Fri, Nov 21, 7pm; Sat, Nov 22, 2pm and 7pm; Sun, Nov 23, 2pm

By Sarah Opdahl

Now’s the perfect time to add a little snow and ice in your life, and what better way than by seeing the New Fairfield Middle School’s Junior Rebels production of Frozen Jr. Perfect for theatergoers of all ages, forty-eight of New Fairfield’s young actors/singers, in grades 6 through 9, will take to the stage to perform favorites songs from the classic film and Broadway show.

“Frozen is one of those shoot-for-the stars shows… I didn’t dare dream we could pull it off until now,” said Angela Sbano who directs and produces shows for tweens and teens in town. With both snow and ice casts, including healthy-sized ensembles, there were plenty of roles to go around,  “Everyone – from the kids to the production staff – was ready to take on this challenge, it was just the perfect show at the perfect time!” She explained, “Double-casting a show is a very polarizing topic amongst directors… they either swear by it or against it, but I felt that since this is educational theater – our goal is to let as many kids get a taste of being on stage as possible. If that makes my job harder, so be it, but I must also share that it makes the lead’s jobs more difficult as well. They have half the rehearsal time as non-doubled characters, but it forges a theatrical toughness that is invaluable.”

Though the show follows the storyline of the Disney movie, there are some differences. For example, trolls have been replaced with the Hidden Folk, which are creatures inspired by Scandinavian folklore. Given that the sisters have such a complex relationship and there are certainly some villainous characters, Sbano reflected that “these experienced kids are some of the most dedicated and hardest working I’ve ever seen. They were more than ready to take on the challenge of this iconic material, and I am so impressed by their efforts!”

Frozen Jr. had standout folkwear costumes on Broadway and, as opposed to borrowing or renting costumes from numerous sources as in previous productions, for this show, “we decided to GO BIG, and we rented our entire show from a professional costume house, DB Productions, based in Ossining, NY,” Sbano said. Ironically, the costumes have provided some of the biggest challenges in this show, as they do every year. “One of our biggest challenges, in addition to coming up with 200 costumes, is taking the time to try them all on! It is a tremendous job of organization and physical sorting. To that end, we did something new this year, and selected a student costumer, Silver Notley. Silver is a sophomore at New Fairfield High School (“NFHS”), and has been a big part of the musicals since our debut in 2023 with The Little Mermaid. I am so grateful for her eagerness to take on this giant task, and she has done a spectacular job,” Sbano praised.

There are a multitude of scenes that Sbano is eager to have audiences see as the princesses, Elsa and Anna, grow from children, to teenagers, to adults, each played by a different cast member. She is excited for audiences to see “the world’s cutest choreography by Missy Arizzi – my favorite is the nod to ‘A Chorus Line’ during the Frozen song and dance number, ‘Hygge.’” Sbano is also  thrilled for people to see the kids “sing the most impressive harmonies” under the music direction of NFHS Choral Director Andrew Gadwah.

This “is very kid friendly, and we welcome all the kids coming to see the show to dress in their finest royal attire! Be sure to arrive early—school doors open 45 minutes before the show—and get a great seat,” Sbano recommended. The runtime is about 1 hour plus a 15-minute intermission.  There are also photo opportunities with the cast after each show. Tickets are $10 students; $15 adults cash at the entrance, or buy in advance online at RebelPlayers.booktix.com.