Riverhead middle school performers put on a fur-bulous production of The Lion King Jr.
The Riverhead Middle School Middle Masques took the stage for their rendition of The Lion King Jr. for friends and family in their first — and only — performance to kick off the year.
The three performances took place at Riverhead High School on Jan. 30 and 31. Practices had been going on twice a week, two hours each, since Nov. 3 last year.
“It’s challenging because a lot of it isn’t in English; they had to learn another dialect for it, which makes it hard,” said director Laura Nitti. “It’s a well-known, iconic story, which always adds some pressure.”
Ms. Nitti has been running the program since 2016, with a brief hiatus for COVID. She also runs the high school drama club. The middle school group performs one musical each year, while the high school stages two productions, one in the spring and one in the fall.
There are 25 young performers in the middle school group, and roughly 40 in high school. Ms. Nitti said roughly 85% of kids who join the program in seventh grade stay involved straight through high school. There were some returning eighth graders for last month’s production, but for the seventh graders, it was their first go around on stage.
“I make them focus on what’s happening on the stage more with each other than anything around them,” Ms. Nitti said of trying to calm their nerves. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link, so I make sure they realize that they all matter.”
This year’s performance featured many new performers. Ms. Nitti said a lot of the leads haven’t had a big part at all in the past.
Among the cast, Mia Banks played Scar, Isch Michel II played Mufasa, Alexander Carroll and Shton Daniels both played Simba and Paddy Alexander played Pumba. There were also a dozen middle school and high school students in the ensemble. Some of the high schoolers help out with the middle school productions, acting as mentors and helping to make sure the shows go smoothly.
Ms. Nitti feels that the students who take part in the clubs learn so much more than just a script or stage directions.
“I tell them all the time, theater teaches you things that you’ll never you’re not going to learn anywhere else,” she said. “It teaches you to trust each other, or you can’t be your best. Just a general level of respect and humanity. They learn how to communicate with each other on a level that I don’t think you get anywhere else all throughout school.”
