Sharing inspiration and joy: Jerry Ensemble performs for young audiences at Kids in the Rotunda

The Jerry Ensemble of Southern Wisconsin, one of the premier performance groups representing the Jerry Awards, will perform Disney's "Finding Nemo KIDS!" at Kids in the Rotunda on Saturday, February 22. Four of the Jerry Ensemble stars share their insight ahead of this show.

Leena Rathgeber, a junior at Monona Grove High School, is in her third year of participating in the Jerry Ensemble. She was inspired to audition for the Jerry Ensemble by her friends who were already in the group. She loved the idea of performing with and learning from other high schoolers from all around Wisconsin.

Being in the Jerry Ensemble has been influential for Rathgeber: “No matter what I do after high school, the work ethic, leadership skills and public speaking skills I have learned [in the Jerry Ensemble] have become an integral part of who I am and will continue to influence the trajectory of my life,” she says.

Rathgeber plays Nemo in the upcoming performance. “I am both excited and honored to be in a role where us older kids can inspire younger kids, just as I was inspired when I was younger,” she says. “I hope seeing our Kids in the Rotunda show will inspire them to have fun with music and express themselves onstage.”

Abundant Life Christian School junior Matias Finely is also in his third year of participation in the Jerry Ensemble. He enjoys being in the ensemble because it has allowed him to meet and work with theater people outside of the bubble of his school.

Finely says that participating in the Jerry’s has “helped me learn more about what it means to work in the theater and has given me many more experiences that help me to better narrow down what exactly I want to pursue in college and beyond.”

Finely is playing Marlin in the upcoming performance, and he reflects on the impact his performance could have on younger audiences: “I remember being a kid and seeing my first musicals and being filled with such awe and wonder, and I love the idea that I might be able to give that same inspiration to others.”

Adding to the "Finding Nemo KIDS!" cast, Owen Seghal is playing numerous roles, including Bruce the Shark and Crush the Turtle. Seghal is in his third year of participation in the Jerry Ensemble and is currently a senior at Middleton High School.

Jerry Ensemble members have performance opportunities in various events around Wisconsin. An impactful memory of Seghal’s from his participation in this program was when he performed at the Dane County Regional Airport for the “Come From Away!” Cocktails with Tim and Karra event.

Seghal recalls, “That was my first performance at an event as a Jerry’s participant, and it was especially memorable because I never thought I would be singing show tunes at an airport!”

For Seghal, performing at Kids in the Rotunda is already one of the highlights of his final year with the Jerrys: “Even though it is just a kids musical, as actors it challenges us to learn the material really quickly while also making sure we navigate how we play the characters based on the fact our audience is kids.”

Seghal continues, “Getting to see the kids super happy and having some interactive moments is special. I think it can have a positive impact because not only is it fun for them, but it also exposes the children to a more interactive performance of the arts instead of sitting behind a screen.”

In her second year in the Jerry Ensemble, Madison West High School senior Zoë Littlefield is grateful for the work ethic that her participation in this program has cultivated.

“We have the same responsibilities and expectations as professional performing artists, which means we have to do a lot of work outside of our rehearsals,” says Littlefield. “Learning how to manage my time and get the work I need to get done has really helped me in all aspects of my life.”

Littlefield says that this program has helped her grow as a performer and as a person. She especially appreciates all the various performance opportunities this program provides: “One of my favorite memories has been all the times we have gotten to sing the national anthem at University of Wisconsin sports games. It is so cool seeing all the components that need to come together to make an event like this happen, and I feel so special singing out from center court to all the fans.”

Littlefield will be playing Dory in the performance. Having attended Kids in the Rotunda when she was a young child, Littlefield reflects, “It feels so special to now be on that stage as a performer!”

See these performers and more for free at Kids in the Rotunda on Saturday, February 22 at 9:30am, 11am and 1 pm on the Rotunda Stage.

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