Alturas Academy drama club to stage ‘Moana, Jr.’
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IDAHO FALLS — The students of the Alturas Academy Drama Club are hard at work prepping their latest production, “Moana, Jr.” for performance this weekend.
Though COVID-19 created obstacles for the club this year, they came up with new ways to audition and learn the songs for the show. The public will soon have a chance to see the results, as “Moana, Jr.” is set for performances on Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20 at Thunder Ridge High School in Idaho Falls.
“Moana, Jr. is a great show,” said Taneil Serr, who co-directs the play with Stevie Croft. “It’s got a lot of history. The kids have learned about the Hawaiian people and learned a bit of their language and traditions and culture. It’s been fun to research about and the kids have really loved it. It’s helped them feel a little more normal during this crazy time.”
The play follows the plot of the 2016 Disney animated film. It’s the story of a young Polynesian princess who is chosen by the ocean itself to embark on an epic quest to save her island. Serr said the play doesn’t deviate too much from that.
“Hei Hei and Pua actually talk, so that kind of fun,” said Serr. “But it’s almost the exact script as the play that Disney did.”
Because of COVID restrictions, the club had could not gather together for auditions and rehearsals, so those were conducted online. It has made casting and teaching the actors their parts a bit of a challenge.
“A lot of times in programs we’ve done in the past, the kids just really liked to be together as a kind of a social event,” Serr said. “This year, we’ve only had the kids who really love singing and dancing and they had to do it on their own, you know, learn all songs all alone without their friends.”
While rehearsing individually was difficult, doing so had some unexpected silver linings.
“Some of the kids were vulnerable because they had to make videos by themselves,” said Serr. “But it was so great because even though there were obstacles, we got to know some of the kids better because we could see them individually singing and dancing. So by the time we saw all their videos, we felt like we knew them really well so we could put them in different roles that we wouldn’t have normally known they were capable of doing.”
The play also doubles as a fundraiser for the club. The profits all get rolled back into the club for use in future productions. So, not only is this a chance to get out of the house, but it’s also a way to help further the arts education of local children
Alturas Academy Drama Club stages “Moana, Jr.” Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 20 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Thunder Ridge High School Auditorium. In-person tickets are $5 for individuals and $20 for families. Families will be socially distanced together into groups and audience members are asked to wear masks.
Those who don’t feel comfortable going to the live show can catch the livestream of the event. Click here to purchase tickets.
