Family Entertainment at Stewart Home
By Sara Gividen
State Journal Staff Writer
There were solos and choreography, impeccably delivered lines and a
standing ovation at the end.
From start to finish, Friday's Stewart Home School production of Disney's
The Little Mermaid was a hit with families invited to visit the campus
this weekend.
The production, which took place on a stage in the school's gymnasium,
was part of Stewart Home's annual Family Weekend, an event that drew
close to 1,000 family members to campus this year, Superintendent David
Sellwood said.
Using costumes, spotlights and props, students at the school for intellectually
disabled told the story of a love-struck mermaid longing to become human.
Drama and fine arts instructor Michael Ghant said preparations for the
play began in December.
He said the play was selected because it fit in nicely with the family
weekend theme "A Little Bit of Paradise."
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Ghant held auditions for parts and the cast practiced
45 minutes each day learning lines and choreography for the production.
Choosing lead parts such Ariel, King Triton, Sebastian and sea witch
Ursula was difficult, Ghant said.
"It was not fun and not easy (assigning parts), they had all learned all
their lines," he said.
For the hour-long show, two students played some of the lead parts such
as Ariel and Ursula.
Ghant said it was also challenging to pull the cast of 90, including
the school's choir, together for the show.
In addition to songs from the Disney version, the production included
oldies such as "Age of Aquarius" and "Rock the Boat."
"We wanted to add different songs to make it more fun," Ghant said.
Sebastian the crab, played by 17-year-old Kevin, had audience members
singing along and clapping with his rendition of the song "Under
the Sea."
Kevin said he visualized the performance in his head to help him learn
his part.
"I practiced the whole thing in my head," he said. "I had to
keep on practicing."
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He said the most challenging
aspect of the show was his paper and cardboard crab costume.
"The costume was a painful thing," he said.
Ghant said he was pleased with the production and thinks the students learned
valuable lessons being part of the drama.
"They take away a sense of accomplishment," he said. "They're
not just reading a script, they understand what professionals do."
He said he knows all of the preparation that goes into the show is worth it.
"The students work very hard and everything they do they take pride in," he
said.
The three-day family event featured tropical attire, a boardwalk carnival, golf
and bowling tournaments as well as seminars on guardianship and social security.
Sellwood said Stewart Home School has been hosting family weekend for more than
40 years and described the 2007 edition as "great."
He said it takes a year to plan the weekend and this year's theme "A Little
Bit of Paradise" is fitting.
"We just felt like that's what Stewart Home School is," he said.
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