Auburn Area Community Theatre will present the opening performance of "Once on This Island Jr." Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center.
The play is a Caribbean adaptation of the popular Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale "The Little Mermaid."
In almost nonstop song and dance, the show tells the story of Ti Moune and Daniel, who are on a quest to tell the story of life, pain, love, grief, faith and hope, according to auburnact.org.
Director Kim Hirt said she was drawn to this play because of its musical score.
"(The music) is different," Hirt said. "It's all Caribbean-style and really beautiful music."
She also chose the production because of its style.
"It is just really fun and the stuff I like to do--stagecraft, working with fun elements of nontraditional theater," Hirt said.
Hirt said this show goes back to story-theater, where the narrators are the actors too.
"The narrators are taking on different roles," Hirt said. "They are becoming huts, then they become a tree, and within five minutes of the show they have played 10 parts."
As a result, the play does not require much in terms of a set.
"Our sets don't change so much in this play," said producer Lori McCormack. "(The actors)play a piece of fabric that is sitting there, and all of a sudden the fabric turns into a doorway and the actor has to play a door."
McCormack said this type of performance requires both the actors and audience to use their imagination.
"The actors make it believable," McCormack said. "And the little kids love stuff like that because they just think, 'That's so cool! How did they do that?'"
Performances are daily from Feb. 29 to March 3 at 6:30 p.m. In addition to the March 3 evening performance, there will be a matinee at 2 p.m. There will also be a family night showing March 5 at 6:30 p.m.
The show, which will run approximately one hour, targets ages 8 and older.
Tickets are available at the door 30 minutes prior to curtain time and are $7 for children, students and seniors and $9 for adults. All tickets will be $7 on family night.
Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center box office at 334-329-8512.
McCormack said she wants the audience to leave the performance knowing Auburn has talented child-actors within the community.
"People are so shocked that the performances are so good," McCormack said. "It is almost disbelieving. A lot of people come out of it saying, 'I didn't know they could do that.' And we think, 'Of course we can.'"
For more information, visit auburnact.org.
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