Before Corner Canyon High students take the stage with their season opener, “The Little Mermaid,” 25 advanced theater students will showcase their ensemble piece for the 41st annual junior high and high school Shakespeare competition in Cedar City.

The preview to their competition piece, William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” will be performed at Corner Canyon High at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 27 in the school auditorium, 12943 South 700 East. 

The ensemble cast will be joined by about 15 more students who are performing monologues and scenes, dancing in “King Lear” as well as competing in the Tech Olympics to take part of the annual Shakespeare competition, Thursday, Sept. 28 through Saturday, Sept. 30, hosted by the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah University. 

“With this year’s competition date moved up about two weeks earlier, we started our rehearsals this summer and have added Saturdays as well for the first time,” said theater director Phaidra Atkinson, who will be joined by English teacher Mark Oram. 

The thespians return to Corner Canyon to perform “The Little Mermaid” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 16 through Saturday, Nov. 18 and again, Monday, Nov. 20. A special prince and princess party will be held on Saturday with a story time, face painting, photos and more fun, Atkinson said.

Tickets will be available in November at showtix4u.com for $8. At the door, the tickets will be $10.

“We had our biggest auditions ever and have cast about 150 students, including 40 students from age seven through seventh grade. This is a great community builder. Those kids who were in our first production of ‘Seussical’ now are taking theater classes and feeling comfortable right away in our theater program,” she said.

The role of Ariel is played by junior Abby Walker and Prince Eric is performed by senior Sam Schino. Sebastian is played by senior Stoney Grayer; Scuttle by senior Anne Maylett; Flounder by sophomore Tanner Lybbert; Ursula by senior Hope Weaver; King Triton by junior Bruno Vassel; and Aquata by senior Bailey Schepps.

The show is directed and choreographed by Atkinson, with Case Spaulding as co-director and tech director. Melissa Thorne is the vocal director and Randal Clark is the orchestra director. Jamie Crowther, who is the dance company director, also is choreographing the show.

Local businesses that would like to sponsor the show can be part of Ariel’s Grotto, which will be placed in the theater’s lobby, and can contact Atkinson at the school for more information.

The theater season’s first show in 2018 will be “Doctor Faustus,” an Elizabethan tragedy about the life and death of the doctor, written by Christopher Marlowe.

“It’s about a man who sells his soul to the devil and can’t change that contract even when he realizes it’s not where he wants himself to be,” Atkinson said. “It teaches us to be careful for what we wish for.”

Because of the mature nature of the show, Atkinson recommends the show for middle-school age and older.

It will be performed at 7 p.m., Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 in the school’s Little Theatre.

The Chargers’ finale will be the musical “Happy Days,” based on the popular 1970s sitcom. The show will be performed at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 16 through Saturday, May 19.

“It’s a brand new musical — basically a clean version of ‘Grease’ that will be exciting to tackle and fun for our students and patrons,” Atkinson said. 

The performances of “Happy Days,” “Taming of the Shrew” and “Doctor Faustus” will be performed by the school’s 25-member productions company.