Swimming across the stage

Marisa O’Neil

All the world’s a stage, especially when you’re 5 years old.

Campers at the Pacific School of Music and the Arts in Costa Mesa

looked right at home on stage at they rehearsed for their big debut.

The children, age 5 to 10, spent their spring break studying music,

art, drama and preparing their version of “Finding Nemo,” which they

performed for parents on Friday.

But corralling energetic grade-schoolers to perform in the same

play at the same time rather than their own drama can be a Herculean

feat. As they lined up for introductions in a last-minute rehearsal,

5-year-old Sam Swanson bounced like a pogo stick, 5-year-old Stuart

McGregor danced eagerly in place and 5-year-old Michael Farris saw

fit to flash his belly.

“Now when I say, ‘Places,’ where do you go?” director Patrick

Lathrop prompted patiently.

The children knew that was their cue to scatter and get ready for

the first scene.

In act one, scene one, the Nemos -- there were three -- got ready

for school. After defying the orders of their father, 8-year-old

Michael Mhin as Marlin, the Nemos ended up in a dentist’s fish tank.

Michael teamed up with his big sister, Christine Mhin, who played

the forgetful fish, Dory. Michael and Christine waved their hands and

“swam” around the stage until they ran into Stuart, aka Bruce the

Shark.

“Come to my party,” Stuart said with a smile, flashing killer

dimples.

In the next scene, the Nemos had some trouble finding their marks

for the initiation scene.

“Nemos, only come this far,” Lathrop said, pointing left of center

stage. “You still have to swim through the ‘Ring of Fire.’”

Later, Marlin and Dory ran into some trouble in the search for the

Nemos -- a crowd of children playing jellyfish. Allison Shilling, 5,

waved her arms and swung her body back and forth like a jelly as

Marlin and Dory got tangled up.

“I stung him!” Stuart exclaimed.

In the end, the Nemos escaped, got reunited with Marlin and the

whole cast celebrated with a song.

“Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky,” the children sang, ending

the song with a “kerplop,” in a heap on the floor.

“No, we don’t ‘kerplop’ on each other,” Lathrop told the children,

now a pile of limbs and giggles.

They righted themselves from their “kerplop,” lined up at the

front of the stage and joined hands. Following Lathrop’s direction,

they swung their hands over their heads and bent forward in their

triumphant final bows.