REFLECTIONS

Thanks to a kind invitation from a very close and dear friend named Linda, Judy and I were able to see some outstanding theatrical performances by many young actors.
Again, it was community theater at its best. this time in Farmington.
We have seen some outstanding community theater shows put on by the Little Theatre of Owatonna and by the Albert Lea Community Theatre group at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.
The coronavirus has put a choke hold on much of the entertainment industry including community theater. It's coming back, however, and this is good news.
Judy and I were fortunate to be just a few rows from the stage at the CastleCo Theatre’s production of Disney's “Moana JR.” at a middle school in Farmington.
Our friend Linda's granddaughter, Liahna, age 10, played the part of Moana and turned in some outstanding performances during the Dec.11-19 run of the show.
This was not Liahna's first acting role. She has performed in five other theater productions, including having a lead role as Young Ana in Disney's “Frozen JR.”
She is a fourth-grade student who, since she has been very young, has had a passion for singing and acting. Liahna is creative, loves to bake and is active in athletics.
We might be biased but no, we were not. The buzz word that was circulating around after the shows was "amazing" and that described the leads, Moana and Maui and the rest of the large group of cast members.
Liahna, aka Moana, has a high-quality voice and almost blew the roof off the auditorium at the middle school. She can turn up the volume of her singing voice with ease.
Moana's good friend in the production was Maui, played by Quincy. He has a good singing voice like Liahna.
Quincy is a senior at Farmington High School. He has been involved in many community theater productions including Disney's “Tarzan,” “Chorus Line,” “The World Goes Round,” “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” and many more productions.
On the day after a terrible winter storm, theatergoers were able to dig out from more than a foot of snow and get to the show on time. Friday's show was canceled because of the heavy snow.
There were so many people on stage and behind the scenes that made this community theater production a grand success. The sets and stage were crafted by some very creative people.
Parents, grandparents, other family and friends were treated to a very professionally done production.
Moana was released in 2016 as an animated film. It tells the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
According to Wikipedia, when a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in the hope of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her people.
The plot is original but takes inspiration from Polynesian myths.
We are right in the middle of the Christmas season and with its busyness, we have little time to relax and enjoy the many talents of community theater actors and organizers.
Some professional-like theater is out there for us to enjoy. Check  it out.