DAVENPORT, IOWA (February 12, 2024) — Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo JR is playing at Davenport Junior Theatre from Saturday, February 17 through February 25 at 1PM and 4pm on Saturdays, and 3PM on Sundays. The charming sixty-minute musical is based on the beloved 2003 Pixar film Finding Nemo. The Junior Theatre cast includes 41 students onstage, eight running the booth and backstage, and seven front-of-house team members ages ten through eighteen. The production is directed and choreographed by our Artistic Director, Ashley Becher.
“I can’t say enough about how fun and enjoyable this show is. The material is excellent, and we have a stellar cast and crew that have been working so hard to make this show fantastic!” says Becher. “The show is equal parts funny, heartwarming, and inspiring, and 100% entertaining. Audiences will be warmed and encouraged by not only the material and talent, but the heart and spirit of this group.”
Audience members will dive into the big blue world of Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo JR. This new stage musical is a sixty-minute adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, with new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves. Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish are Friends Not Food,” and “Go with the Flow,” Finding Nemo JR brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure.
Elizabeth Young, seventeen, who is playing the character of Dory, believes that audiences will enjoy this show. “This musical has been a family favorite of ours for a long time and to finally be part of it, has made me realize even more how awesome it is. The lights, music, costumes, make-up, and set are incredible and really fit the oceanic vibe. It’s a production you do not want to miss! You will be singing the songs long after the musical ends! You can tell the directors and cast have put so much into the show and we are all so excited to perform!” Assistant Stage Manager Esther Moore, sixteen, agrees: “People are going to love this show! We have a super-talented and hardworking cast and crew who really bring this story to life!”
Bonnie Sloat, president of the Junior Theatre Inc board of directors, hopes people will use this as an opportunity to visit Junior Theatre, and be reminded of why it's such a unique community asset. "Junior Theatre has been in the news a lot lately as we face a possible transition. The community has been so supportive and vocal in their love for Junior Theatre over the last month, and it has meant a lot. We hope that this show — like all of our mainstage productions — can give families the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful afternoon of high-quality live theater!"
For information on the show and other offerings at Junior Theatre, visit our website DavenportJuniorTheatre.org.
Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo JR is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. MTIShows.com. For more information about licensing Finding Nemo JR or other Disney shows, please visit DisneyMusicals.com.
About Junior Theatre:
The mission of Junior Theatre Inc is to partner with Davenport Junior Theatre to build self-confidence and offer creative opportunities by producing accessible theatre for kids by kids. Programs are built upon its lasting heritage to become a premier center for the performing arts for youth of all ages and ability levels, enriching their childhood experiences and their knowledge of the performing arts to lead them to a brave, bold tomorrow. To learn more, visit: DavenportJuniorTheatre.org
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists, and book-writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials, and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community, and school theatres in the US and in over sixty countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are thirty- and sixty-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
