Act Out

I’m finally here with sophomore Kaet Sisney.  You may remember her as Ash in The Cave earlier this year.  So, who do you play in The Little Mermaid?
Hi there! My name is Kaet Sisney and I am so thrilled to bring you Flounder, who you may remember as the young, yellow and blue “guppy” from the Disney film.

I’m pretty sure I know the answer to this question, but what brought you to audition for The Little Mermaid?
Theatre and singing have both always had special places in my heart, and I was practically raised on Broadway Cast Recordings. The Little Mermaid was one of the first Disney movies I watched as a child and I remember it so vividly and love it still as a teenager. The elaborate costumes of the different sea creatures, the catchy tunes, and the classic Disney storyline come together really well.

Did you want to be this Flounder or were you surprised to be cast?
As a naturally anxious and generally confused person, it’s not difficult for me to see why I was cast as Flounder. I can definitely imagine myself in some of the same awkward, embarrassing situations like him.

How is Flounder like you? Different?
While I may not be as naive as Flounder, we do share both loyalty and nice but unmanageable hair.

What do you love about Flounder?
Obviously, my favorite part is his heelys, but aside from that I really appreciate how much Flounder values his friendships. His close friendship with Ariel remains strong throughout the entire show; as servile as his loyalty is, you have to admit. it is endearing. He never really makes any enemies, he’s just always boppin’ under the sea.

What do you hate about Flounder?
I wouldn’t say I hate anything about him, although it is frustrating when all he seems to do is embarrass himself and snitch on Ariel. He definitely needs some of Scuttle’s positoovity in his life to get some confidence and power.

What’s the biggest challenge about taking on this role?
One thing that’s been a challenge for me has been keeping my energy up while playing a character so passive. It’s definitely helped me to improve my characterization and energy levels, as well as committing to my choices as an actor. Many of Flounder’s lines could be done in multiple different ways, and I’ve learned to trust myself more and let the character come through without examining every minute decision.

Besides yourself, which actor in this production is going to blow people away?
I am so excited for the audience to see Prince Eric played by JT Snow…I’ve always marveled at his talent myself and am so eager for him to show everyone his strength as an actor, singer, and dancer. And Katrina Liberman’s Chef Louis is incredible; her range of expressions and wonderful character choices have made Louis into a hilarious character. It’s all I can do to keep from laughing myself sick when watching her from the wings. Also, Gabi Martin and Lauren Hagerty are absolutely killing it singing their duet with their routine on the silks, and Megan Siatczynski and Ethan Schlesinger are the cutest seahorses of all time.

So…. really you just mean, you think everyone will blow the audience away!  I agree wholeheartedly.  Now, if you could play any other character in this show, who would it be?
Being Flotsam or Jetsam would be so much fun, getting to be evil and snake around, spying on Ariel for the Sea Witch. I mean, hey, if your soul is going to belong to Ursula, at least you’re her right-tentacle eel, right?

Can you tell us a story from rehearsals?
My favorite memory of all time from rehearsal has to be the day I got the heelys. I was so overjoyed, I think the entire 700 wing heard me shouting..whoops. I took one ride down the hallway in those sparkly silver beauties and never looked back. (Shh… Figg might be under the impression that I’m relinquishing them once the show is over…? HA.)

What do you hope the audience will be thinking about in the car as they drive home after this show?
I really hope they leave realizing just how versatile theatre can be. We’ve taken an iconic storyline and musical and added our own elements like aerial apparatus and muses as the physical embodiment of voice to switch it up and make it our own.