Castleview Elementary Raised the Bar With The Lion King JR.

The School Production Delivered a Polished, Heartfelt Performance that Felt Well Beyond its Years

Stage performance photos provided by Aaron Martin

There was a lot to love about this performance. The ensemble never blended into the background, constantly reminding the audience of a larger, unified world with layered staging and impressively synchronized choreography. An elaborately crafted centerpiece showed the Tree of Life on one side and Scar’s throne on the other, revealing drastically different sides of the same environment. Each costume was individual, covered in homemade painted patterns and creative designs, like the male lion heads attached to baseball caps without the brim. Vivid lighting choices, from spotlight shifts to blackouts and color washes, were a testament to the students and professionals controlling them. Puppeteering was another interesting element, mainly shown through the actor who played Zazu, who controlled an elegantly designed dodo, moving the wings as well as the mouth, while dancing and acting. Some actors also controlled painted cutouts of wildebeests and gazelles.

Actors worked with elaborate props, including bones and gummy “grubs” for Timon, Simba and Pumbaa, which added to the immersion. A mouse on fishing wire was pulled through the curtain to “scurry” across the stage.

The musical mostly held the charm you might expect from this story or an elementary school performance, with a production level you might expect from high schoolers and beyond. The audience’s thunderous applause confirmed that the cast and crew had delivered the kind of polished performance they had worked so hard to achieve. Go Dragons!

How This Performance Found Its Footing

You have probably heard the quote about how it takes a village to raise a child. Every show is produced by its own village of talented educators and volunteers who carry a trove of stories behind the story onstage. For The Lion King JR., this village involves a long list, but it was founded by co-directors Nicole Freeman and Bryan Burckle.

Nicole Freeman uses her theater expertise as a Horizon West educator to inspire the next generation with the magic of performance. A Disney employee for 10 years, she worked in performance and entertainment management before undertaking this life change. From the stage of Cinderella Castle to Castleview Elementary, her love for performance has never wavered. At Castleview Drama Club, she guides students in real time, serving as a supportive connection between the stage and the audience.

With a degree in education, the change seemed natural. Freeman worked in a long-term substitute position at Castleview before taking over the drama club, a job that has brought her full circle. “I grew up attending theater camps and I was trained in New York as a program director for a theater camp, where I learned from an amazing director, Kevin Kierans, on how to run things,” she told us.

“My goal with this program is to bring the magic of the arts to younger children, helping them believe in themselves and build confidence,” Freeman said. “These kids are doing choreography I would give to teenagers or adults. They step up and show us what they can do.”

In his eighth year as an educator, Bryan Burckle usually teaches first graders at Atwater Bay Elementary. While he may know his way around Atwater a little better, he is no stranger to Castleview’s drama club. Two years ago, he joined Freeman as a co-director after her production of Finding Nemo. Burckle said the job offer was an instant yes because it bridges his passions for teaching and theater. His position aligns with stage management, coordinating everything onstage and behind the scenes.

“Elementary schools always need more theater and arts,” he advocates. Engaging with these performers brings him back to his elementary school theater roots and always keeps him on his toes. “I started theater as a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz when I was in first grade. My first director, Kay Ween, ignited that fire in me for theater and helping kids rise to the occasion.” It is a journey that is clearly a deep influence on his teaching career. He continued, “I always say, with teaching, do not set low expectations because students will surprise you. It just takes encouragement and guidance.”

Meetings stretch back to last summer, starting with Burckle and Freeman discussing the script over coffee. Reflecting on the process, both directors are bright-eyed about the experience and the result. “The Lion King has such a legacy,” Freeman said. “So I said, ‘If we do this show, it needs to be done right.’ Everybody knows what it sounds like and what it looks like. We all agreed we would do it that way.” Both believe these students and production members are more than capable.

The Lion King JR. is the most recent performance in Castleview Drama Club’s growing lineup, which includes Shrek  and Finding Nemo. The club's productions are two-act shows filled with empowering musical numbers and cross-stage choreography.

At the close of Friday’s show, the cast chanted, “2 out of 6,” excited to be further into the show’s run and closer to performing for their friends. As co-director Freeman explained, “There are three shows for the public, but because of our awesome principal, there is always one day when all the students see it. We do three school performances in one day, which is more than a Broadway performer does.”

Coordinating Chaos… and Creativity

By the time a production reaches a packed audience, more than a thousand micro-decisions have been made. All of these are the building blocks of the creative process, and just like a puzzle, every piece counts.

Before the doors opened, Freeman and Burckle addressed the cast and crew with praise or quick corrections, a process called notes, in which they reflect their hopes of making this performance the best it can be.

Describing her creative process, Freeman explained, “I may coordinate the chaos, but as a full-time fourth grade teacher, I rely heavily on my team.” She continued, saying that “staying flexible and open to what works and what doesn’t opens everyone to what is possible. I do not get pigeonholed into ‘it has to be this way.’ It is really about pushing the kids to their full potential.”

Reflecting on the process, co-director Burckle spoke with awe: “I asked Nicole the other day on our headset if she remembered choreographing a dance in her lobby with pillows for props. I think it is the coolest thing to go from ‘I do not know if these kids know this dance yet’ to them being outstanding onstage.”

Co-directors Nicole Freeman and Bryan Burckle on stage with the cast post show.

Collaboration Extends Through School and Community

In his 11th year as an educator, Kevin Wellmaker helps bring the show's music to life. This drama club collaboration hit all the right notes for him. “Every song has a story to tell, and there are some stories that you just want the whole world to hear,” music teacher and director Wellmaker told us. “The Lion King is one of those stories that I watched when I was a little kid, and now I am watching these kids fall in love with it onstage.”

Pulling from her 22 years of experience as a makeup artist on Walt Disney World property, Erica Altavilla collaborated with the directors to define each actor’s appearance. Her designs were inspired by the musical productions and original film. Apart from makeup design, Erica also assembled and painted set pieces like Pride Rock and the Tree of Life, which doubled as Scar’s throne. She was enthusiastic about how sustainable the design process was. “We refurbished and reused almost everything onstage from whatever we could gather, even off the curb. For the Tree of Life, it was essentially pool noodles and papier-mâché,” Erica said.

When Kimberly Giuliani is not teaching fourth grade ELA or raising her own kids, she is running lights and painting landscapes. This year she based her flats on African-style sunsets, taking inspiration from photographs and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. She described working to create a “warm feeling” through the colors and shading of savanna flats.

Students in both crew and cast positions ultimately bring all of these decisions to life. Whether it is acting or behind-the-scenes stagecraft, their commitment does not go unnoticed.

The Dragon Effect? Drama Club Ripples to Life Beyond the Stage

In her fourth year with the program, lighting coordinator Giuliani recognizes time and time again just how influential this club can be.

“The children are more outgoing, and the bond they have with each other is just great to see,” Giuliani said. “We have a third grader who helps me run lights back there. Our stage manager is a fifth grader. He plays all the music. He will correct me sometimes because he is so used to the routine.”

Another member of the production team is Valerie Companioni, who committed to the drama club last year when a student confided in her during auditions for Shrek the Musical JR..

“It started out as me supporting that student through the process, but I loved it so much. Now I am supporting more students than I could have imagined,” she said.

In these productions, Companioni volunteers her support in speech and language pathology across the acting process. It is a task that covers a lot of ground, but one she takes great pride in. “My biggest success is every student I work with for speech and language therapy who successfully makes the show. I love it when they come to tell me how proud they are of themselves.”

As Castleview’s assistant principal, Kelly Rodgers oversees countless staff members and students every day. She has witnessed parents volunteering their Saturdays and has seen the rehearsal process firsthand. Even in her second year, Rodgers is impressed with this program’s impact, calling the latest production an amazing tribute to the community.

When asked about the show, she replied, “It blows away most things I have seen, especially at the elementary level. We currently have around 70 performers, which contributes to about 20% of our third- to fifth-grade student body.” This year the club added 10 to 15 more students than it had during Shrek.

Of all those involved with this process, Freeman is perhaps most closely aware of the impact.

“I am already starting to feel the ripple effect from the middle schoolers,” Freeman said. “I have eighth-graders who have come back from middle school with their parents to help out. One of them actually came up to my mom and said, ‘Your daughter changed my life.’ That is what teaching is. I get to watch these timid and afraid children step out onto a stage to become so, so confident.”

Raising the Bar: “Who Knows What We’re Gonna Do Next Year?”

Even with the impressive work this team is producing, there is negative preconception around elementary school performances. To counteract this, the Castleview Drama Club seeks to elevate the experience and advertise to a broader audience. Recently the club has gotten new soundboards and microphones. Freeman also updated the lighting system with follow spotlights. She seemed excited by the change and the possibilities for expansion, telling us, “Who knows what we’re gonna do next year?”

Freeman stressed the commitment these children are putting in and the impressive results: “We prepped six months for this performance, from October to March, and it is amazing what we can do two days a week for two hours every rehearsal." The reason why this is happening is because the kids deserve it.” She elaborated, “If they get exposed to this kind of teamwork and community now, they will thrive later. Even if they do not pursue theater or continue in the arts, I believe this is an experience that will change their life.”

All of this inspired Burckle to start a drama club back at Atwater, a brand-new program that currently hosts 40 students. Inspired by Castleview’s growth from a Christmas revue to annual musicals, he is starting Atwater’s inaugural performances with a Broadway revue this April. For now, this was his last production with Castleview Elementary. He said leaving Castleview feels bittersweet, but he expressed hope for a continued collaboration with Freeman as he works toward a full junior production at Atwater for next school year.

As he navigates this transition, Burckle looked back on the lessons he learned at Castleview and his relationship with Freeman fondly. “She has taught me so many things that I am taking with me. I know what works and am presenting it to my team at Atwater, because that is how programs start and how programs grow,” he said.

Encore! What’s Next for Castleview?

Castleview Drama Club has wrapped its annual performances with the closing night of The Lion King JR., but in the spirit of Scar’s signature number, our advice is simple: be prepared. Their annual performance will light up the cafeteria stage sometime next year. Look out for posters advertising performances and, as soon as you see them, head to TeachTix because the seats sell out in a blink.

Horizon West is growing a rich collection of artists and artistic opportunities thanks to the creatives flocking to our community. While it is a great example of the benefits of public education and investment in the arts, Castleview Drama Club is only one example of the entertainment Horizon West can provide.

We recommend investigating other opportunities like Atwater Bay’s upcoming Broadway revue in April. On a broader scale, head to TeachTix.com for a local catalog of upcoming performances sure to blow you away. There is always something happening in Horizon West’s arts and culture scene. If you are looking for a night out or art that moves you, support your local arts program.