On March 31, 2023, the North Mecklenburg theater department hosted their opening night for their production of the musical Once on This Island. That weekend, they hosted two following shows with impressive attendance from the community. With hard work from actors, production crew, and North Mecklenburg theater teacher Ms. Carla, the show was a success. The production had five finalists for the Blumey Awards which recognize musical theater excellence, but unfortunately no winners.
Once on This Island is a Caribbean adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The story follows a peasant girl named Ti Moune on a journey through life, love, and death. When Ti Moune rescues Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of the island, she quickly falls in love. After Daniel returns to his home, she follows him in hopes that he reciprocates her feelings. However, due to her economic and social status, Ti Moune is shunned by Daniel’s family and friends.
Throughout this adventure, there is another storyline that the characters cannot see: deals between gods. The gods made a bet on whether love or death is the stronger force. When Ti Moune fails to win Daniel’s heart, the gods turn her into a tree. However, this “curse” turns out to be a blessing in disguise because Ti Moune, now in tree form, grew so much that she unites the two sides of the island at the end of the show. Junior Kiearra Gary said that “[...] the story of the show is something so beautiful and meaningful, and [they] wanted, as a cast, to make sure that the story was properly conveyed to the audience.”
The first step with producing this show was auditions. For many performers, auditioning for roles is a stressful time. With this production, however, Ms. Carla focused on making sure everyone was comfortable and anxiety-free. Kiearra said that “On audition day, everyone came up one by one and sang the piece they wanted with lots of love and support from peers and directors.” This environment proved successful because, for Kiearra, “[...] it was an enjoyable experience.”
Following auditions, the theater department spent months rehearsing for opening night, and their work eventually paid off. Junior and costume director Kristen Trudewind explained that “From staying late after school, Saturday rehearsals, and getting ready before the show, everything was wonderful [...]” This group of performers, directors, and technical theater specialists dedicated themselves for months to creating a successful show, and Kristen found that this process brought out the talent and grit of these students. “Once we had a stable cast, everybody was putting their best foot forward,” they told us.
The reaction from the audience was very positive. On opening night, the performers received a standing ovation and it was “magical,” according to Kristen. Following the success of last year’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” it was difficult to predict what the turnout would be like for the 2023 performance. Kiearra told us that she “wasn’t expecting a lot of people to be there” because of the smaller cast size this year. However, the support from the community was evident in the number of people who attended as well as the reactions from those who did so. Senior Aubrey Allen said that “it had a [much] better audience reaction than [she] was expecting.”
Despite certain challenges with the production process, the performance was a successful one. Moving forward, the North Mecklenburg theater department is aiming to continue producing quality shows that are enjoyed by the school community. Next year, Kristen plans on working on costumes for the theater program once again.
Kristen suggested a few ways that the theater department could improve in years to come. Student involvement is valuable to producing quality shows, and there are hopes that there will be more in the future. “Continuing to expand our cast and crew will always be important,” she says. Additionally, increased funding would be incredibly beneficial for the theater department, as well as the arts at North Mecklenburg in general. Kristen says she thinks “[...] our theater department has the potential to grow far beyond what it is now.”
The performance of Once on This Island was a success for the theater program at North Mecklenburg High School. With a great number of people in the audience and a strong cast of students, it was a positive experience for the North Mecklenburg community. Looking forward, the theater department hopes to build on their successes and continue producing successful shows. 🆅