CCT to Stage Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID JR. with 150 Student Actors, 8/1-10

Grab your fins and snorkels, and head "Under the Sea" as Columbia Children's Theatre's (CCT) YouTheatre presents Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. August 1st - 10th with shows Fridays at 7:00 pm, Saturdays at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm.

General admission tickets are $10 regular admission and $8 for active military families and seniors. Advance ticket purchases are strongly recommended and may be purchased securely on-line at www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com. All shows take place at Columbia Children's Theatre on the second floor of Richland Mall, 3400 Forest Drive in beautiful Forest Acres.

Featuring all the beloved characters from the 1989 Disney film and many of the new musical numbers from the 2007 Broadway production, this heart-warming re-telling of the Hans Christian Anderson tale will delight audiences of all ages. In a magical underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid Ariel longs to leave her ocean home - and her fins - behind and live in the world above. But first she'll have to defy her father King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she's the girl whose enchanting voice he's been seeking. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken, it's a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages that will capture your heart with its timeless tale and irresistible songs including "Under the Sea," "Kiss the Girl" and "Part of Your World." What's not to love!

150 young midlands actors in two different casts (Aqua & Coral) will portray the beloved characters over two weekends.

The "Aqua Cast" performs August 1st- 3rd and features Laila Borders, Abigail Bradley, Jessica Bradley, Florie Braquet, Anna Brooks, Tyler Burroughs, Tyson Burroughs, Caroline Clayton, Alex Cone, Lilly Coveney, Megan Crutchfield, Asia Davis, Courtney Hope Diveley, Joshua Diveley, Noah Diveley, Taylor Diveley, Maximus Farr, Olivia Fish, Emmalyn Gilbreth, Nati Glowacki, Rachel Glowacki, Kirslyn Gunter, Anthony Harvey, Elizabeth Hinson, Kamen Hogan, Dani Hu, Madison Jerome, Meghan Jerome, Julian Jones, Marion Jones, Lyra Jordan, Alex Kelley, Clare Kerwin, Kylee Kest, Mae Ketchum, Damiya Knox, Meg Krawczyk, Sarah Krawczyk, Mira Lathren, Nya Lee, Yasmin Lee, Cullen Maas, Aiden McCabe, Rian McCallum, Yaya McDaniel, Samantha Moore, Hannah Mount, Mattie Mount, Sarah Mueller, Olivia Newman, Amaya Nobles, Toby O'Connor, Joshua Quay, Abby Robillard, Hayley Robillard, Terrin Robinson, Imani Ross-Jackson, Zaire Ross-McCloud, Luke Schrader, Alana Smith, Molly Smith, Annabelle Stevenson, Cort Stevenson, Hannah Suggs, Cecila Taylor, Olivia Timmerman, Sydney Vaught, Alli Warren, Corin Wiggins, Jerryana Williams, Saniya Williams, and Noah Zeis.

The "Coral Cast" performs August 8-10 and features Ian Aitken, Kayla Alexander, Summer Araya, Zoe Becraft, Nicholas Beitz, Zachary Beitz, Brooks Bell, Madison Bell, Desiree Belton, Donald Blackmon, Liam Blair, Olivia Blair, Izzy Blevins, Anna Brooks, Adelaide Brown, Eliza Brown, Elizabeth Crosby, Abby Davis, Christian Davis, Emily Davis, Hannah Davis, Julianne Davis, Lorelai Davis, Marissa Derrick, Cate Dingeldine, Laura Eargle, Favour Ekechukwu, Victoria Ekechukwu, Elisbeth Eleazer, Infinity Evans, Troy Evans, TaylorAnne Fogarty, Kaitlyn Fuller, Kennedy Fuller, Lola Gantt, Chinira Godfrey, Taylen Goodwin, Emma Imholz, Sophia Jackson, David Jeffrey, Madison Jerome, Meghan Jerome, Jaime Kelley, Lily Lawther, Delaney LeRoy, Isabel Lessley, Elizabeth Loua, Katelynn Manning, Anna Martin, Ashlyn Martin, Katie McConnell, Sam McConnell, Heyward Moak, McKayla Moran, Baker Morrison, Ashlynn-Grace Myers, Emma Myers, Natalia Navarro, Angelina Nolan, Lucinda Pringle, Lucius Ramos, Nathaniel Riley, Logan Rivers, Mason Robinson, Olivia Rozier, Samantha Scott, Grace Smith, Nathan Smith, Olivia Smith, Riley Smith, Ashton Stokes, Garrett Stokes, Taylor Toliver, Jacqueline Walker, and Blyth Webb.

Columbia Children's Theatre created its YouTheatre program in 2004 to provide an environment for beginning actors to explore performing, as well as for more seasoned actors to hone their skills working with local theatre professionals. Each season the company produces five plays and musicals cast entirely with students. Auditions are held several times throughout the year, and are open to all aspiring actors in grades 1-12. For more information about CCT's YouTheatre program, visit their website at www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com.

Columbia Children's Theatre is a professional resident not-for-profit theatre dedicated to providing quality live theatre experiences for families and young audiences, and is supported in part by the City of Forest Acres, The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties and the South Carloina Arts Commission, which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pictured: Taylor Diveley (Prince Eric), Hannah Mount (Ariel), Mattie Mount (Sebastian), Courtney Hope Diveley (Flounder).