical Jr. at Nordstrom Elementary
School in Morgan Hill.
Emily has performed for a ballet group in Morgan Hill, Gilroy Children’s
Musical Theater, Nordstrom Elementary School, San Jose Children’s
Musical Theater and South Valley Civic Theater (SVCT). Most recently she
was in Disney’s Mulan Jr. and Leader Of The Pack at SVCT. Being on stage
not only gives Emily an outlet for entertaining people, but she also gets
to let go of reality and immerse herself in roles that let her explore life
through portraying other characters. Her favorite role to date was playing
a Bird Girl in Seussical Jr. at SVCT, making that her second time on stage
in that show. Her role as Ariel will be her second starring role on stage; her
first being Snow White at Nordstrom Elementary. This will be her sixth
production with SVCT since 2013.
This production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. features a cast of 52
children from the area, some new to the stage and some, like Emily, who
have been in many shows. Direction is by Colleen Blanchard, a seasoned
director having directed over 14 plays for SVCT as well as plays for other
theater groups in the greater Bay Area. Vocal direction is by Tami Piper.
Opening night of the show is Friday, September 30th and the
production runs through October 22nd. Go to SVCT’s website (svct.org)
for a complete list of performance dates and times as well as ticket
information and directions to the theater.
Disney’s
The Little Mermaid Jr.
September 30, October 1
October 7, 8, 9 –14, 15, 16 – 21, 22
Friday & Saturday 8 pm
Sunday 2:30 pm
General Admission : $22
Senior Admission : $18
SVCT South Valley Civic Theater
17090 Monterey Road
Morgan Hill, CA 95020
(408) 842-7469
svct.org
Tickets available at the door or online
No reservations accepted
Jerry Finnigan’s Sister
September 2, 3, 4 – 9, 10
16, 17 – 23, 24
Friday & Saturday 8 pm
Sunday 2 pm
Tickets : $20
Pintello Comedy Theater
8191 Swanston Lane
Gilroy, CA 95020
(408) 337-1599
pintellocomedy.com
Reservations recommended
This hilarious, tennis-match-like play brings to
life the truth that wives often wonder why men
do what they do, while their husbands wonder
how to get away with doing what they did!
Matthew Russell
Hendrickson has been
involved with community
theater for over 35 years.
He is currently a designer’s
assistant for Brotin Design, a
founding member of a local
film production company,
Oscar Dante Motion, and
is still heavily involved with
local theater.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
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