When it came to choosing the next production for My Turn Theater, “Frozen Jr.” quickly rose to the top of the list for co-director Heather McHenry-Kroetch.
She was very familiar with the show because her granddaughter loves the Disney film on which the musical is based. She also knew that the actors would be familiar with the show too.
“It’s so much work to get to know a show, and this group of actors, they want to tell a story, same as any other group of actors, but to learn a new story to tell is harder,” she said. “A story that they’re all familiar with really lends itself to what we’re doing, lets them grow further. They know already what they’re trying to tell.”
My Turn Theater gives actors with physical or intellectual disabilities opportunities to take the stage. Before there was My Turn Theater, there was Out of the Shadows Theater, both of which were founded by actor Wendy Carroll.
Last year, Danny Anderson took over as artistic director of My Turn Theater and called on McHenry-Kroetch and Lisa Edwards to co-direct a production of “The Lion King Jr.”
Edwards, who has once again teamed up with McHenry-Kroetch to co-direct, was a little concerned about the idea to produce “Frozen Jr.” because she had only seen the movie, not the stage adaptation, and worried there wouldn’t be enough parts for the number of actors who audition.
Once she saw the script, however, that concern went away, as the show was able to accommodate all 41 actors, not counting the shadow actors who assist the actors on stage.
Like they were with “The Lion King Jr.” last year, many My Turn actors were thrilled with the choice to produce “Frozen Jr.,” with some even wearing “Frozen” shirts and other gear to auditions.
“Frozen Jr.” opens Wednesday and runs through Aug. 16 at Spokane Civic Theatre.
“Frozen” tells the story of sisters and princesses Elsa (Michelle Wheeler, with Hannah Burgan playing Young Elsa) and Anna (Ashley Rickerson, with Kyrie Patzer playing Young Anna). Elsa has a special power that allows her to freeze objects and people. But after she accidentally hurts Anna with this power, Elsa decides to hide away in the family’s castle.
Years later, Elsa is set to be crowned queen of Arendelle, and she’s worried about the citizens of the kingdom learning of her powers. To her delight, the coronation goes off without a hitch, and the new queen spends time with Anna for the first time since they were children.
At the coronation, a handsome prince named Hans (Scottie O’Brien), who Anna met the day before, proposes marriage, and she accepts. Things seem to be looking up for both sisters, but when Anna and Hans tell Elsa of their engagement, she accidentally reveals her powers to everyone in Arendelle. Ashamed, Elsa flees, with Anna following quickly behind.
Eventually, an ice harvester named Kristoff (Nathan Butcher), his reindeer Sven (Brian Pearson) and Olaf (Robin DeWolf), a snowman Elsa and Anna created when they were younger, join the search party for Elsa.
“Frozen Jr.” also stars Patrick Ward, Addy Mercer, Parker Sutherland, Brittany Howard, Allison Moore, Jay Moore, Aaron Rasmussen, Abigail Donnelly, Willow Phillips, Dimana Sofia, Tatiana Axthelm, Emelyn Blair, Ryan Genovesi, Issac Hatcher, Jennifer Hoyt, Joshua Johnson, Anna McCoy, Genny Normile, Kiki Sypher, Coen Tucker, Chris Davis, Molly Fogarty, Rusty Hand, Evan Hannah, L-Train Jones, Micaela Ascolese, Lily Hanson, Katya Jones, Risa Lockwood and Asa Waham.
The shadow actors are Jordan Antoine, Quinna Blair, Nicole Black, Jack Brasch, Lindsay Tucker Couch, Mike Donahoe, Jason Dury, Cherina Everman, Lina Fisher, Jan Frank, Patty Garegnani, Kerry Hannah, Thomas Heppler, Andrew Holmes, Cali Jones, Hannah Jones, Lizzie Kitzig, Robert Lao, Jeff McGivern, Becky Moonitz, Mary Ormsby, Aliyah Reidburn, Jessica Rempel, Lee Root, Keva Shull, Leslie Spencer, Hillary Squires and Bailey Whitton.
The musical features music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and a book by Jennifer Lee. It’s based on the film of the same name, which was written by Lee and directed by Lee and Chris Buck.
“Frozen Jr.” features music adapted and arranged by Madeline Smith and a script adapted by Sara Wordsworth.
My Turn Theater’s production was directed by McHenry-Kroetch and Edwards, music directed by Nathan Hoyt, choreographed by Clara Buck and Bella Edwards, produced by Anderson and stage managed by Emily Sperry.
When pairing actors with shadows, McHenry-Kroetch and Edwards look at a few different things. If an actor has a big singing role, they will pair that actor with a shadow who is also a singer. Sometimes an actor’s parents or caregivers want to be their shadow, which makes for an easy pairing.
Sometimes several actors share a shadow while others benefit from one-on-one assistance.
The biggest factor is personality, with Edwards likening the process of matching a shadow to an actor to completing a puzzle.
“When you find the people who are going to work together well, it just makes sense,” McHenry-Kroetch added.
While the shadow actors wear black, the 41 main actors must, of course, dress the part. And creating costumes for that many actors, many of whom have at least two outfits, was no small feat.
McHenry-Kroetch and Edwards tasked Taralena Creations, the duo of Tara Micksch and Lena Cooley, to create costumes. The pair set to work as soon as the show was announced, creating nearly everything the performers wear, save for the iconic Elsa and Anna dresses, which were rented, as was the reindeer costume for Sven.
The Olaf puppet was created by Farren Obenland, who recently created puppets for Theater on the Verge’s production of “Hand to God.” The cloaks the sisters wear were created by a member of the My Turn community, and Bill Marlowe has helped with headpieces and props.
“Lena does a good job taking into consideration some of the sensory issues too,” Edwards said. “Some of our actors don’t like the feel of fabrics or the feel of something tight around their waist or their wrists, so she’s really good about working with them on that.”
Along with minimal set pieces, like a bed in Young Anna and Young Elsa’s room and a door, necessary for “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” McHenry-Kroetch and Edwards are using projections to help bring audience members from one place to the next.
Not only do they help set the scene, they also help keep the stage clear.
“They make us more fluid in our ability to direct it,” McHenry-Kroetch said. “With 41 people on the stage plus their shadows, you don’t really have a lot of room for a set.”
“Frozen Jr.” was a great choice for My Turn Theater because of how well-known the material is among actors and audience members alike and also because the message of the show – “Embrace what makes you special rather than hide it away” – is a theme of My Turn Theater, something Edwards said they’re always telling the actors.
“Share your gifts and talents and don’t hide away,” she said. “The theme of the show nicely communicates that as well.”
“You can really see it when you hear them sing the finale,” McHenry-Kroetch added. “The theme really shines through them for sure. There’s one line in the finale, and Nathan really worked with them on this, but they all sing so loud and clear ‘Let’s fill the world with light and love.’ It’s one of my favorite moments in the whole show.”
If You Go
‘Frozen Jr.’
When: Wednesday Aug. 12 through Sunday Aug. 16. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St.
Cost: Tickets are by donation. Reserve tickets at spokanecivictheatre.com.
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Article by Azaria Podplesky
Photos by Marlee Melinda Andrews