A 'whole experience': Eastside Elementary presents 'The Lion King Kids'

May 2—Tonight, people entering Eastside Elementary School's cafeteria should come "ready to be transformed" as they experience the sights and sounds of Africa, said Carol Burchfield, the director of the school's production of "The Lion King Kids."

During the last several months, Eastside Elementary students in the second, third, fourth and fifth grades have joined together to present the musical adaptation of the 1994 Disney film in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

The production will begin at 6:30 p.m. inside the cafeteria and is open to the community. Tickets are $5 and limited to no more than 15 family members per household.

Brittany Taylor, who produced the show, said of the 36 student cast members, more than half are first-time performers.

"They've worked really hard and I think people are going to be truly inspired," Taylor said.

Taylor said the production team wanted the production to be as inclusive as possible.

"There will also be six students in special needs classes that will be in the show," she said.

Burchfield said it has been "amazing and surreal" to see the first-time students "come alive" during the process.

"They've worked so hard to get here," she said.

Along with directing, Burchfield produced the choreography, while Clinton Dillard serves as musical director, Sidney Hollaway as set designer, Zoe Grow as costume designer, Rebecca Gravitt and Maddie Hooper as sound engineers, and Brooke Spence as the stage manager.

Dillard said the production will be "a whole experience."

Students will perform musical numbers from the film such as "Hakuna Matata," "The Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" with some spoken and sung in other languages.

"They had to learn three different African languages: Swahili, Zulu and Xhosa," Dillard said. "But they picked it up really well. We started music rehearsal in February and from there we started talking about what the songs really meant so that they knew what they were singing about. It makes it more meaningful."

Fourth-grader Aubrey Claxton, who portrays the red-billed hornbill bird Zazu, said the experience has been "fun."

"We worked so hard on this," she said. "I've liked speaking in front of people and making new friends along the way."

Tucker Williams, a fifth-grade student who portrays the jovial warthog Pumbaa, said getting into character has been "really fun."

One scene involves Pumbaa and his meerkat friend Timon, played by fifth-grader Gio Leon, eating gummy worms made to resemble wild grubs.

"That's probably my favorite part," Williams said. "I could eat a whole bag if I could."

Leon, who is a first-time performer, said he was glad he got the role of Timon because he was his "favorite character."

"I'm funny like him," he said.

Fourth-grade student Brett Wilson, who portrays the adult version of leading lion Simba, said he was "shocked" when he learned he would be in a lead role.

"It's amazing," he said. "I'm looking forward to letting my mom see it because she's been really excited."

Second-grader Danahi Sinaloa, one of the younger students in the show, portrays one of three Rafikis, a mandrill who serves as an adviser to the king in the original film. In the school production, Sinaloa shares the role with Aleah Gobellan and Braylee Witherow, who serve as the narrators of the story.

"It was kind of scary when I first got (the role)," Sinaloa said. "But now it's kind of awesome."

Rounding out the main cast are Gio De Dios as Mufasa, Lindsey Brito as Sarabi, Zayden Mondragon as Scar, Emerson Grow as young Simba, Lexia Tapia as young Nala, Isla Burch as adult Nala and Colton Cross, Harrison Sloan and Castiel Taylor as the devious hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed.

Taylor said the production not only allows the students to showcase their talents but also to gain life skills and enjoy enriching, long-lasting experiences.

"We were able to perform this through a grant from Disney," she said. "The requirements for the grant was that the school had to be an accredited public school and you also had to be within a population of kids where 50% or more have free or reduced lunch. Disney wanted to provide opportunities to some families that wouldn't normally get an opportunity like this and a show of this caliber presented at their school."

Another prerequisite meant that students would "need to be impacted and influenced in a positive way," Taylor said.

"While the kids are creating this amazing performance and having fun, they're also developing skills that are going to prepare them for the workforce," she said. "They're developing confidence, interpersonal skills, how to speak and advocate for themselves, and how to really just work an audience."

Burchfield said putting the show together has "taken a village," and that she's excited for audience members to see everyone's hard work pay off.

"It takes the community to do this; we could not have done it by ourselves," she said. "There were so many people that were so helpful. But the best thing is these students experiencing something that they will never forget. They will never forget this."