Spruce Creek High School's production of 'Frozen Jr.' cultivates community, team work

When Port Orange native Ethan Rich was 6 years old, he took the stage in his theatrical debut — South Daytona’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” As he grew older, he became involved in Spruce Creek High School’s main productions and its theater club.

Rich, now 24, lives on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Since studying fine arts in theater at the University of Central Florida, he has appeared in a handful of shows for Disney+, ABC and HBO Max streaming networks, including “American Born Chinese,” “Last of the Grads” and “Ke Nui Road,” among others.

During his downtime, Rich returns to his Spruce Creek roots, helping theater arts teacher Jill Cicciarelli bring magic to life on stage.

“I try to fly back from wherever I am whenever Mrs. Cicciarelli calls me that they need my help,” Rich said in an email. “It’s become a huge part of keeping my artistic mind engaged … And not only is it an artistic outlet for me to be a part of the storytelling, (but) I get so pumped to see the students with the same passion that I had, and continue to have.”

The latest production is Disney's "Frozen Jr.," set to debut tonight.

Rich first pitched in as an alum for "Legally Blonde, The Musical" in the spring of 2021. He served as a technical designer and challenged himself to use projection mapping to create a dynamic set with only digital images.

But Rich isn’t the only Spruce Creek theater alum helping out. Dylan Molitor, who graduated in 2016, serves as a technical theater teacher for the school, and Kim Ball, who graduated in 1994, is leading the production’s choreography.

Ball began dancing at age 3. She performed at Walt Disney World throughout high school and college. At 18, she choreographed her first show, and over the past three decades, she has choreographed more than 100 productions across the country for professional, educational and community theaters.

Ball and Cicciarelli have been best friends since elementary school. "Frozen Jr.” is the eighth Spruce Creek High show the two have collaborated on.

“Working with young actors is such a rewarding job," Ball said in an email. "Some students come into the process with years of theater experience and some come in with no experience at all. So creating choreography for varied levels within a production can be a challenge. But, at the same time, (it's) the biggest reward because maybe this was the first time that a student with no experience had the courage to even perform in a show. Or, you watch a group of seniors perform a beautiful number that four years ago would’ve been too difficult.”

For Cicciarelli, involving a community of alumni in the arts is important. She said doing so creates a “full circle moment.”

“It’s just nice to just have all these relationships you build, and they come back, and they see it from a different point of view. And the kids really, really appreciate everybody working together,” she said. “So it’s nice to collaborate together because sometimes, theater teachers are (a) one-person show, and so it’s really nice when you can have other grownups kind of coming in and supporting these programs because it's a lot.”

But Cicciarelli wanted her theater department to connect with more people in the community than just Spruce Creek alumni. This season, she has worked especially hard to share her love of live theater with younger audiences.

“I think from a personal standpoint, one of my most vivid memories as a child was when my elementary school brought in this group of performers, and … (I) remember sitting in that audience, and it kind of really sparked an interest for me personally in the arts and finding the empathy that these stories give to the kids,” she said. “They see people sometimes that maybe don’t look like them or come from different backgrounds, and when you watch the art and experience live theater, you really kind of appreciate the community and the work that goes into the shows.”

Cicciarelli said Disney’s "Frozen Jr." was selected because it is a show that can resonate with anybody of any age.

Spruce Creek High School Theater is offering free performances of "Frozen, Jr.” to local schools, and more than 1,000 students have already signed up to attend and stay after for a conversation with the company and creative team.

In addition to these performances, there will be six regularly ticketed shows, all performed at Spruce Creek High School:

• 7 p.m. today.

• 3 p.m. Saturday.

• 7 p.m. Feb. 10.

• 7 p.m. Feb. 16.

• 7 p.m. Feb. 17.

• 3 p.m.  Feb. 18.

Tickets are available at teachtix.com/sprucecreek.

After Saturday's matinee performance, the students are hosting “Frozen Fest,” a family-friendly afternoon filled with fun activities and food trucks.

“We really wanted to reach out to the community and schools with our season this year,” Moliter said in an email. “We wanted to share with the community the hard work our students put into our program but, more importantly, share the arts with the next generation. There is nothing like live theater. It can be fun and entertaining, but also a chance for people to see different points of view.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Spruce Creek High's theater taps into alumni, younger audiences