The theater department is taking a turn from the dramatic parts of theater to the more cheerful tone of a musical. “The Little Mermaid” will be performed in the auditorium on Dec. 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. and on Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online for $10 to $15 depending on the choice of seats.

While musicals are sometimes fun and comedic for the audience, for the actors they are a lot of preparation and hard work. For senior Nicky Kimbrell, who plays the leading female role, Ariel, it is an exhilarating opportunity and change of pace.

“To get into my character I had to find a lot of dynamics that seem happy and bubbly,” Kimbrell said. “I usually play characters that are evil or mean so it was a challenge to get accustomed to the character change.”

Likewise, junior Sebastian McGarrett, who plays a sailor, had to learn how to overcome his lack of dancing skills and hand-eye coordination.

“I’m not a dancer,” McGarrett said. “I consider myself an actor so learning [the choreography] was really difficult, but it was really fun because we had to come out of our comfort zones.”

Dancing and singing were not the only challenges actors had to worry about; they also had to get into the role of their new characters.

“It is hard for me to change my normal process of going through character development,” Kimbrell said. “Also, tap dancing is really difficult to learn.”

Senior Tamara Elias, who plays a willow tree, was overjoyed when she heard she was going to be in the show.

“I was surprised I was casted since I can’t sing or dance,” Elias said. “ I was very honored and happy to be a part of this musical.”

The theater department has set high expectations for “The Little Mermaid.”

“We are definitely meeting those [high] standards,” McGarrett said. “I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s going to be one of the biggest musicals Lewisville has ever done.”

The actors are also confident the audience will enjoy the show because of the more fun and cheerful tone.

“A positive reaction [is what] I am sure we will get because of the story line and it’s just such a good show,” Elias said.

The actors enjoy the new stage props and the challenge of performing a musical, but what they enjoy the most is portraying their characters the best they can.

“The thing I like most about the play is getting to play a princess,” Kimbrell said. “Normally I would play the funny or mean characters. It’s really fun to get to play a character that is happy for once, like getting to laugh, be joyful and have a positive goal rather than trying to destroy someone else’s goal.”