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Over 100 kids who range in age from as young as 5 years old will be taking over the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton this month as part of the Pleasanton Youth Theater Company’s first production of the year, “Finding Nemo KIDS”.
Based on the popular 2003 Pixar movie about an over-protective clownfish father’s ocean adventure as he searches for his lost son, Nemo, the 30-minute stage musical adaptation will feature four different casts who will each perform over the course of the next two weekends.
The children will perform memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming”, “Fish Are Friends Not Food” and “Go With the Flow,” as they portray Marlin, the anxious clownfish dad, exploring beyond the Great Barrier Reef along with his optimistic friend, Dory.
City library and recreation coordinator Jeff Zavattero told the Weekly that each cast is made up of 24 performers — ranging in age from from 7 to 11 years old — who are part of the theater company’s Sprouts program, which introduces young kids to the world of theater.
He said in addition, two of the four Sprouts casts will each have up to 14 kids ages 5 to 6 who are part of the theater company’s Lil Sprouts program. Those younger performers will join their older Sprouts counterparts in their final showcase for select songs.
Zavattero said rehearsals so far have been going great and that after auditioning for their roles in the show, each cast has been working on learning the new songs and scenes.
“Right now, we know the entire show, and we are adding props and costumes to get ready for the big show,” Zavattero said.
He added that he believes the kids and the entire production team are feeling great about the upcoming shows and that the young performers are already making the scenes their own, which he said is thanks to the fact that most of the production staff started off in the same place.
“Sitting in on rehearsals, I can see them using their blocking and choreography to make their own choices with their characters,” Zavattero said.
“I can see them thinking about how their character would feel when doing something or hearing something, and it’s a testament to our incredible staff,” he added. “Almost all of our staff were participants at one point, performing on the same stage. Seeing them take what they learned and share it with the community is inspiring.”
The first cast of performers will debut the show this Saturday (Jan. 18) at 11 a.m. After that, the other casts will be spread out that weekend until the following weekend where the last show will be next Sunday (Jan. 26) at 2 p.m.
For more information — including show dates, times and ticket prices — visit firehousearts.org.
