How We Gave Ariel Her Voice—After She Lost It

In Shine’s productions of The Little Mermaid Jr. and The Little Mermaid, there’s a fun moment: Ariel stands center stage, silenced by Ursula’s spell… yet her voice is heard, singing from somewhere else.

It’s quick. It’s seamless. It’s the kind of theater moment that makes the audience lean in.

It took a little bit of creative problem-solving behind the scenes, and we’re pulling back the curtain.

Weeks before opening night, Shine’s creative team used our costume shop for a makeshift recording booth. Both Ariels recorded their solos there, surrounded by racks of clothing doubling as sound-dampening panels.

The recordings were then edited and timed to play during performances—allowing the onstage Ariel to react and emote while her voice magically plays.

The result? A beautifully eerie moment that looks like stage magic but happened with planning, teamwork, and a dash of Shine-style ingenuity — which is never as fancy as it may seem.

Catch it live in The Little Mermaid, running May 16–18 at The Courtyard Theater.

🎟️ Tickets at shineplano.org/tickets
🎥 Watch the moment—and how we pulled it off—right here.