{"id":125343,"date":"2026-01-08T16:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/125343\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:46:15","slug":"with-the-little-mermaid-and-more-encore-theatre-group-uses-the-stage-to-build-community-daily-breeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/125343\/","title":{"rendered":"With \u2018The Little Mermaid\u2019 and more, Encore Theatre Group uses the stage to build community \u2013 Daily Breeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

The way Encore Theatre Group\u2019s executive producer, Sharona Krinsky, sees it, everything you need to know in life can be learned in the theater.<\/p>\n

Or, more specifically, in training for the theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt teaches you how to speak up, to listen to other people,\u201d 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. \u201cYou 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those lessons, she said, don\u2019t end when the curtain falls \u2014 they\u2019re woven into Encore Theatre Group\u2019s training approach, from the first rehearsal to the final bow.<\/p>\n

Krinsky\u2019s son, Aaron Byrnes, will play the lead role of Prince Eric in the company\u2019s latest production of \u201cThe Little Mermaid,\u201d which will run this weekend at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe credits most of his leadership skills to having grown up here,\u201d Krinsky said.<\/p>\n

\"Arianna<\/p>\n

Arianna Hernandez as Ariel in \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

\"Scarlett<\/p>\n

Scarlett Urzua and Arianna Hernandez as Flounder and Ariel in \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

\"Arianna<\/p>\n

Arianna Hernandez and Isabel Delgadillo as Ariel and Scuttle in \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

\"Alba<\/p>\n

Alba Gutierrez, Craig Benson and Sarah Wizemann as Jetsam, Ursula and Flotsam in Encore Theatre Group\u2019s production of \u201cThe Little Mermaid.\u201d (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

\"Encore\u2019s<\/p>\n

Encore\u2019s \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d features sprawling sets, a giant LED screen, haze, fog, and flying performers. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The cast of Encore\u2019s \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d features more than 75 performers ranging in age from 5 to 50-something. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

\"Encore<\/p>\n

Encore Theatre Group\u2019s \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d will play at the 1453-seat Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center Saturday and Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 7<\/p>\n

Arianna Hernandez as Ariel in \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d presented by Encore Theatre Group. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Heckscher)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

That philosophy shows not only in the size of its productions \u2014 often featuring casts of nearly 100 performers \u2014 but also in who gets to be part of them.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 engineers, doctors, teachers, stay-at-home parents \u2014 seeking creative respite on the stage.<\/p>\n

Encore is tuition-based and inclusive, meaning every participant who commits to the process appears onstage \u2014 sometimes alongside their own parents. In \u201cThe Little Mermaid,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the only place I know of where parents can be in a show with their kids,\u201d Krinsky said. \u201cWe have parents who started with us when their kids were little. Now their kids are grown and gone, and they still come back. They\u2019ll be our crew; they\u2019ll be our assistant stage manager; they\u2019ll be our fly (space) director. Why? Because they\u2019re as much a part of the community for themselves as they are for their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take Palos Verdes Peninsula resident Sarah Wizemann. Currently playing Flotsam, one of Ursula\u2019s eels, she has performed in six Encore shows over the past three years alongside her daughter, Loie, who is now 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beauty of performing with your child is having the privilege of witnessing their growth throughout the process,\u201d Wizemann said. \u201cYou see not just the finished product, but also the stumbles and triumphs along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Byrnes, now 20 and an aspiring professional actor, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these kids I\u2019ve seen grow from being little kids afraid to go on stage to doing these incredible vocal or dance solos,\u201d said Byrnes, who did his first Encore show at 8 and has since performed there and in other productions across Los Angeles County. \u201cThat\u2019s so amazing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Little Mermaid,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a friend who\u2019s up on that stage as a sea creature or as one of Ariel\u2019s sisters, or someone you\u2019ve grown up with,\u201d Krinsky said, \u201cnot only do you get the magic of the stage, but you get the magic of connecting to your friends or your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Krinsky, that sense of connection is not a byproduct of the work \u2014 it is the purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mission of Encore is to build community through the performing arts; that is the whole thing,\u201d she said, adding that the company also performs shows for schools and children without access to similar arts education.<\/p>\n

As a company that blends performers of all ages, one of Encore\u2019s ongoing challenges is selecting productions that appeal to \u2014 and are appropriate for \u2014 both children and adults.<\/p>\n

Consequently, family-friendly favorites such as \u201cAnnie\u201d and \u201cMatilda\u201d have been staples over the years.<\/p>\n

This is the third time Encore has produced \u201cThe Little Mermaid,\u201d but, Krinsky said, audiences shouldn\u2019t expect a familiar retelling. This year\u2019s production features lavish costumes, two-story sets, haze, smoke, bubbles, flying performers and a large LED video wall projecting underwater scenes.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Little Mermaid\u2019 is a heavily technical show,\u201d said Krinsky, noting that it\u2019s not the first time Encore has used aerial effects, having done lifts in previous shows, including \u201cPeter Pan,\u201d \u201cMary Poppins\u201d and \u201cThe Wizard of Oz.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no small undertaking. The production budget for the show exceeded $100,000,Krinsky said \u2014 even with many of the costumes and set pieces being made by volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center is a 1,500-seat theater, and not every show belongs in a 1,500-seat theater,\u201d Krinsky said. \u201cYou have to have big shows to go into big spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s classic fairy tale, \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The story follows Ariel, a curious young mermaid who falls in love with a human.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Encore\u2019s director, Lindsay Jonathan, said her production will bring a more \u201chyperrealistic\u201d edge to the story, with costumes that are more Cirque du Soleil-inspired than Disney-fied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe costumes are going to be very much nods to the characters as opposed to actual fish or actual birds,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that people are going to be very excited to see a different version of this show \u2014 something that\u2019s not done all the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same storyline and the same music that everybody loves,\u201d she added. \u201cWe\u2019re just making it a feast for the eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Byrnes, one moment in particular stands out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part of the show is the big ensemble number that is \u2018Under the Sea,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThe entire cast is on stage. It is people of all ages, in all experiences and levels, all sharing this moment of joy. It\u2019s just pure joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The way Encore Theatre Group\u2019s executive producer, Sharona Krinsky, sees it, everything you need to know in life…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125344,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[32309,7,131,133,132,137,17822,16225,16226,16227],"class_list":["post-125343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-beach-cities","tag-california","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-redondo-beach","tag-tbr-entertainment","tag-tbr-things-to-do","tag-the-beach-reporter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}