Cinnaminson Middle School’s Pirate Players are hard at work rehearsing for their upcoming production: “The Lion King Jr.”
Stephen Finn
The Sun
Piece by piece the stage in the Cinnaminson Middle School auditorium is being transformed into an African savanna. Rehearsals are in full swing for the Pirate Players’ upcoming performance of Disney’s “The Lion King Jr.”
Along with his actors, producer Slade Spencer, and teams of volunteers, director Brian Bacon has been hard at work for months pulling the production together.
According to Bacon, everyone involved in the production has been volunteering their spare time attending multiple rehearsals throughout the week and one each Saturday leading up to the first performance on Feb. 22.
“There’s no way I could do it myself, we have so many parents who help out and volunteer their time, teachers who help out with me,” said Bacon.
Casting for the play started in November and the first rehearsals began before winter break so students had something to take home with them to practice during their time off.
For a number of students, especially those in the lower grades, this play represents their first foray into the performing arts. Auditions are open to all students regardless of age, previous acting experience or involvement in choir. As a result, Bacon considers it part of his job to introduce them to the fundamentals of the art form early in the process.
“We don’t necessarily have a theater program at our feeder school so this is a lot of the basics, making sure you’re facing the audience, stage right, stage left,” said Bacon. “We have them for three years, so by the time they’re in eighth grade they kind of have the hang of it more, they know what’s to be expected.”
The majority of roles for the play are double-cast, actors alternate performances joining the ensemble cast on their off nights.
Students Rebecca Snyder and Erin Clark will be alternating performances in the role of Nala. Both girls are in eighth grade and have previous experience acting with the Pirate Players. They have been enjoying the process so far and feel like they are up to the challenge of this new production.
“I was excited because it’s a difficult play to re-enact, but I feel like we can do it and it will be really cool to see how we interpret all the animals and things that a normal play doesn’t have,” said Snyder.
According to Clark, once roles were cast, Bacon had each of the actors research their particular animal to give them an idea of its natural behaviors and help them bring these animals to life.
Eighth-graders Connor Gilmore and Dean Clark landed the role of Simba. Although they have both put a lot of work into the play, they find that the enjoyment they get out of the experience more than makes up for it.
“I have a lot of fun just singing and making new friends,” said Gilmore.
Clark says in preparing for their role the two have been trying to tap into their own “spirit animal.” They hope to convey the changes and growth Simba undergoes throughout the course of the story.
“We’ve been trying to get into feeling like a lion and thinking that way,” said Clark.
Performances of “The Lion King Jr.” will take place on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 at 8 p.m., Feb. 24 at 2 p.m., March 1 at 8 p.m. and March 2 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the Cinnaminson Middle School auditorium, 312 N. Forklanding Road in Cinnaminson. Tickets will be sold at the door. Prices will be $5 for students, $8 for adults and free for senior citizens.
