Bridgette Sanders, 12 year-old Stagelighter, recently played the role of Timon in her school’s production of Disney’s The Lion King. Bridgette takes four classes per week at Stagelight Performing Arts, including Musical Theatre, Tap, Acting, and she is a member of the Stagelight Improv Team, the Lumberjack Baristas. As often as she can, Bridgette is fulfilling her makeups in Ballet, making sure she gets as much technique training in as she can! We caught up with Bridgette during her busy schedule to ask her all about her experience of playing one of the funniest characters to grace stage and screen: Timon.

SPA: What did you do to prepare specifically for this role?

Bridgette: I watched the movie almost every week to understand and copy Timon’s characteristics and to watch how he interacts with other people–or animals!

SPA: What surprised you about this role?

Bridgette: The makeup surprised me a lot, and the hair. The makeup really made me look like a meerkat!

SPA: What was your favorite part of playing Timon in The Lion King?

Bridgette: My favorite part was doing the Luau song. We got to run into the audience, and it was really fun!

SPA: What is a really special memory you’ll take away from this show?

Bridgette: A really special memory would be that my fellow castmate Pumbaa and I had so much fun and became really good friends.

In El Dorado High School’s The Little Mermaid, three Stagelight Performing Arts’ students can be seen singing, dancing, acting, and performing their hearts out “under the sea.” We caught up with Blake Berggren, Ashley Jones, and Natalie D’Allura to find out more about this great production.

SPA: What are your favorite roles you play in this show, and what makes the roles special?

Blake: I play many roles since I am in the ensemble. I am a sailor, a sea creature (Sea Snail specifically), a tap-dancing seagull, a chef, a turtle, and a human in the finale. This is a great show for the ensemble because there are so many numbers that the ensemble is in, and in every single number you get to act differently because you are so many different characters.

Ashley: I play two roles: Andrina and a rich princess. Andrina is my favorite because it’s fun to be sassy while also concerned for Ariel. I follow Aquata around trying to figure out what’s going on. I’m the smart sister.

Natalie: My roles are lead dancer (water, chef, and a soul) and a tap-dancing seagull. My favorite part is lead dancer because I really get to show what the mood of each scene is through dance, which is something I don’t always get to do.

SPA: Blake, what are some of the challenges you faced in this production?

BLAKE: One of the challenges I faced during this production was having everything done by students. At Stagelight Productions I am used to everything running so smoothly and not having to worry about costumes and sets getting finished before opening night, but at school it’s a bit more stressful since I am a part of the set building and costume construction. In the end, once I saw everything done on stage, I felt like I could point out little things that every single person in the cast worked very hard on, and it ended up looking amazing!

SPA: Ashley, what is one memory you’ll treasure from The Little Mermaid at El Dorado?

ASHLEY: This is my first high school musical in the Performing Arts Center at El Dorado, so it’ll always be really special to me. Everyone in the cast is also really nice, so I’ll remember that.

SPA: Natalie, how did you grow as a performer through this experience?

NATALIE: I grew as a performer during this show because I learned how to better show emotions without saying any words at all!

Well done, Stagelighters! You can catch all three of these Stagelighters and the rest of the fabulous cast this weekend, March 10-12, at El Dorado Performing Arts Center. Visit edhstheatre.com for ticket information.

Hunter Nelson, a student at Stagelight Performing Arts and seasoned performer, has been dancing on stage since the age of 3 and has performed in over 30 theatrical productions since the age of 10– many of which were with Stagelight Productions. Recently, Hunter earned a coveted role in entertainment at the Disneyland Resort, and we caught up with him to ask him all about his experience as a Cast Member.

SPA: What is the most exciting part about working at Disneyland?

HN: The most exciting part about working at Disneyland is helping create the magic the company prides itself on producing. Seeing the joy and enthusiasm on each Guest’s face, and assisting in making someone’s day by performing with some of their favorite characters, makes the late night rehearsals worth it.

SPA: What parts of the job were most surprising to you?

HN: I think I’m most surprised by the people I work with everyday. I know Disneyland is considered the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but the Cast Members I work with really embrace that message.  I never go to or leave rehearsal in a bad mood because the pride and love my coworkers exude, and the joy the job brings to everyone, supersedes any negative vibes. So I would say the people  were the biggest and most pleasant suprise of the job!

SPA: What advice would you offer young performers interested in working for Disney?

HN: If I offered any advice to a young performer who had their eyes set on Disneyland, it would be to keep their training up, and never lose sight of the real reason they’re performing: for the love of the art. Upon coming to the company I found that people my age and twice my age continue to take technique classes to improve upon their skills, so they are always ready for whatever opportunity might come their way. I’ve also found that they genuinely enjoy performing and have let their fears of not being enough, go. But all in all, as long as you continue to exude your love of the arts, you’ll go a long way!