At the July 15 dress rehearsal for Roberta Jones Junior Theatre’s (RJJT) “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical,” 73 enthusiastic actors, ages 8 to 15, told a story about the high school-aged children of former Disney villains, heroes and heroines attending the same prep school together.
“It’s a story with comedy, adventure and familiar Disney characters and great music,” said Robin Shaddle, Recreation Supervisor of Performing Arts at the City of Santa Clara’s Parks & Recreation Department.
The Descendants story followed the shenanigans of Disney villains’ offspring – Mal (Athena Taylor), Evie (Charu Arvind), Jay (Benji Millet) and Carlos (Ethan Dang). Adolescent sparks flew between Mal and Ben (Tom Sagi).
The set for the show comes with glow-in-the-dark florescent graffiti for the Isle of the Lost and regal scalloped archways decorating Auradon Prep.
“It’s a two-story set with stairwells and beautiful archways,” Shaddle said. “We’re also doing our teen show this summer – “Chicago” – and we wanted a set to use for both productions with little modifications.”
“Jen Kohler designed the set and Migi Oey painted the set,” said Layne Thomas, RJJT’s Technical Director. “Jen and I and others from Parks and Recreation built the set. We keep in storage a lot of the pieces we often use, such as the stairs and the big platforms. We built the big platforms and the structural supports behind the platforms.
“There are two walls here, which are boxes with wheels,” Thomas continued. “We keep the boxes intact and build the walls in different dimensions and redecorate them for different shows.”
Thomas also manages the stage crew, some of whom are student volunteers. Thomas teaches theater etiquette and organizes scene changes.
Justin Jeu, 12, is serving on RJJT’s crew for the second time.
“I move a multitude of things during the show,” Jeu said. “For example, I move around a wall, with one side that looks like a dorm room wall and the other side looking like a worn-down wall from the Isle of the Lost. I also move an emblem that represents Auradon, where the good guys from the Disney stories live. It’s important to recognize the different designs on the set pieces so I can move them to the right place at the right time.”
Sophia Morais, 15, does theater tech at her high school and is also serving on RJJT’s crew for the second time.
“One of my jobs is that I fly the backdrops and the windows for a scene,” Morais said. “On stage left, there is a system of ropes. There is a rubber stopper we pull. We pull a lever, which is a brake. From there, we will pull on one of the two ropes which will fly an item in or out of the scene.”
RJJT’s “Descendants” is running this week from July 16-18.
RJJT’s “Chicago” will run from August 2-4.
Both shows will be playing at the Mission City Center for Performing Arts on 3250 Monroe St. (corner of Monroe St. and Calabazas Blvd). Visit www.rjjt.org to see show times and buy tickets.
RJJT’s fall show will be “Oliver,” for cast members 8 to 18 years old. Auditions will take place August 20-21. More information is in the Santa Clara Parks & Recreation Fall Activity Guide, which will be available on July 19.
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