The Homewood-Flossmoor High School spring musical “The Little Mermaid” has been nominated for best production honors, and three students have been nominated for individual awards in the 2026 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards program.
“The Little Mermaid” is the story of Ariel, a teenage mermaid who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with Prince Eric whom she rescues from the sea. The musical, staged in April, was directed by teacher Anne Calderon and is one of five productions up for the top IHSTA honor.
Eleanor O’Shea, who portrayed Ariel, is one of 12 students nominated for best actress. Marcus McGhee, who portrayed Sebastian the crab, is one of 12 students nominated for best actor. Ash Komorowski is one of five students nominated for the backstage champion award for his lighting design for the show.
The awards program is hosted by Broadway in Chicago and sponsored by NBC5. The awards ceremony will be May 11 in Chicago. This is the 15th year for the awards program which involves 95 high schools from across Illinois.
This is the third year H-F’s theatre production has been selected as one of the top high school productions. The 2024 show “Urinetown” won best production, and the 2025 show “Between the Lines” was nominated for the honor.
“The entire production staff and our students on stage, in the pit, and behind the scenes for ‘The Little Mermaid’ worked incredibly hard; it feels really wonderful to have everyone be recognized for their efforts,” Calderon said. “Being able to produce a show of this caliber at the high school level is something we can all be proud of…not just as a school, but as a community” adding, the nomination “is for all of us to share.”
During the District 233 school board meeting April 21, board members applauded the actors for outstanding performances and teachers and administrators who worked with the cast.
McGhee, who shined in his red sequin crab costume, said the best part of the show was opening night when, after weeks of rehearsals, the show came together. “Working on ‘The Little Mermaid’ not only helped us as students but helped us to grow our community,” he said. He recalled after the show little kids coming up to him “in awe.” He believes they will keep the cycle of theater alive at H-F.
O’Shea was happy to share the “beautiful, iconic story (of Ariel) with the community.” She appreciated the strong bonds between the students of the show, and she thanked the community for its support of the arts.
