Moana Jr Program | Mecca Productions

Production Team:

Director/Producer: Lisa Vasconcelos Choreographer: Tiana Vasconcelos

Music Director: Mitch Wedgewood Asst Director: Hannah Price Costumer: Jennifer Shelton

Hair & Make Up Lead: Angie Buydens Props: Jaycee Thexton and Shannon Bower

Prod Asst: Brianna Dyck

Boat Design:David Vasconcelos, Klaus Brechmann

Boat Creation: Martin van Luijn, Jenn Watson, Jacobi van Luijn-Michaluk, Avery Sydor

Mistress of Magical Creations: Marilyn Hardy

MAP/Front of House Raffle & Snacks: MAP board - Sheri Connery, Karla Johnson, Jacquie Pentney, Haley Hargreaves, Kim Asham

Matinee Coordinator: Shara Sanko Front of House Decoration: Jenni Museka

Crew: Shannon McKenzie, David Vasconcelos, Seamus Malcolm

Photographer: Crystal Irwin Backstage Supervision: Kaley Koroluk & Amberley Fischer

Indigenous Advocate: Shawna Mozdzen

Hair & Make Up Crew: Deb Boundy, Ingrid Pulleyblank, Jenni Museka, Ashley Mitchell, Lindy Boyd

Helping Hands: Martijn van Luijn, Elena Baker, Jenn Watson

Thank You to ALL the parents who helped behind the scenes throughout the process and supervising during show week!

Moana is the story of one young woman’s journey to become who she is meant to be - for herself and her community. She leans on, and learns from, the wisdom of the elders in her world, in Moana called the ancestors, as she journeys beyond the known.

While the people of Montinui are fictional, they represent many cultures of Oceanic people across thousands of years. The writers of Moana encourage each organization that produces Moana to learn about their cultures in their community and the Indigenous people where they live as they explore the themes of Moana in their own context.

For us, it was important to connect to the first peoples where we live and the history of our land we spend our days upon. We thank Indigenous Advocate Shawna Mozdzen for her sharing her knowledge, her wisdom and her guidance with our cast and crew.

In our production, you will see the Metis sash worn by Chief Tui and the use of ribbon skirts by the actors portraying Moana’s ancestors. While those items would not have been worn by oceanic people, they are important to the Metis people who created the province of Manitoba. The presence of these pieces represent our respect, our desire to learn and our commitment to grow in our understanding of our world.

Learning about the Metis culture and the connection to the earth by the first people who walked these lands was an important part of the journey of Moana for our cast and crew. Our desire to learn and honour the culture of the Metis was important and grounded and informed us throughout the creation process. And, we believe, important to all of us as we move forward together in reconciliation in word and action.

Avery is a 2025 graduate at Vincent Massey High School. This is her 9th production and her final kid’s musical with Mecca Productions. Avery hopes to continue pursuing her passions for theatre and voice in the future. She connects deeply with Moana’s message about following your heart, staying true to yourself, and finding strength even when the path is uncertain. Avery would like to thank her family, friends, & instructors for their support, love and guidance.

Noah is a grade 11 student. This is his 3rd musical. He is also in many Neelin choirs and has been in Westman Youth Choir. Noah also really loves his costume!

Jacobi is 16 years old and goes to the DRCSS high school in Dauphin MB. She has been apart of the mecca family for almost 6 years now. She is part of the APT classes at the Mecca studio and has done 3 all kids musicals, including “Beauty and the Beast jr.” as Mrs. Potts, and “Lion King jr.” as Nala. She also has a history of basic dance training, voice training, and choral classes. She is so excited to be part of Moana jr. to help bring this beautiful story to the stage.

Samantha Knowles is thrilled to be making her debut with Mecca in their production of Moana Jr. Originally from Atikokan, Ontario, Samantha now attends Crocus Plains High School and is excited to share her passion for theatre with new audiences. She is overjoyed to bring the spirited Gramma Tala to life and hopes you enjoy the show as much as she has loved being part of it. Up next, you can catch Samantha as Player One in Westman Drama Ministries’ production of Dare to Dream Jr. at the WMCA!

Ava is a grade 10 student, and this is her eleventh musical. She has been with Mecca Productions since the first grade. She is excited to be playing the role of Sina in Moana Jr. Her favourite past role was Tessa in the musical Annie. Ava is grateful for all the friends she has made over the years in musical theatre, and she would like to thank her family, friends and Mecca Productions for always supporting her.

Yesenia is a grade 11 student at École Secondaire Neelin High School and she is so excited to be part of the Moana Jr cast. She knows that this will be a show to remember. This will be Yesenia's second year at Mecca and her 6th ever Mecca show. Moana will also be Yesenia's 15th musical ever! Yesenia would like to thank her mom and grandparents for being so supportive of her and driving her to her rehersals. She would also like to thank the everyone on the production team for their hard work.

Ella is a grade 10 student at Neelin, who has been apart of the Mecca family since 1st grade! She is thrilled to be apart of Moana Jr. as the lovable Pua and as a member of the Ocean Ensemble. This will be the 10th Mecca musical that Ella has been involved with. (read more in link)

Roseilee is 11 years old in Linden Lanes school. This will be her 5th Mecca Jr production. You may recognize her from her first ever role where she was cast as Chip in Beauty and the Beast Jr in May 2023. (read more in link...) Lauren is a Grade 6 student that has been part of Mecca Productions since 2018. Her previous roles include Micheal(ElfJr) and Gretl (Sound of Music). She is very grateful to part of this production, as Moana Jr reminds her of spending time with her grandparents.