playbill vip

The Little Mermaid is one of the earliest musical experiences I ever had – maybe 4 years old, watching it in my living room and standing in awe of Ariel’s voice, and how LONG her note was at the end of “Part of Your World.” I asked my Dad, who sang, how she held the note out for so long. He explained the concept of sustained pitch using breath the best he could to a 4 year old, and I was hooked on singing from then on. :) After having grown up a bit, I realized that the thematic significance of The Little Mermaid goes much deeper than pretty singing, and these themes colored our interpretation of our production.

A woman doesn’t know how precious her voice is until she’s lost it. There are so many ways we can express ourselves, and it’s crucial as artists that we do. This theme is so prevalent in this show - how we struggle to establish our identity through how we express ourselves, most importantly in expressing or creating something new.

Love is love. Ariel shows us that following your heart is crucial to being who you are, even though every creature she knew and loved told her it was wrong. I hope this show encourages others to follow their hearts. No matter how much we love someone, we can’t always protect them. Sometimes we have to let them go, so that they can live. I hope this story continues to inspire audiences to be true to themselves, and even if they feel like a “fish out of water,” they can find home and happiness if they aren’t afraid of the obstacles in their way.

I would like to dedicate this production to the memory of Zack Pinkston.

-Amy Young