On April 23 and 24, 2026, The Cypress High School Theater Department, under the guidance of Marianne Stewart, put Frozen JR. on the stage, a musical production based on the award-winning Disney film, Frozen. The Centurion Theater, where the play was held, sold out of tickets on opening night, shortly after doors opened at 6:30 P.M. Lead roles included Josie Beltran as Princess Elsa, Ethan Garcia as Young Princess Elsa, Megan Hu as Princess Anna, Alyssa Park as Young Princess Anna, Finn Cooper as Olaf, Cruz Manzo as Oaken, Dorian Carillo Ferrer as Kristoph, Addison Archer as Sven, and Shourya Chaurasia as Hans. The musical adaptation featured songs from the original animated film and Broadway production, including “Let It Go,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” and “Love Is an Open Door.” Enhancing the experience, multiple Cypress High School ASL (American Sign Language) students, as well as ASL teacher Tanya Winterton, interpreted for deaf or hard of hearing audience members
Hu said, “Ever since I was a child, I feel like I almost plagiarized [Princess Anna’s] personality, from her joy and energy, to her naivety,” she said. “It was very easy for me to get into character and find her within myself.” For Hu, playing the role of Princess Anna was a dream come true. She talked about her social media profile picture, which is a younger picture of herself in an Anna costume. “To that little girl, the one in that picture [as a kid,] I would tell her that her biggest dream has come true, and she’s made it,” she said with a smile. Hu’s favorite memory was the end of the show, because of the feeling of, “Having all those memories, having all of that collection and being able to sit there and reminisce with everyone and cry together.”
The stage managers and directors of Frozen JR. were AK Pandya and Collette Terrebonne. Pandya, a three-year theater junior, said his “biggest goal as a director was making sure that everybody was having the same vision…we’ve got to guide the whole team.” Pandya and Terrebonne, along with the technical director, art directors, assistant directors, dance captain, designers, the crew, and staff, worked behind the scenes to bring the audience Frozen JR. “Our job as a student director is to make sure that the student’s ideas make it to the board, and we get [their ideas] on stage,” Pandya stated. Terrebonne, a four-year theater senior, added, “It was really fantastic to be able to watch the full run of the play for the first time; it was so good to see the product when we step back completely.”
From handling sets and props, costumes and makeup, sound and lights, to singing, dancing, and acting on stage, the cast and crew of Cypress Theater brought Frozen JR. to life.
