Owen County Theatre and Arts Alliance to display importance of family in June ‘Frozen’ musical

Seventy-five Owen County Theatre and Arts Alliance participants will bustle onstage and behind the curtain throughout June for the group’s production of “Frozen the Broadway Musical.”

The cast and crew, ranging in ages from five to 67 will perform the result of months of brainstorming, planning and rehearsals, which began when the Alliance applied for the rights to the musical last August.

The troupe will have performances at 7 p.m. June 12, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 13 and 2 p.m. June 14 at the Owen Valley High School Auditorium, 622 W State Rd 46, Spencer. Tickets are on sale on the Owen County Theatre and Arts Alliance website (octaaa.org) and cost $7 for kids and $15 for adults.

Jessica Turnbull, the Alliance’s artistic and dramatic director, said she is excited to see the audience be “wowed” by the princesses and “moved by the powerful numbers.”

“Frozen” is different from other princess stories, she said, because it doesn’t play out like many others, where a man saves a damsel in distress.

“I love the story, how it’s not a generic princess story,” Turnbull said. “It highlights how sisterly love can be true love and how family really matters.”

One number, “Monster,” isn’t in the 2013 Disney movie, and is more introspective, she said. Turnbull was surprised by how it dealt with dark topics and the struggle inside Elsa, Arendelle’s queen with magical ice and snow manipulation powers. She grapples with feeling like a monster and wanting to destroy that part of her, Turnbull said.

“That’s an interesting kind of deeper layer to something that would be perceived as just a childhood fairy tale,” Turnbull said. “[I’m] so, excited to see audiences respond, young and old, to different layers of meaning.”

Most of the time, the Alliance performs at the Tivoli Theatre, but took its two-hour performance to OVHS due to the size of the production and the technical capabilities the auditorium has.

The Alliance plans to draw audiences into the musical in a way it hasn’t done before. Snow speckled across the stage, lighting effects that make the town look like it’s frozen and audience interaction are a few of the special effects and features the cast and crew will introduce to the community.

The people involved in the show have a vast range of skills, Turnbull said, from those who have never been on stage before, to professionals.

“My mission is to include all levels,” Turnbull said. “I just want to bring art and theater to this community, and I just would like everyone to know that it’s not highbrow; they can come if they want. They can be a part of it. We would love to have everyone be involved and everyone view this. It’s not some secret club.”

The Alliance plans to reveal next year’s season in the coming months.