Hope Community Church Will House MTC Presentation of 'Disney's The Little Mermaid'

Moorestown, NJ -- Moorestown Theater Company Director Mark Morgan has high hopes for his company’s Delaware Valley Community Theater Premiere of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” which opens Thursday night.

He says they have an amazing cast and amazing costumes for a show he says the audience will truly enjoy.

Just don’t go to the William Allen Middle School to see it.

The show opens Thursday night, July 21, 7 p.m. at Hope Community Church, 235 West Main Street in Moorestown.

The theater company’s all-ages July is typically held at the middle school, but that wasn’t possible for this production because the school is getting a new roof this summer, Morgan said.

The company had another venue lined up, but that arrangement fell through about a month and a half ago.

This left Morgan scrambling to find a replacement. Hope Community Church came through on July 10, leaving the company 11 days to rehearse on stage, print posters, lawn signs, t-shirts, and to promote the show in general.

“The banner just went up on Main Street today,” Morgan said Wednesday afternoon.

Tickets have been on sale for just one week, whereas they would normally go on sale June 1.

All promotion and rehearsals coincide with the theater company’s final week of “Getting to Know … The Sound of Music.” While it’s not unusual to rehearse for one show while finishing up another, this is the first time they’ve had to do it when they didn’t know where that next show would be.

Morgan said he was reluctant to ask Hope Community Church because the church is already hosting the theater company’s four other summer productions.

See also: Moorestown Theater Company Kicks Off Summer of Shows This Week

While the church expressed some reservations, Morgan said it was amenable to the request.

There are some other challenges, including the size of the parking lot at the church, and additional limited parking due to the construction taking place at the municipal parking lot.

However, businesses on Main Street have said they would allow theater goers to use their spaces, as they will be closed when performances are taking place.

There is also more limited seating, as the church accommodates between 275 and 300 people.

“In the middle school, if we sell 250 tickets, the auditorium is half full,” Morgan said. “If we sell 250 tickets here, it’ll be close to a sell out.”

There are also plenty of positives, including the fact that the audience will be so close to the stage.

“It’s a more intimate setting,” Morgan said. “We’ve never had something like that for an all-ages performance before.”

He also pointed out that since the church is on Main Street, those attending the show can get something to eat at a local restaurant before going to the show.

“For a 7 p.m. show, you can make a 5 p.m. dinner reservation, park at the restaurant, eat and walk down to the show,” Morgan said.

The problem stems from the lack of a true home for the Moorestown Theater Company, which has performed in 12 buildings over the course of its 13-year existence. Morgan said he continues to work to find the theater company a permanent home.

In the meantime, he said there were a lot of hurdles, but he never gave up hope that the show could still go on.
He also said this could be among the best shows MTC has ever put on.

With 52 actors and actresses of all ages, the show is double cast. There is also a 12-piece orchestra that will perform in the balcony.

Show dates and times are as follows: July 21, 22, and 23 at 7 p.m.; July 24 at 2 p.m.; July 28 and 29 at 7 p.m.; and July 30 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $17.

All tickets are reserved, and can be purchased online at www.MoorestownTheaterCompany.org, or at the door in the lobby 60 minutes before curtain time.

The theater will open 30 minutes before curtain time. Call MTC at 856-778-8357 with questions or for group rates.

Corey Meeks (‘Prince Eric’ in both Casts, from Medford Lakes) and Rachel Smith (‘Ariel’ in the ‘Gold’ Cast, from Cinnaminson) will lead the 52-member, all-ages cast in the Moorestown Theater Company’s Delaware Valley Community Theater Premiere of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The first two photos were taken by Annette DeRosa and the third photo was taken by Jody Haggerty.