Opportunities to get tickets are melting away quickly for the Carrolltowne Elementary School Players production of “Frozen Jr.”
Director Niki Guinan said when choosing the show, “The big thing, I loved the music of course ... it’s so catchy and you can’t help but sing along.”
She also likes that the story focuses on the love between siblings and self-love, concepts we could all use a little bit of more of, she said.
Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door or through eventbrite, though two of the shows were sold out as of Tuesday morning. Some tickets remained for the Saturday Feb. 29 evening show at 7 p.m. Shows take place at the school, 6542 Ridge Road, Sykesville.
There is a 15-minute intermission halfway through, and concessions will be available to buy. The run time is about an hour and 45 minutes.
Those familiar with the movie version of “Frozen” will see many similarities in the costumes design elements. Guinan said costumer Kelly McGonigal takes inspiration from many sources including the movie, period dress and the costumes used in the Broadway production to adapt.
Megan Daniels directs, Jessica Heistand is a producer, Anna Kirker and Krista Porter choreographed the show and Jessica Reinartz served as musical director.
The limits of stage space at an elementary school push the production to get creative. Parents construct risers to give the actors more stage space to perform. And set pieces borrowed from South Carroll High School rotate to display three different scenes.
Students make up the cast of approximately 65 and several more are part of the crew. A group of about 26 middle and high school volunteers join the adult directors, designers and producers.
Guinan said it is rewarding to see the maturity of the students who return to help out with the shows once they have moved on to middle and high school.
Some help with the organizational needs of a large cast that are necessary through all levels of theater, like corralling actors and making sure they have props and are in places on time. Others work lighting and sound, or have taken leadership roles like designing makeup or assisting the musical director.
The school does one show a year and the cast is usually around 65 students. The show is sponsored by the Carrolltowne Elementary PTA.
Guinan said theatre can be like the team sport equivalent in the arts, bringing students from different grade levels together.
“The fourth- and fifth-[graders] take the younger students under their wing,” she said. “It fosters a lot of cooperation, patience, ability to learn from each other, depend on each other.”