Presenting Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ at North Star High
Southern Nebraska Register
While construction of a new black box and mainstage theater is underway at Pius X High School in Lincoln, the show must go on for the Pius Players theater program.
“We are overcome with gratitude and excitement for our new performing arts spaces that are less than two years away,” said musical director Mary Odgaard. “We weren’t entirely sure how or if we’d be able to have a season without a space to rehearse or perform, but God in His Goodness continues to always make things work for us in these couple of years of waiting.”
With the existing Learning and Performing Arts Center (LPAC) under construction as the new theater black box and band room, there is no rehearsal, performance, or tech space in which to work. But, Odgaard said, the school’s commitment to all students and community has found creative ways of making it work. Storage pods, closets, teacher’s lounges and hallways have been graciously shared with Pius Players’ plethora of costumes, props, set pieces and technical elements.
“It was a very interesting scenic build process for this show,” said Adam Zastrow, director of technical production. “The set was almost twice as wide as anything that had been built before at Pius. At the end of every night, we had a choice: expand farther into the hallway or take our newly constructed pieces down to our storage locker under the football stadium.
“To an outside observer,” he continued, “it would have looked like our black curtain in the hallway was expanding every day, but in reality, what was hidden underneath was constantly changing as we shifted things around to have what was actively being worked on available at the school.”
The music room has become a rehearsal studio in the after-school hours with show choir risers functioning as the set and scenery configurations taped on the floor. Without a theater or shop, Pius Players has relied on the magnanimity of the fine arts team and the support of the school to continue the fall play, one-act, and musical this year.
“We have an incredible group of professionals on our fine arts team – and the school as a whole,” Odgaard said. “We communicate frequently and somehow manage to make it work with over 300 students utilizing this one room throughout the week. On the handful of occasions when activities overlapped in the music room, St. Peter School and Parish graciously allowed us to use their parish hall.”
But there is no show without a venue to perform it. Fortunately, God in His Providence has provided for that as well.
“We were running into many roadblocks in securing a theatrical space for our shows,” said Sarah Moje, costumer designer and director of the fall play and one-act. “I was tech director at North Star for 13 years before helping at Pius and reached out to some former colleagues at North Star and Southwest. Both schools have been exceedingly gracious about letting us use their stage for a week out of their busy schedules and have bent over backwards to make us feel welcomed and wanted.”
With so many uncertainties during construction, students and staff involved with Pius Players continue to be deeply grateful for the collaboration, collegiality and generosity of so many people supporting them and their efforts to restore all the arts in Christ.
“The Little Mermaid” will be performed at North Star High School, 5801 N. 33rd St., March 12-15. Show times are 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; 1:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Tickets are $11 per adult and $8 per child 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at www.PiusX.net or at the door.
“The Little Mermaid” is a family-friendly production that explores the challenges of parenting, the desire for independence, and the importance of family and community in our lives. Young children are encouraged to dress as their favorite character when attending the production.
