Interview: Sarah Jane Salonga of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON at San Diego Junior Theatre

At San Diego Junior Theatre, young performers take on ambitious storytelling challenges while developing their craft. In the company’s current production of "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon", director Sarah Jane Salonga leads a cast of young artists through a story filled with folklore, adventure, and discovery.

Based on the award-winning novel by Grace Lin, the story follows Minli, a brave and curious young girl who sets out on a quest to change her family’s fortune. Along the way, she encounters magical creatures, unexpected friends, and the legendary Old Man of the Moon. The musical adaptation by Min Kahng blends storytelling, folklore, and music in a family-friendly adventure that explores gratitude, hope, and the meaning of fortune.

Salonga began her career as a performer before moving into directing and teaching, and that background shapes how she works with young artists in rehearsal. It's not just about the performance in front of the audience, but the preparation and care that is taken by everyone as the characters and the show are being rehearsed that helps bring everything fully to life.

“There are a few things that I pass on to my students. As musical theatre actors, we are telling a story mostly through song and dance, so we need to prepare our instrument (our body) by warming up! We need to honor the material that was written by the playwright, composer, and lyricist, and in this case, it was Min Kahng who wrote it based on Grace Lin’s novel. By honoring the material, we need to be specific and make sure that we say and sing the correct words and notes. We need to understand that most of our audience will be seeing the show for the first time, so every show needs to be consistently the same, with the same best energy we can give at every single performance.

Lastly, I also love to share my journey with the students and who I am as a person, because I’m a theatre artist, educator, director, musician, dental hygienist, and mom. Despite all the different hats I wear, I will always have that itch to perform, because the gasps, laughs, smiles, and tears from the audience are priceless. When I show a little glimpse of who I am as a person rather than just their director, I feel that I can connect with each of them and meet them where they are.”

The story’s themes align well with Junior Theatre’s season and the experiences of young performers and audiences. It is also in line with the larger educational mission of Junior Theatre to build creative, empathetic, and hard-working performers who understand the value of all  the many pieces that come together to create a production

“There are several stories, themes, and lessons in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, but the one that sticks out for me is being together and realizing that our relationships with each other are far more important than materialistic things. In the theme of Junior Theatre’s 78th season, to ‘Forge Your Path’ is precisely Minli’s journey where our young performers and young (and old) audiences can relate to understanding that sometimes what we want is not necessarily what we really need. Minli goes on an adventure and realizes that it is the friendship she creates and her family is her true fortune.”

Because the story is rooted in Chinese folklore, Sarah ensured that research and cultural connections played an important role in shaping the production.  She enlisted local community resources to come and educate on the cultural symbols and meanings, and was determined to find a musician who could play the Erhu, an instrument with a distinctive sound that is a mainstay of traditional Chinese music, opera, and storytelling.

“I read the book a couple of times and then did a lot of research about Chinese folklore, symbolism, traditions, art, and history. It was important to me that our young actors understand Chinese culture from the source, so we reached out to the Chinese community here in San Diego.

At our first rehearsal, we invited June Zhou, our Cultural Consultant, to talk to our young actors about the significance of the characters and symbols represented in the book. The Chinese Cultural Center at San Diego State University hosted our cast on a private tour of the center. They learned more about the culture, tried on traditional Chinese garments, and experienced Chinese tea.

In addition to working with the cast, it was also important for me to work with our designers to understand and honor the Chinese culture in the costumes, props, set, and lighting. In this musical adaptation, we are immersed in the storytelling through music, and one instrument that lies heavily in the accompaniment throughout the score is the erhu. It’s a Chinese string instrument that has a very distinct sound that I wanted the audience to hear. After an extensive search, we finally found a musician to play it for the show! It’s so very special to have live musicians creating the soundscape of the show.”

Junior Theatre is also proud to have an all-APAPI creative team for the production, with music director Stephen Evangelista and choreographer Theresa Maigue Bendorf joining Salonga in shaping the show’s vision. The production also represents a meaningful collaboration among artists who share cultural backgrounds and experiences, and made this experience all the richer in their collaboration.

“We are basically siblings — Theresa is our older sister, I’m the middle child, and Stephen is our youngest brother. We’ve had so much fun during the rehearsal process, especially with our familial cultural inside jokes and singing karaoke during tech. All kidding aside, I feel privileged to be able to collaborate with people who look like me, who grew up with parents like me, who understand what it means to be part of the global majority. When I first started in the theatre industry over 20 years ago, I would have never thought that I would lead a creative team, a production team, and a cast through the production process of an Asian musical. I’m in awe of this experience and still continuously unpacking it all. It’s been a thrilling ride to be able to create and showcase this story for all to experience.”

Working in theatre is always rewarding, but Sarah says working with young performers throughout the rehearsal process remains one of the most rewarding parts of this show at Junior Theatre.

“From auditions to our opening night, the entire process has been exciting, seeing these young artists grow during the last couple of months. As young performers, it’s a very exciting time when all the design and technical elements come together, because we’ve been working in the rehearsal room for 4 weeks, and finally, we get to the stage. There’s a heightened sense of storytelling once costumes are on, sets are utilized, props are being used, and lights are shining down. It ties everything together, and these young artists shine even brighter.”

As the nation’s longest-running youth theatre, San Diego Junior Theatre continues its mission to provide engaging productions performed by talented young artists. With its mix of folklore, music, and imaginative storytelling, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon offers audiences an adventure shaped by collaboration, learning, and the voices of the next generation of performers.

How To Get Tickets

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" is playing through March 15th.  For showtime and ticket informaiton go to www.juniortheatre.com