MOUNT CARMEL School’s Theatre Club kicked off its 2017-2018 performance season with auditions for its next big musical, Disney’s Mulan Jr. Held this past week, the auditions brought in the largest group of aspiring dramatists ever in the school’s history, with over 100 students from grades 1 through 9 auditioning.
“I am overwhelmed by the interest in the show,” said first-time director, Reica Ramirez. Ramirez was the assistant director for the Theatre Club’s last major produc- tion, Disney’s The Lion King Jr., which was a huge hit last year with over 1000 audience members in attendance for two sold-out shows. Aware of that show’s success, Ramirez said, “I didn’t think we could top that, but this [audition turn-out] just proves that more and more people want to be a part of our shows!”
Based on Disney’s Oscar-nominated film and the story, “Fa Mulan” by Robert D. San Souci, Disney’s Mulan Jr. tells the story of Mulan as she saves her elderly father from fighting for the emperor by disguising herself as a male soldier to fight in his place. With her dragon sidekick, Mushu, and a motley band of misfit soldiers, Mulan discovers herself as she grows as a soldier and a heroine along the way. Since the original film’s release in 1998, Mulan has been a favorite of kids and adults alike who appreciate the story’s mes- sage of empowerment and courage.
When asked about why she agreed to take the lead as director for this show, Ramirez said, “Mulan’s one of my favorite Disney characters, and one of the very few characters that emphasizes strength from within.” She added, “Especially since this is a Junior show, I hope it inspires these young actors to find their strength, because it inspires me to find my own strength.”
Disney’s Mulan Jr. will be the Theatre Club’s 46th production since the club was started in 1996. Over the years, the club has featured a wide variety of productions, including classics by William Shakespeare, a number of Disney musicals, several social issue plays, and numerous short and feature-length films. The club’s most recent production, the short film “We Drank Our Tears: Francisco Babauta’s Story”, will be featured as an award finalist in the Guam International Film Festival later this month.
Disney’s Mulan Jr. will be per- formed on December 1 and 2. The show features music and lyrics by David Zippel, Jeanine Tesori, Ste- phen Schwartz, Matthew Wilder, and Alexa Junge. Music for the show was adapted and arranged, with addi- tional music and lyrics provided, by Bryan Louiselle. The show’s book was adapted and additional lyrics provided by Patricia Cotter. The Mount Carmel School Theatre Club production of Disney’s Mu- lan Jr. will be presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI (mtishows. com).
