Disney's "The Little Mermaid" Staged Today

An officially licensed performance of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" is presented today, February 28, at the Saint Theresa's College Auditorium. The shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. are under special arrangement with Music Theatre International, the licensing agent for Disney Theatricals.

The Cebu staging of the highly popular Disney play is run by top Cebuano theater artists. The director, Allan Nazareno, is Cebu-born, and was raised in Cebu until he migrated to Guam in 1990. Since his directing career began in 1997, he has directed 40 productions in Guam and Hong Kong. He is currently the Performing Arts Coordinator for Yew Chung International School Secondary. He has directed the first nonUS production of Disney's "The Little Mermaid," last November.

The co- director, Rudy Aviles, is also quite wellestablished in theatrical productions. He is currently the resident artistic director for the University of Cebu (UC) Theatre Workshop Company and director for UC Students Cultural and Instructional Media Services. He has directed shows for other schools, like PAREF Springdale, Southcrest, St. Paul's and St. Williams and UP Cebu. He has recently directed a twin-bill of Cebuano plays, and was the theatre consultant for Mandaue School of the Arts.

The musical director, Dennis Sugarol, is a multi-awarded choir conductor. His works have been recognized by legitimate cultural institutions like National Commission on Culture and the Arts, Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Office of the President. He is the director of the Mandaue Children's Choir. His choirs have earned awards at the Asian Choir Games, World Choir Championships, and he conducted the choir that sang in Rome. In 2004, the Province of Cebu awarded him the "Garbo sa Sugbo (Pride of Cebu)" distinction.

The production designer is Faust Peneyra, a Hong Kong- based Filipino designer who has reaped awards for his innovative set and costume designs. He designed "Shrek The Musical" and "The Addams Family" for Atlantis Productions, "Dani Girl" for Sandbox Collective and "Rabbit Hole" for Red Turnip Theatre.