“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
This year, Greenhill Theater is staging a production of Disney’s Descendants: The Musical, which opens on Nov. 20.
The show is double cast, with junior Lydia Kerridge and senior Samantha Herrmann both playing Mal, the female lead role.
Herrmann became immersed in theater in middle school when she joined a community performance.
“I got involved in theater in sixth grade in a production of Newsies at a local theatre and fell in love,” Herrmann said.
Kerridge has been participating in theater since she was four years old, practicing with Dallas Conservatory and Amy Studio Performing Arts before working with Greenhill Theater.
“As soon as I could get involved in Greenhill Theater, which for me was seventh grade, I did because it’s always sort of been something I loved,” Kerridge said.
Both Kerridge and Herrmann prepare for a role in different ways.
Kerridge likes using music and visuals to help her understand a role and get in the right mindset.
“I really enjoy making Spotify playlists and Pinterest boards for characters, just sort of like the fun things that really helped me put myself in the right headspace,” Kerridge said. “I always watch if there’s a recording of the show or the movie version, whatever the source material is, to try to understand the character better.”
Herrmann acclimates by rehearsing her lines during any free time.
“I practice my lines with myself as often as I can, whether in the mirror, while driving or with friends,” Herrmann said.
For rehearsals, the cast begins together then splits into smaller groups to rehearse different parts of the show.
“A typical day in theater looks like a cast show-and-tell, where we run one number from the show for the entire cast, then we split up and rehearse multiple things at once,” Herrmann said. “There are many moving parts.”
In this production, Lower School and Middle School kids are being incorporated into the musical. Kerridge said this part of the show is the part she is most excited about, as all parts of the community can become involved.
“We haven’t been able to practice with them yet, but I think that they’re really going to add a lot to the show, and I think it’s going to be adorable,” Kerridge said.
Herrman is excited for the community to see the time and dedication the actors and the behind-the-scenes team have contributed.
“It’s going to be great,” Herrmann said.
