The beloved Disney movie Frozen is being brought to life this weekend by local middle school students. Students from Chaska Middle School West, Chaska Middle School East and Pioneer Ridge Middle School have been hard at work for several weeks preparing the show, Frozen Jr.
Director Anna Olson says that the musical is mostly true to the original movie, but she likes giving kids creative outlets and has taken some of their suggestions to add fun elements to the show.
Olson also says that middle school students are her “favorite kids to direct,” which is evident as she has also directed Mean Girls: Teen Edition (Chaska Valley Family Theatre), Aristocats Kids (District 112 6th grade musical), and A Christmas Story (CVFT) all in the past seven months.
Olson is assisted by student manager, Victoria Schmieg. Schmieg, now a sophomore at Chanhassen High School, fondly remembers her middle school musical experiences. She says she was so positively influenced by the student manager at that time that she wanted to pay it forward.
All the favorite Frozen characters will be live on stage.
The student playing Olaf said it felt rather overwhelming at first, but then “I really, really like playing Olaf, and doing silly voices.”
Addie Patterson plays the role of Anna. “She is so fun and quirky to play, and I can add my own quirks,” she said. Patterson also mentioned that the musical has some extra songs and material that help the audience “dive deeper into the story.”
Miriam Gilbertson loves singing all of Elsa’s songs, especially “Let It Go” and “For the First Time in Forever Reprise.” She enjoys playing Patterson’s sister and working together on stage.
Being in a musical means putting in a lot of extra time outside of the school day.
“You have to love it,” Gibertosn said. And she definitely does.
Frozen Jr is being performed at the Chanhassen High School auditorium. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or online (https://district112.ticketleap.com).
Showtimes for Frozen Jr. are:
- Thursday, February 13, 7pm
- Friday, February 14, 7pm
- Saturday, February 15, 7pm
- Sunday, February 16, 2pm
