Stage Theatre Society presents… The Little Mermaid.

Stage Theatre Society is proud to present Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney's ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs including "Under the Sea," "Kiss the Girl," and "Part of Your World."

 Ariel, King Triton's youngest daughter, dreams of life in the world above and makes a bargain with the evil sea witch, Ursula. Trading her tail for legs, Ariel embarks on an adventure in the human world with the handsome Prince Eric, but her new life comes at a cost. Can she seal her love with a kiss before time runs out? Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a magical family favourite that is sure to delight audiences young and old.

 About Stage Theatre Society: 

 Stage Theatre Society – one of the South East’s largest youth theatre companies – celebrated its 15th birthday in 2017. Having worked with over 700 young people on 30 musical productions, today’s STS is very different to the small group which started out in Bredhurst Village Hall all those years ago.

 The company has seen many of its members go on to perform professionally, produced some huge shows, including West End hits Billy Elliot, Les Miserables and Ghost, and taken countless numbers of young people on theatre trips, residential weekends and holidays abroad.  

 STS is a registered charity which means that every single of one of the adults working for the company, from directors and choreographers, to chaperones, committee members and chefs, are all volunteers, giving up every Sunday of the year to offer young people the chance to take part.

 Co-Owners Richard Hillier and Daniel More know more than anyone that it’s been a hard 15 years building STS into the charity it is today, but every moment has been worth it. 

 Richard explains, 

“We always get asked ‘how did it begin?’. As kids, Daniel and I were both very fortunate to attend a school (the Howard School) that dedicated a lot of time and resources to Performing Arts. When we left, we were both a little lost with what to do with our spare time. We decided to gather a group of friends to stage a Halloween-themed cabaret – have you ever tried to come up with 30 songs all on the theme of Halloween?! 

Our friends soon grew up and went about being adults, but Daniel and I weren’t ready to walk away from the theatre quite yet. We put an advert in the KM, advertising auditions for a production for Cinderella. And, as they say, the rest is history!  What started as a project to stage a one-night only cabaret with a group of friends has now grown into a company working with over 100 young people every single year.”

 STS members range from 7 to 19 years old - including technicians, stage crew and production team as well as performers. Any profit from ticket sales is put straight back into the charity to help fund not only shows but many social events, including an annual Christmas Ball and professional workshops. 

 A few years ago, the company partnered with a school in Germany and formed a very special relationship with them. This has involved not only many exchange visits between countries, but a collaboration on an entire musical production, staged in the English Theatre in Frankfurt.

 Daniel is very proud of the company STS has become: 

“It’s not just about the shows (although there are a lot of those!) - but about the difference we can make to young lives. Alongside rehearsals, we organise a huge number of events – everything from overnight camps and trips to the beach, to holidays in Florida! We’ve been known to take kids on a ghost hunt through Puckley Village, set up an outdoor cinema, and held more children’s parties than we can remember! 

Some of our members come from dance schools and other stage schools, but many have no experience. We’ve had some brilliant success stories where kids have told us they’d probably be sitting in a park every evening if it wasn’t for STS. 

It’s a safe, friendly place to go where it doesn’t matter what your age is – everyone just gets on.”

 Richard sums up STS:

 “We have gone from a cast of 20, to working with over 700 young people. Our shows now have a budget - and not of “who can donate what”, but of over £15,000 per production. We’re on more social media platforms than I think actually exist. But in essence, we are still that theatre company that started one day based upon the ideals of creating life-long friends and life-long memories.”

 This amateur production of The Little Mermaid is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International.