By Hunter Jones
The Dixie Theater is hosting a musical based on the hit movie “Frozen” called “Frozen Jr.” which is also based on the 2018 broadway premiere. This play aims to bring something new for the audience as it touches more on the childhood of the beloved characters Anna and Elsa.
The cast is made up of youth from 8-18 and director Steele Moegle said the cast “bring their high energy and creative ideas to make this story unique and exciting for the audience.”
Johnathan Baines is the publicity overseer for “Frozen Jr.” and said, “Seeing members of the community in these roles always seems to pull the audience members further into the story. It’s a more personal experience to see people you know in the story.”
Auditions were held earlier this months where participants were asked to sing a song, read from a script or recite a monologue. Ninety-three kids and teens attended casting, and Moegle and her casting committee were able to cast 63 of them.
“I spent a full week going through all the applicants, over and over, considering them for the many roles available,” Mogele said. “I went through several drafts of the cast list before I felt good about the decisions.”
The cast is made up of two groups called “Blue Cast” with Mary Laura Hunt as Anna and Natalie Story as Elsa and “Silver Cast” with Melissa Le as Anna and Rosie Shultz as Elsa.
“Casting a show is like assembling a puzzle, all the pieces need to fit together just right,” Baines said.
What may surprise someone viewing this musical is how this production is made up entirely of minors. Moegle feels that she’s helped pick a great cast that’ll bring something ingenious to the table.
“This isn’t your typical school production,” Baines said. “We aim to train our young performers to bring top quality entertainment and professionalism in our productions.”
Moegle and Baines feel that one of the most challenging aspects of this production is bringing Elsa’s magic to life. “I have special magic rehearsals scheduled to deal with just that,” Moegle said.
Another challenge is how the show uses languages inspired by indigenous Saami and Scandinavian culture and Moegle also feels that this will be challenging for her actors/ singers.
Moegle said that she hopes to attract an audience of all ages and even if they’re unfamiliar with “Frozen,” they’ll still enjoy this theatrical experience.
Moegle and Baines expect a big turnout and with the pandemic slowing down, Moegle hopes the community will come out and support the hard work that went into this production.
“I have the best crew,” Moegle said. “They are the true magic makers. I would also like to thank our sponsor, Jonesboro State Bank. They, like me, have waited two years to see this production come to life. I appreciate their patience.”
The musical will be available to view June 15-18 with showtimes Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets go on sale June 1 online or by calling their mobile box office number (318) 595-0872.
