Spring Musical Cast Profile: Joey, Mackenzie, and Sarah

by NOAH KING

 Fredericksburg, VA---Disney-Pixar’s ‘Finding Nemo Jr.’ is coming up in a month, and STEPVA, the 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to “empowering people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration,” has cast three veterans in the ensemble cast as “Reef Parents”: Joey plays Sheldon’s father, Mackenzie Walker plays Sheldon’s mother, and Sarah Montgomery plays Pearl’s mother.

However, the three cast members have a bit more in common regarding the show, having attended the musical reveal together.

 “I screamed when I found out while I was at the show reveal at the church,” Walker said. “I was really happy and excited and proud.”

 Joey and Montgomery felt the same way.

JOEY

Joey plays Sheldon’s father in the show (‘Sheldon’ being Nemo’s seahorse friend from school). So far, Joey hasn’t faced too many challenges with the rehearsal process.

“It’s really easy,” he said. 

Joey hopes the show will help parents figure out how to best handle their kids. 

“Marlin is very overprotective of Nemo until the end of the show, when he learns his lesson,” Joey said. “Hopefully, any parents who come see the show will realize that they need to ‘go with the flow’.”

Mackenzie Walker

Mackenzie Walker

Mackenzie will be playing Sheldon’s mother.

“I think it’s fun and kinda cool to be a Reef Parent,” Walker said. “I’m also excited to play a second role and have a costume change.”

She’s referring to her dual role as a vacationer during one of the many “Seagull” numbers throughout the production.

Walker said that she occasionally has problems with the choreography.

“I try my best,” she said, “even when I get frustrated.”

Sarah Montgomery

Sarah Montgomery

Montgomery will be playing the third Reef Parent, the mother of Pearl, an octopus.

“[All my friends are] fish,” she said, referring to the show’s underwater premise of a desperate clownfish father searching for his son.

Montgomery is enthusiastic about performing alongside her friend Nancy Street, who portrays Dory, a blue regal tang fish with short-term memory loss.

 “I am proud that [she] is in the show,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery also enjoys the music in the show. Luckily, there are a lot of songs in this show by Kristen and Robert Lopez, the minds behind Frozen and WandaVision, including “Go with the Flow” and “Big Blue World” (her favorite song).

She also enjoys the choreography.

 “Dancing is my favorite thing,” Montgomery said.

 STEPVA’s performance of Disney-Pixar’s ‘Finding Nemo Jr.’ will take place on April 12 (6 pm) and April 13 (3 pm). April 12th’s performance will include American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. Tickets are $15 (kids under five are free) and are on sale now. For tickets and other information, please visit www.stepva.org 

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STEP VA, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sensory-based theater and arts programs for individuals with disabilities. Its vision is to transform the world by offering each individual the opportunity to flourish in the community.