The way Encore Theatre Group’s executive producer, Sharona Krinsky, sees it, everything you need to know in life can be learned in the theater.
Or, more specifically, in training for the theater.
“It teaches you how to speak up, to listen to other people,” said Krinsky, who started working as a volunteer with the nonprofit theater company, based in Torrance, when her son joined a show there in 2012. “You learn to articulate yourself. You can take criticism, and you can give it, because you know how to convey a critique without it being personal.”
Those lessons, she said, don’t end when the curtain falls — they’re woven into Encore Theatre Group’s training approach, from the first rehearsal to the final bow.
Krinsky’s son, Aaron Byrnes, will play the lead role of Prince Eric in the company’s latest production of “The Little Mermaid,” which will run this weekend at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.
“He credits most of his leadership skills to having grown up here,” Krinsky said.
Arianna Hernandez as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
Scarlett Urzua and Arianna Hernandez as Flounder and Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
Arianna Hernandez and Isabel Delgadillo as Ariel and Scuttle in “The Little Mermaid” presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
Alba Gutierrez, Craig Benson and Sarah Wizemann as Jetsam, Ursula and Flotsam in Encore Theatre Group’s production of “The Little Mermaid.” (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
Encore’s “The Little Mermaid” features sprawling sets, a giant LED screen, haze, fog, and flying performers. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
The cast of Encore’s “The Little Mermaid” features more than 75 performers ranging in age from 5 to 50-something. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
Encore Theatre Group’s “The Little Mermaid” will play at the 1453-seat Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center Saturday and Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
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Arianna Hernandez as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)
Founded in 2007, Encore Theatre Group has built its reputation on mounting large-scale, professional-quality musicals while staying firmly rooted in its core mission: building community through the performing arts.
That philosophy shows not only in the size of its productions — often featuring casts of nearly 100 performers — but also in who gets to be part of them.
Unlike other youth theater programs in the South Bay, Encore is special in that its productions incorporate a full cast of adult performers alongside youth actors. Some of these adults are professional actors, but most are hobbyist thespians — engineers, doctors, teachers, stay-at-home parents — seeking creative respite on the stage.
Encore is tuition-based and inclusive, meaning every participant who commits to the process appears onstage — sometimes alongside their own parents. In “The Little Mermaid,” for instance, there are multiple parent-child pairs in the cast, as well as adults whose children have long since grown up but who keep coming back.
“This is the only place I know of where parents can be in a show with their kids,” Krinsky said. “We have parents who started with us when their kids were little. Now their kids are grown and gone, and they still come back. They’ll be our crew; they’ll be our assistant stage manager; they’ll be our fly (space) director. Why? Because they’re as much a part of the community for themselves as they are for their kids.”
Take Palos Verdes Peninsula resident Sarah Wizemann. Currently playing Flotsam, one of Ursula’s eels, she has performed in six Encore shows over the past three years alongside her daughter, Loie, who is now 11.
“The beauty of performing with your child is having the privilege of witnessing their growth throughout the process,” Wizemann said. “You see not just the finished product, but also the stumbles and triumphs along the way.”
Byrnes, now 20 and an aspiring professional actor, echoed that sentiment.
“Some of these kids I’ve seen grow from being little kids afraid to go on stage to doing these incredible vocal or dance solos,” said Byrnes, who did his first Encore show at 8 and has since performed there and in other productions across Los Angeles County. “That’s so amazing to me.”
In “The Little Mermaid,” most of the lead roles are played by adults (with the exception of Flounder, a role shared by local tweens Scarlett Urzua and Evie Legant), while the supporting and ensemble roles are filled by a cast of 75 kids ages 5 to 18.
“When you have a friend who’s up on that stage as a sea creature or as one of Ariel’s sisters, or someone you’ve grown up with,” Krinsky said, “not only do you get the magic of the stage, but you get the magic of connecting to your friends or your family.”
For Krinsky, that sense of connection is not a byproduct of the work — it is the purpose.
“The mission of Encore is to build community through the performing arts; that is the whole thing,” she said, adding that the company also performs shows for schools and children without access to similar arts education.
As a company that blends performers of all ages, one of Encore’s ongoing challenges is selecting productions that appeal to — and are appropriate for — both children and adults.
Consequently, family-friendly favorites such as “Annie” and “Matilda” have been staples over the years.
This is the third time Encore has produced “The Little Mermaid,” but, Krinsky said, audiences shouldn’t expect a familiar retelling. This year’s production features lavish costumes, two-story sets, haze, smoke, bubbles, flying performers and a large LED video wall projecting underwater scenes.
“’Little Mermaid’ is a heavily technical show,” said Krinsky, noting that it’s not the first time Encore has used aerial effects, having done lifts in previous shows, including “Peter Pan,” “Mary Poppins” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
It’s no small undertaking. The production budget for the show exceeded $100,000,Krinsky said — even with many of the costumes and set pieces being made by volunteers.
“The Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center is a 1,500-seat theater, and not every show belongs in a 1,500-seat theater,” Krinsky said. “You have to have big shows to go into big spaces.”
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, “The Little Mermaid” was adapted into a stage musical by Disney Theatrical Productions and premiered on Broadway in 2008. It features music by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater.
The story follows Ariel, a curious young mermaid who falls in love with a human.
The musical ran for more than a year on Broadway and was praised for its visual spectacle, elaborate costumes and ambitious stagecraft, including aerial choreography to evoke underwater movement.
Its combination of all-ages appeal and catchy tunes has made the show a popular choice for community and regional theaters, particularly those seeking a production that can accommodate large multigenerational casts.
Encore’s director, Lindsay Jonathan, said her production will bring a more “hyperrealistic” edge to the story, with costumes that are more Cirque du Soleil-inspired than Disney-fied.
“The costumes are going to be very much nods to the characters as opposed to actual fish or actual birds,” she said. “I think that people are going to be very excited to see a different version of this show — something that’s not done all the time.
“It’s the same storyline and the same music that everybody loves,” she added. “We’re just making it a feast for the eyes.”
For Byrnes, one moment in particular stands out.
“My favorite part of the show is the big ensemble number that is ‘Under the Sea,’” he said. “The entire cast is on stage. It is people of all ages, in all experiences and levels, all sharing this moment of joy. It’s just pure joy.”
“The Little Mermaid” will play at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $68 and available at encoresouthbay.org.