On the weekend of March 1-3, Saint Thomas Aquinas’ resident theater company, the STA Players, presented their spring musical production of Once Upon a Mattress. Based on the classic fairytale about the princess and the pea, Once Upon a Mattress introduced audiences to Winnifred (Mia Palmieri), an ungainly, brash girl competing for the hand of Prince Dauntless (Mateo Cruz), whose domineering mother Queen Aggravain (Riley Hilbert) has declared he must marry a “true” princess before anyone else in the kingdom can marry.
The production was led by our dedicated theater director, Ms. Garrard, who wanted to give students a fun break from the daily stresses of high school with a zany comedy. The show encapsulated the passion and vibrant energy that STA students can bring to the table. From dazzling choreography and beautiful harmonies, every aspect of this musical showcased the dedication that the cast had for this musical. From a stunning aerial silks performance by Camila Teixeira De Oliveira as Jester, to a surprise tap-dance performance from senior Mateo Cruz, the performers brought their best performances to the stage.
Lady Larken (Mallory McKeon), revealed her favorite parts of the process, “There is never a dull moment in this show! My favorite part about being in this show is being able to perform with some of her best friends in the world. I chose to be part of this musical because I have such a love for singing and performing! It’s been my passion, and I am very grateful for the opportunity.” In regards to the challenges faced by the cast to bring this script to life, she said, ¨I honestly don’t think there were any hiccups or challenging things about this show. Everything was handled with such care thanks to our amazing director Ms. Garrard. Whatever we had trouble with, she would always go out of her way to help us figure it out.¨
The cast and crew were sad to close the final curtain, but are looking forward to planning their productions for the 2024-2025 school year, and hope that students will continue to come to the Bienes Center theater to support the impressive arts program here at Saint Thomas Aquinas.
