When the teen children of classic Disney villains join their parents’ heroic rivals’ progeny in high school, the result could be disastrous, but it will certainly be entertaining.
Ellison High School theater is staging the musical Descendants, based on the popular Disney movies that revolve around the children of classic villains.
Shows are scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and are available at the following:
Predictably, Ellison theater students are having a blast bringing to life Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, Cruella De Vil, the villains’ children and other familiar Disney characters.
See a photo gallery of a dress rehearsal here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720330149139
Ellison senior Tatiana White plays the lead role of Mal, daughter of Maleficent and the ringleader of the four young second-generation villains.
“It’s a lot of moving parts. Our ensemble is so heavy. They are always quick changing. They are all locked-in and love what they are doing,” she said.
“The show is very Disney…It’s about change and accepting differences. Most of us have watched Descendants. Years ago, I watched it not knowing years later I would play the lead.”
The Ellison theater veteran is excited about the role of a conflicted character trying to decide whether to walk in her villainous mother’s footsteps or to forge a new path into goodness.
“She’s an angsty teenager who’s also the daughter of the most hated villain who also falls in love with a prince. It’s a lot of conflicting emotions and I really like that,” said White.
“I’m nervous and sad. It’s my last one,” she said, recalling four years of high school theater productions. “I’m excited for our new freshmen to get to put on such a great show. I’m excited for what they are going to do.”
Another experienced senior, Peyton McGuire is the stage manager and sound engineer for the production.
“We’ve been using a lot of techniques we haven’t tried before. We built our own sets this year,” she said. “(Audiences will appreciate) all of the cool lighting effects and the dances.”
“I’m anxious and excited. We’ve worked really hard and it’s exciting to see it come together. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid,” she said. “I’ve always been a villain kid. I like to see them go from bad to good. It makes my heart happy.”
Senior Monyetta Hiley plays the role of the Evil Queen Grimhilde, the antagonist of Snow White.
“I’ve never been the mean person so it’s definitely a new experience. I’m excited how we get to improvise and have fun with it,” she said.
“I think the audiences will enjoy all the jokes. It’s really funny and there are a lot of hand motions that bring out the characters. I’m nervous. It’s my last musical. I’m excited to see how many people come. There are always a lot.”
The Descendants franchise began with the original Disney Channel movie in 2015, followed by sequels in 2017, 2019 and 2024.
Today’s high school students remember the plot twists, catchy songs and young actors from those popular movies.
Killeen ISD high school theater is in the thick of its fall performance season. Chaparral Bobcat Drama is staging the 1970’s musical Godspell this week with showtimes at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday.
This is the first year that KISD high schools are part of a prestigious honor called The Heller Award. Judges from the Austin-based award program will be attending performances in search of nominees.
Shoemaker High School theater is set to produce Mean Girls at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19.
Earlier in the fall, Killeen High School theater staged Aliens vs. Cheerleaders Oct. 28-29 and Harker Heights High School theater produced Beetlejuice Oct. 9, 11 and 12.