The Wootton Players presented “The Little Mermaid” as their spring play.

Spectators seemed to love watching the play, especially the musical numbers “Under the Sea” and “Part of Your World.” “The actors had great voices and acting. I really enjoyed watching ‘The Little Mermaid’ because I haven’t seen it in years,” junior Eli Bull said.

The actors had to prepare for weeks to make sure everything was perfect for the show. “We spent about two months preparing for the show. For the last two weeks we would rehearse from 3:30 to 8 p.m.. But even though it was such a long process, it went by so fast because we had so much fun together,” senior Neha Dheen, who played Ariel, said.

As you would expect, people were nervous before getting on the stage for the first show. It can be stressful to go up on stage and perform in front of others. “I was very nervous. I actually had a cold the week of the show. My nose was so stuffy and I was coughing like crazy. But I think once I actually got on stage, the adrenaline kicked in and it turned out to be fine,” Dheen said.

Some people weren’t even worried about the acting; they were worried about the singing, especially in front of a large audience. “I wasn’t nervous for the acting but it was the first time singing for an audience so I had nerves during rehearsal but worked them out by the performance,”Junior Ethan Bull said. 

People did the play for different reasons. However, they all seem to love doing theater and want to share that with others. “ I’ve always loved theater and singing so I was so excited to do this year’s musical. ‘The Little Mermaid’ is also such a classic and I knew that it would be so fun to do a Disney show,” Dheen said. 

Others love to do the play for the performances. “My favorite part of the performance was the quartet and of the rehearsal period; my favorite part is diving into the nuances of my character and refining my performance,” Bull said.

When performers enact the play, they are able to meet more people and develop relationships that could last for a while. “My favorite part of the play was probably meeting new people and making new friends. After two months of rehearsals, we became such a family in the end and it was so fun to spend time with them,” Dhene said. 

Others do the play because it brings the community together.  “I did the play because I enjoy theater, performing and the community that theater brings together,” Bull said.