Role models
Amalgamated Academy students step up to fit the bill in latest musical
By Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Amalgamated Academy in Bay Roberts is known for its biennial musical productions. This year the school impressed its audiences once again with its production of The Little Mermaid Jr.
It’s the school’s sixth musical production, with all its previous plays also coming from the Disney Jr. series, which are abridged versions of classic Disney tales made to better suit live theatre. Some 100 students from Grades 4 to 9 started preparing for this year’s show starting last September 2025. The play was directed by Jane Dwyer, an English teacher at Amalgamated. In the past Dwyer sometimes assisted Corey Morgan, a fellow teacher who directed the school’s previous musical, with elements of production. After Morgan retired last year, Dwyer took up the mantle of director.
Dwyer said she enjoys watching the students take on a variety of responsibilities.
“They’re coming into practice, got their lines learned, they’re totally taking ownership of their roles” she said. “Same thing with the lights and sound guys.”
Music teacher Sherry Crowley, the production’s musical director, noted students make up the entirety of the cast and crew.
“The best part is that kids run everything,” Crowley said. “There’s no adults, so there’s kids doing all the lights, there’s kids doing the sound, there’s kids doing the curtain.”
For some students it’s their first foray into theatre. Others have been involved in previous Amalgamated productions, or external theatre groups. They say watching the performance, singing the songs, spending time with friends, meeting new people and getting some time off from class are all reasons for participating. Some said they plan to continue with theatre in the future.
Eighth-grader Myla Roach stars as the titular “little mermaid,” Princess Ariel. Roach acted in Amalgamated’s 2024 musical Frozen Jr.. “It kind of feels like leadership to the younger people,” Roach said of her role this year. “They look up to you so much.”
After the May 12 and 13 shows, some of the younger students asked to have their photos taken with ‘Ariel.’
Roach, who is usually more involved in athletics than music or theatre, said her favourite part of the production was interacting with people she may not have otherwise. “It brings everybody together,” she said.
