Middle school drama to make a splash on stage during winter performance

The Wareham Middle School Drama Club is preparing to take audiences under the sea and into the world of “The Little Mermaid” for their winter play.

The play will hit the middle school stage at 4 Viking Drive March 11 and 12 at 6 p.m. but in the meantime, drama club advisors Janelle Brangwyne and Jessica Hathaway are getting their group of 49 actors ready for opening night.

“For the most part the kids have really impressed us, they’ve learned the choreography quickly and they have lots of good energy,” Brangwyne said.

Six years ago the drama club, under different advisors, was set to bring the Disney classic alive until the COVID-19 pandemic shut the production down two weeks before opening night. Since then the middle school has not performed “The Little Mermaid” until now.

“It’s kind of a big deal we’re doing it this year for a lot of people and we have a lot of stuff from that,” Brangwyne said.

One thing unique about this year’s show is the number of kids participating, Brangwyne said. Typically the drama club gets 20 to 25 kids per production but the cast is currently at 49 kids, about half of whom are fifth graders.

And fifth grader Daphne Kerwin is the show’s leading lady as Ariel. Despite it being her first show, Daphne said she is feeling excited.

“I’m very happy because I wouldn’t think as a fifth grader I would get the lead role,” Daphne said.

But leading the show was not the only reason she wanted to play Ariel.

“I really like it because my mom’s favorite princess is Ariel,” she said.

Much like Daphne, sixth grader Jessica Salib is a fan of the show and knew she wanted to play Sebastian the crab since last year.

“As soon as I saw we were doing little mermaid I said ‘I want to be Sebastian,’” she said. “I loved Sebastian growing up.”

Costarring next to Daphne and Jessica is seventh grader Evalynn Moos playing Ursula who said the production is coming together well.

“We have very few scenes we haven’t done well,” she said.

With high school on the horizon for Evalynn, she said her experience in middle school has made her “love to be able to continue drama in high school.”

“It’s just the bonds I can build, especially with people who aren’t in the same grade as me who I wouldn’t normally see,” she said.

Brangwyne attributed some of the growth to the performance the drama club puts on for incoming fourth graders every year. She added the increase has been good for the club but it presents its own challenges too.

“The biggest thing right now is just worrying about costumes. Luckily we have a lot from when [the drama club] was going to do ‘The Little Mermaid’,” she said. “Between costume changes we need 104 costumes which is a lot to plan and size and it’s a lot of adjustments.”

The show also acts as the biggest fundraiser for the club. Tickets will be made available to the public at the door.