Disney's The Little Mermaid - NMU Theatre and Dance

All auditions and callbacks will take place at Northern Michigan University in the Forest Roberts Theatre. 

Please check in at your scheduled time and wait in the Forest Roberts Theatre lobby.

Vocal Auditions - Sign up for a Time!

Monday, December 15 - 5:30pm-7:30pm 
Tuesday, December 16 - 5:30pm-7:30pm

Dance Audition - Select a time on your audition form!

Wednesday, December 17 
6:00-7:30pm - Beginner
7:45-9:00pm - Intermediate/Advanced - auditionee should select this time on the audition form if they are familiar with the following techniques: Sout de chat/leap, Pirouette, Chainé turn, Grand battement/kick

Callbacks

Only those listed on the callback list that is emailed out AFTER dance auditions will be required to attend. 
Thursday, December 18
5:30-9:00pm 

Rehearsals begin: Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Mandatory rehearsals (no conflicts accepted): February 16-March 8, 2026

Performances: March 5-8, 2026 at the Forest Roberts Theatre

For vocal auditions come prepared with a 90-second song and monologue combined (suggested song cutting: 16-32 bars). Make sure you’ve signed up for an audition time!!

We ask that auditionees send in their accompaniment track by December 12 to: sayt@nmu.edu so we can have your accompaniment ready when you arrive. 

If a youth is very young or inexperienced they can perform only a song cutting for their audition. We prefer a song cutting and monologue, or song cutting and a short poem that they memorize and act out but we understand that it can be intimidating to do all of that on the first try! We want to see how youth interpret text and how they bring a character to life in their audition.

If you are unable to attend vocal auditions please turn in a vocal audition video via email prior to December 15, 2025.

Song Options

Short song, or song cutting. We want to see a song you can act through - show us your range of emotions in your selections. 

DATES: December 17, 2025

TIMES: 6:00PM-9:00PM 
6:00-7:30pm - Beginner
7:45-9:00pm - Intermediate/Advanced (auditionee should select this time on the audition form if they are familiar with the following techniques: Sout de chat/leap, Pirouette, Chainé turn, Grand battement/kick)

LOCATION: Forest Roberts Theatre

All participants are required to attend a dance call (or send in a video audition if they are out of town/have a school event).

A short dance combination will be taught during the audition. Please wear comfortable clothes, jazz shoes, or non-street shoes that you can move in, with hair pulled back away from your face. If you are unable to attend the dance call please contact us - you will be required to learn the dance from the videos and submit a video to: sayt@nmu.edu prior to auditions. 

*If you are attending the Intermediate/Advanced Dance Audition and have training in tap, please also bring your tap shoes to the dance call and be prepared to demonstrate some of your tap skills.

Dance Audition Video Tutorials are available below:

Beginner Dance Audition Tutorials

Song: She's In Love (The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording)

• Begin music approximately 40 seconds in.
• Choreography starts on the first chorus.

Advanced Dance Audition Tutorials

Song: Under The Sea (The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording)

• Begin music approximately 20 seconds in.
• Choreography starts on the first chorus.

Thursday, December 18 - 5:30-9:00pm 

Only those listed on the callback list will need to attend. At callbacks youth will be given scenes and taught songs to perform for the artistic team with other actors who are attending callbacks. 

There is no cost to audition. If you are cast, registration for the production is $150 for the first child and $75 for each additional family member. Financial Aid is available.

Rehearsals will take place between 5-9pm on weekdays (until tech/dress/performance week, when rehearsals will last longer), and in 3-4 hour time frames, between the hours of 10am-8pm, on weekends. 

We will do our best to base the rehearsal schedule on youth conflicts that are listed on your audition form! 

Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney's The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner, Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a compelling book by Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including "Under the Sea," "Kiss the Girl" and "Part of Your World."

Ariel, King Triton's youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea.

Disney's The Little Mermaid offers a fantastic creative opportunity for rich costumes and sets, as well as the chance to perform some of the best-known songs from the past 30 years.

Ariel

Ariel is a strong-willed teenaged mermaid who longs to be human. She possesses a keen curiosity for the world both under and above the sea – much to the chagrin of her father, King Triton. Big-hearted, she’s more accepting of and delighted by others’ differences than most of her fellow merfolk, but she also has a rebellious streak that can get her into trouble. A mezzo soprano with strong top notes, your actress must be able move well in order to clearly convey meaning once Ariel loses her voice.

Vocal Range: Ab3 to E5

Prince Eric

Prince Eric is the adventurous human monarch who captures Ariel’s heart. Charming and sensitive in nature, he has a warm voice and demeanor that evoke his flair for romance. There is also a stubborn side to the Prince, who is determined to do whatever it takes to get what he wants – including the girl with the mysterious voice. Tenor.

Vocal Range: B3 to F#5

Grimsby

Grimsby is Prince Eric’s prim and proper valet. Rigid in bearing and personality, he is constantly trying to guide Prince Eric toward the throne and a suitable bride fit for a royal marriage. Under his stern demeanor, Grimsby truly is fond of Eric, whom he worries about and attends to as though his own son. Though he has a few small solos, Grimsby needn’t be a strong singer – your actor should feel free to speak-sing his part.

Vocal Range: C4 to C5

Flounder

Flounder is Ariel’s sincere and sensitive best friend who rarely leaves her side. A spunky fish with a sweet sense of humor, he can be awkward and anxious around his unrequited crush. Tenor. 

Vocal Range: A3 to G5

Scuttle

Scuttle is the know-it-all seagull who serves as Ariel’s expert on all things human. Garrulous and off-beat, Scuttle’s eccentricities are more endearing than aggravating. Even as he makes up ridiculous names and functions for common human objects, his intentions are friendly and his enthusiasm is infectious. Tenor.

Vocal Range: C4 to G5

King Triton

King Triton, King of the Sea and a harried single father to seven girls, struggles to balance his political and paternal powers. A widower, Triton is as fond of his daughters as he is frustrated with their teenage angst. Even when unsure of his parenting technique, he is a tender patriarch who becomes a royal force to be reckoned with when Ariel’s safety and happiness is threatened by his sister, the Sea Witch Ursula. Baritone.

Vocal Range: Ab3 to F5

Sebastian

Sebastian is the choirmaster of King Triton’s court who has a flair for the dramatic. A meticulous and uptight crab, Sebastian is ever-anxious, whether he’s conducting a concert premiere or protecting Ariel from Ursula. When he’s performing – which is almost always – he’s undeniably charismatic. His movement should be more fidgety than fluid, and he should be able to perform a broad send-up of a Caribbean accent (rather than an authentic Jamaican one). Tenor.

Vocal Range: Bb3 to C6

Mersisters

Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, and Allana are the daughters of King Triton and sisters to Ariel. Full of personality and sass, each should be distinct in character.

Flotsam & Jetsam

Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursula’s sinister lackeys. With devious charm, these electric eels convince Ariel to visit the Sea Witch. Tricky and menacing, they are always lurking about, ready to take advantage of sea inhabitants at their most vulnerable moments. Altos or tenors.

Vocal Range: B3 to C6

Ursula

Ursula is the tentacled and manipulative Sea Witch who is sister to King Triton. Cunning and calculating, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants – and what she wants is Triton’s throne. To gain the upper-hand, she utilizes her slick sense of humor, a flash of glamour, and larger-than-life confidence. Ursula can be played by a low alto, but a contralto is ideal.

Vocal Range: Eb3 to C5

Chef Louis

Chef Louis is the melodramatic head chef in the palace. Wild and frenetic, he becomes physically and vocally frustrated by Sebastian, who always manages to escape his grasp. A tenor, he should be highly comedic with exaggerated movement and an over-the-top French accent. 

Vocal Range: Bb3 to G5

Pilot

The Pilot, the uniformed helmsman of Prince Eric’s ship, is a nautical expert who entertains the sailors with wild tales of the sea. A little too superstitious for Grimsby’s taste, the Pilot nevertheless maintains strict control of his ship and crew even as he sings with a jolly cadence. Baritone. 

Sailors

The Sailors are the competent crew of Prince Eric’s ship. Hardy and eager for adventure, they are vigorous, efficient, and attentive to the Pilot’s orders, always prepared for rough seas and stormy weather.

Sea Creatures 

Sea Creatures of various shapes, sizes, and species comprise the underwater ensemble of King Triton’s court. “Under the Sea” presents opportunities to showcase both talented singers and dancers.

Windward & Leeward 

Windward and Leeward, trumpet fish, are heralds in King Triton’s court.

Gulls

The Gulls comprise Scuttle’s zany back-up flock in “Positoovity.” These feathered friends of Scuttle’s are equally as off-beat, though they present an opportunity to showcase the talented – and very on-beat – dancers in your cast.

Maids

The Maids are four palace servants who report to Grimsby. They haughtily assist Ariel in preparation for dinner with Prince Eric and are a bit jealous of this pretty stranger in their midst. 

Chefs 

The Chefs comprise the sous staff of the eccentric Chef Louis. Their equally overblown movement adds to the comedic chaos of dinner as they chase

Louis around the dining room.

Princesses

The Princesses try everything they can to win the heart of Prince Eric. As none possesses the voice he is searching for, each should have an exaggerated and comedic personality that is revealed through song.

Technical crew applications will be available January 15th!