Mermaid Ariel hosts family breakfast on November 10 at JM

SILER CITY, N.C. — Ariel and her friends from “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” will host a family breakfast at Jordan-Matthews High School early next month to entertain children and raise money to help high school artists excel.

“Breakfast with Princess Ariel and Friends” is scheduled for Saturday, November 10, from 10 a.m. to noon. It features cast members from JM’s musical theater production, which holds three performances the week before Thanksgiving.

The menu includes pancakes, sausage and juice. But the real attraction will be a chance to meet characters from under the sea, hear them sing an occasional song and take plenty of photos with the stars.

“I’m super excited to meet everyone and share with them how wonderful it is to be a mermaid!” says Ariel, who will be performed in the musical by Jennifer Trejo Benitez. “And I hope they will want to come back and and see me and my friends at the musical!"

Breakfast admission is $10 per person and seating will be staggered from 10 a.m. to noon. Because this is a family event, all children under age 12 must be accompanied by at least one adult.

JMArts President Rose Pate, who is organizing the character breakfast, says families should plan to spend about 30 minutes at the event. “When we decided to produce our first Disney show, we wanted to extend the experience for our community,” she said. “This will be the perfect event for families who would love to meet Ariel and her friends, but whose children are too young for a full-length musical.”

Reservations are now being accepted and may be requested by email at info@jmarts.org or online for anyone with a Google e-mail account through the “Breakfast with Ariel and Friends” event page at JMArts.org. Once parties are scheduled, they will receive a confirmation with the reservation time and options to pay by cash, check or credit card.

All proceeds from the breakfast will be used by JMArts to help high school artists excel. That includes providing scholarships for summer study on university campuses, producing Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” purchasing art supplies and reducing the cost to students traveling this spring to perform at a band festival in Williamsburg or explore the arts in New York City.

More information about the JMArts, including how to become a member, is available online at JMArts.org. Tickets to “Disney's The Little Mermaid" are now on sale at JMArtsTickets.com.

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Cast members from “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” will be in full costume on November 10, when they welcome children and their families to Jordan-Matthews High School for Breakfast with Ariel and Friends. Among the actors scheduled to participate in the breakfast are, left to right, Jennifer Henderson as Scuttle, Jennifer Trejo Benitez as Ariel, Sydney Suits as Flounder, Lindley Andrew as Sebastian and Conrad Suits as Eric.

“The World Around You” juried art show set for Oct. 23 at JM

SILER CITY — Jordan-Matthews High School artists will help everyone “look at the world around you” during a juried art exhibition scheduled for October 23 in Siler City.

“The World Around You: A Celebration of Art” will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the JM Media Center. The one-hour exhibition, planned and presented by Art III/IV students, is free and includes a reception with light refreshments.

The show is inspired by “Under the Sea," a featured number from JM’s upcoming musical production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which offers three performances only from November 15 to 17.

Art teacher Rahma Mateen-Mason said advanced students are interpreting the theme in many different mediums, while concentrating on observation, identity and perspective. Art I students are using an "Under the Sea” theme, drawn directly from the song’s title, to create art based on sea life, both real and imaginary.

Cash awards will be presented with $100 for the work judged by professional artists as first-place and $50 for the work judged as second-place in the show.

“The World Around You: A Celebration of Art” is being presented with assistance from JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with about 90 members and five organizational partners working to provide what JM artists need to excel.

More information about the foundation, including how to become a member, is available online at JMArts.org. Tickets to Disney's "The Little Mermaid" are now on sale at JMArtsTickets.com.

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JM senior Axel Vera works on his piece for "The World Around You: A Celebration of Art" during Rahma Mateen-Mason's Honors Art VI class.

JM actors explore the world of professional theater during a walk deep into Sherwood Forest

CHAPEL HILL — More than two dozen Jordan-Matthews actors — including many who had never attended a professional production before — got an unprecedented look at how theater is created during an in-depth visit on September 28 to PlayMakers Repertory Company.

The centerpiece was a performance of “Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood,” PlayMakers’ season-opening comedy. But that hit play with original music was just the evening's second act. Before the show, students explored backstage to learn how intricate theatrical productions are created and brought to life.

They explored workshops where creative professionals were busy building sets and costumes. They walked through prop storage and the green room where actors make quick costume changes and wait for their big moments on stage. They stood next to the catwalk high above PlayMakers’ smaller stage. And they even got a rare opportunity to walk through the rehearsal room where actors are preparing the theater's next production. In every space, creative professionals showed some of their work, explained their process and answered a lot of questions.

After the play, in the evening’s third and final act, focus shifted to what happens on stage. Six of the actors — Jeffrey Blair Cornell (Sir Guy), Ray Dooley (Prince John), Christine Mirzayan (Maid Marian), Tristan Parks (Sheriff of Nottingham), Joshua David Robinson (Robin Hood) and Dan Toot (Friar Tuck) — spent almost half an hour discussing their performances, providing advice and encouragement to the student artists, and answering even more questions.

Four JM actors even managed to make it onstage. At one point during the play, actors select a few audience members to join in the dancing. As Friar Tuck looked into the audience, he drew his finger across the crowd to find someone who was game. It didn’t take long. Laci Burt, Andrea Lopez, Hannah Redding and Sydney Suits quickly raised their hands, bouncing up and down on their seats seven rows up. Before Friar Tuck could finish nodding the second time, the four actors were halfway to the stage for a frolicking number in front of the packed house.

The entire evening was organized with Jeri Lynn Schulke at PlayMakers Repertory Company and Jessie Austrian, the show’s director and friend of JMArts. It was offered free of charge to students, thanks to generous contributors to JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation.

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JM actors share a photo with actors from “Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood” after a post-show discussion at PlayMakers Repertory Company.