BE PART OF THEIR WORLD.

AUGUST 9TH - 27TH 2023

CRITICS RAVE: “ENCHANTING. ENTHRALLING. A JAW DROPPING EXPERIENCE.” (CHRISTINE DOLEN, ARTBURST)

After two sold out runs of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and multiple regional awards and accolades, Area Stage returns to the Adrienne Arsht Center to present an immersive production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Step into a mystical seaside tavern where sailors and pirates share myths of mermaids and adventure. Once inside, Ariel and Eric’s story will spring to life all around you in this epic under the sea spectacular.

Based on Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved tale 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 reimagined musical production will capture your heart.

“In a world dominated by screen-based content, I think both Area Stage and audiences find the immersive approach to be a breath of fresh air. There is nothing quite like stepping into another world.”

MEDIA AND PRESS

VENUE: THE CARNIVAL STUDIO THEATER

AT THE ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER

CAST

an All new immersive Disney’s The Little Mermaid Experience

THE PROGRAM

 CREATIVE TEAM

Area Stage (ASC), established in 1989, is an award-winning critically- acclaimed professional theatre company that stages provocative, world-class theatre productions. Founded by John and Maria Rodaz, the company began as one of the pioneers of the Miami Beach arts community that surged in the 1980’s on Lincoln Road. Since its inception, ASC has presented a mix of contemporary and classic plays, world premieres, and immersive theatrical experiences, quickly “changing the perception and standards of what South Florida's theatres can and should be,” according to the Sun-Sentinel, which described the organization as “one of the most influential theatres in the region.”  

Giancarlo Rodaz (Director) A Miami native, Giancarlo has grown up in the theatre, working in all areas of production. Directing credits: Alice in Wonderland, Ride, She Kills Monsters, Shrek the Musical, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Matilda the Musical, Annie, Be More Chill, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Playwright/directing credits: Peter x Wendy, Rise of the Titans (Arsht Center), Janis Matthews & The Dodo Scouts (ASC), The Lone Wolf of Honeysuckle Valley, and Don’t Fear the Rain (MicroTheater). His musical The Ballad of Janis Matthews and the Dodo Scouts, performed at The Mile Square Theatre (NJ). In 2022, Giancarlo won the Silver Palm Award for Outstanding Direction for Be More Chill and Beauty and the Beast, followed by two Carbonell Awards for Best Director and Best Production of a Musical for Beauty and the Beast. In 2019, he won a Silver Palm Award for his Outstanding Direction and Highly Theatrical Vision of She Kills Monsters and The Wizard of Oz. Giancarlo was nominated for a Carbonell in Best Lighting Design for The Nether. 

Maria Banda-Rodaz (Producer, Costume Design) born and raised in Ecuador, moved to NYC in 1980 to continue her dance training at Columbia University and Kean University. After a career in production in Ecuador, she returned to the U.S. in 1989 as the Managing Director of the Area Stage Co, where she worked with and later married ASC founder, John Rodaz. The Carbonell Award winning director has also been involved with the TV and film industry, first as We Shoot ‘Em’s Associate Producer, later independently working for companies such as Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony, 20th Century Fox, HBO, Disney, and NBC. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from FIU's School of Modern Languages and was awarded the 2017 Woman of the Year in Public Service by the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce as well as 2020 In the Company of Women Award from the Miami Dade County Parks Foundation. 

John Rodaz (Producer) has produced, directed, designed, and/or performed in over 350 productions in South Florida, becoming the first recipient of the So. Florida Critics Association, Carbonell award nomination in all four major Play categories: Production, Directing, Design, and Acting, and has received numerous awards. Regional, stock, and Off-Broadway credits include working with playwrights, directors, and actors such as Olympia Dukakis, Mac Wellman, Omar Shapli, and David Esbjornsen. John has also worked in the TV and film industries as a creative consultant. In 2011, he was honored by Major Don Slesnick and the City of Coral Gables with the designation of January 29th as "John Rodaz Day" for his cultural contributions. Training: NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Acting Conservatory; Etienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau, Paris; Desmond Jones, London. Christine Dolen, Theatre Critic for The Miami Herald wrote: “The Director who set high standards in South Florida Theatre” and most recently “Rodaz, one of South Florida’s best and most creative directors since founding Area Stage. John was the first Artistic Director of Area Stage after founding the company in 1989, and passed the torch to his son Giancarlo in 2023.

Michael Day (Musical Director) is a professional musician and educator. Since graduating from McGill University, where he studied composition and performance, Michael has been a music teacher for children (grades K-12) and performs solo and ensemble at various venues.  Michael has musically directed dozens of musicals with different theater groups around South Florida for over 30 years. He is excited to work with Area Stage for the second time.

Irma Becker (Choreographer) is an instructor and choreographer from Mexico City, Mexico. She is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and a Supervisor and Tutor for RAD in Mexico, the United States, and Central America. Choreography Credits: Annie, Matilda the Musical, and Be More Chill & Beauty and the Beast at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Educational Credits: The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan Jr, Fiddler on the Roof Jr, Oliver, and  Beauty and the Beast (Co-Director). Irma was nominated for the Community Engagement Dance Teacher Award by the Royal Academy of Dance and for the Beauty and the Beast Outstanding Choreography by the Carbonell Awards 2022

Frank J. Oliva (Stage Designer) Credits:The SHED, Ars Nova, The Bushwick Starr, Weston Theatre Company, Geva Theatre Center, Miami New Drama, Manhattan School of Music, Two River Theatre Company, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, GableStage, Area Stage, The Kitchen Theatre, Theatreworks Colorado Springs, The Curtis Institute, The Mannes School, among others. As Associate Designer: HANGMEN (2022 Tony Nomination, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Broadway & Atlantic, des. Anna Fleischle); OKLAHOMA! (2019 Tony Nomination, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Broadway, St. Ann’s Warehouse & National Tour, des. Laura Jellinek); WEST SIDE STORY (Broadway, des. Jan Versweyveld); SOUNDTRACK OF AMERICA (des. David Rockwell, The Shed at Hudson Yards) and ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME (Shakespeare Theatre, des. Anna Fleischle). A graduate of New York University's Tisch, he received the 2017 Innovative Theatre Award, 2018 Audelco Award, the 2022 OperaAmerica Director/Designer Prize, 2022 and 2023 Silver Palm Award, and was nominated for a 2022 and 2023 Carbonell Award.

Joe Naftal (Lighting Design) is a stage designer for theatre, dance, opera, and themed entertainment. Design credits: Beauty and the Beast (Area Stage), The Monster Mash (Holiday World Theme Park), Kindertransport, Food for Fish, Platanos y Collard Greens, Shrek, Urinetown, Seminar (NCC), Addison and the Black Hole (The Tank), Hush (Jennifer Archibald Dance), Spring Awakening, Les Miserables (Engeman Theater), Florencia en el Amazonas (AJ Fletcher Opera Institute), Black Watch (UNCSA Drama) and over 100 dance pieces for ballet and modern dance. Assistant credits: Phantom of the Opera (Broadway), Dogman: The Musical, Laramie: A Legacy, Bulldozer, The Gentleman Caller, The Mad Ones (Off-Broadway), American Ballet Theatre, The Washington Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Goodspeed Musicals, Piedmont Opera, and Kennywood Theme Park. Joe is a proud member of United Scenic Artists. www.josephnaftal.com.

Sofia Ortega (Costume Design) is a Miami-based theatre instructor, actor, and costume designer. She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (BFA in Drama, minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies). She has found a passion in theatre and dance education while her strong base in visual arts has led her to costume design. 

Erik Sanko (Puppet Designer) is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Phantom Limb, a theater company founded with his wife, director and set designer Jessica Grindstaff in which he is puppet designer and composer. Erik has taught masters classes in puppetry at The Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne and NYU Abu Dhabi and held residencies at Harvard University, Dartmouth University and at The Robert Rauschenberg estate in Florida as well as Puppetry and Performance, Biomimicry and Puppetry at Rhode Island School of Design and Puppetry/Object Manipulation at NYU and The New School. He holds a B.F.A. from Cooper Union and has been a closet puppet maker since childhood.