Jellyfish twirled beneath rhinestone umbrellas, mermaids waved vibrant ribbons and frogs leapt in delight as Sebastian joyfully belted out “Under the Sea.”
The Alachua Children’s Theatre performed “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” at Santa Fe High School on Feb. 22 and 23 and March 1 and 2. The performance on March 1 saw a crowd of roughly 140.
ACT’s founder and artistic director, Amber Zekić, said all shows began at 2 p.m. because many young children are unable to perform at their best in the evening. Many parents appreciate the program’s flexibility in supporting the younger performers, Zekić said.
Zekić created the organization in 2023 to provide children of all experience levels the chance to perform on a stage, she said.
Her three children weren’t able to get into every play they auditioned for because some theaters favored experienced performers, so she sought to create an inclusive space where every child with a passion for theater would be guaranteed a role.
“I think for a lot of them, if they don't get the opportunity to start, then they never know if they're gonna like it,” Zekić said “They never know what they can do.”
ACT’s debut production, “Alice in Wonderland,” featured 21 children. In “The Little Mermaid, Jr.,” there were 90.
To accommodate the larger cast, ACT assigned roles to two groups: one for Saturday performances and the other for Sunday. When they weren’t performing, cast members were given backstage assignments, assisting in prop and set changes.
“Everybody had something to do,” Zekić said. “[It] was fun for them to get to see a different side, since they're usually on the stage performing.”
For this production, Zekić worked alongside assistant directors Alison Cotgreave and Sarah Hanson. She said she loves working with Cotgreave and Hanson because the three of them have great teamwork, and everyone brings something unique to the table.
Cotgreave previously served as an assistant director for ACT’s last production, “Peter Pan,” Zekić said, and this is Hanson’s first time in the role.
Eleven-year-old Audrey Burns played the role of Scuttle and said Zekić, affectionately known as Ms. Amber by the children, is always receptive to the actors' ideas, which makes the cast feel important and valued.
Audrey’s experience at ACT has been amazing, she said, and she loves the cast.
“Everybody in the cast is so sweet [and] so supportive,” Burns said. “One of my really close friends, Ellie, she's Ursula. She had appendix surgery the day before the show, and she still came to the show. Everybody was so supportive of her.”
Eleven-year-old Bella Bonner, who played Flounder, said she loved her role because she got to be energetic and high-spirited on stage.
When Bella found out she was selected for the role, she said she screamed.
“My mom told me to quiet down, but I was so excited,” she said.
Bella’s very grateful for the encouragement the group offers, even when she makes mistakes, she said, and she takes great pride in being a part of ACT.
Diem Bucolo, who plays Ariel alongside Bonner’s Flounder, said she grew as both an actress and a singer by observing her double, Kinley Murray.
“After watching Kinley, the other Ariel, I kind of knew where I was coming from,” the 11-year-old said. “I feel like we both kind of learned from each other.”
The teamwork and group cohesion at ACT is great, she said. It’s been one of the best theater experiences she’s ever had, Diem said.
“Everyone's really nice to each other,” she said. “Nobody's like, ‘You did that wrong,’ or, ‘Get off stage!’ [If] somebody messes up, it's OK. You can fix it the next show.”
Kinley Murray, the 11-year-old who shared the part of Ariel with Bucolo, said her favorite experience was watching everyone collaborate during the dances and seeing the collective effort being put forth by the cast. It was really cool to see everyone working together, she said.
Kinley recommended ACT to several people, including the two actors who played Prince Eric, Greyson Edelstein and JB Corley IV.
“I would just say it's a really good experience working with everyone,” Kinley said. “[With] a lot of plays, sometimes people are mean, but I feel like I've never met somebody at this theater that's ever been rude or inconsiderate. Everyone feels welcome.”
Kinley’s mom, 39-year-old Lauren Murray, said prior to joining ACT, her daughter had participated in a few other small productions. However, because certain productions had go-to people they would consistently cast, Murray felt like her daughter was being overlooked.
However, upon joining ACT, Murray said she and her daughter immediately felt a sense of comfort because of how supportive and encouraging the directors were.
“It's like, [Kinley] could totally fumble, and Amber would just be like, ‘It's OK,’” she said. “We always say that her production is kind of a breath of fresh air. It kind of gets [Kinley] more motivated to want to keep doing theater.”
The theater world can be tough and discouraging at times, she said, which is why she’s especially grateful for a place like ACT, where mistakes are embraced, and perfection isn’t the expectation. Her daughter turns to the theater to reset whenever the pressures of performing become overwhelming, Lauren Murray said.
Another parent, 42-year-old Lori King, works as the production assistant, while her husband works as the sound manager. Her three children, Nola, Zaden and Zelda, were all featured in the performance.
Working with artistic director Zekić is awesome because she's so great with the children and makes them all feel so special, King said.
“We love working with ACT, and my kids have all grown so much in so many different ways,” she said.
Contact Annie Wang at awang@alligator.org. Follow her on X @wynwg.
Annie Wang is a metro general assignment reporter and a second-year journalism major. She has previously worked on the university desk as the university administration reporter. She enjoys reading and writing book reviews in her spare time.
