The O’Maley Innovation Middle School is in the final week of its production of Disney’s Mulan Junior, and the performance is masterful.

Beautiful set design, exquisite choreography, and a keen attention to detail all combine to have this year’s play being one of the best in recent memory.

Notable performances include those by Laura Ryan as the comic dragon Mushu, Emily Gossum as Mulan herself, and Nathaniel Oaks as dynamic Captain Shang.

A poignant coming of age story featuring a powerful female lead that defies strict gender roles and societal expectations of women is especially powerful in our contemporary political climate.

When asked about their experience in the play, 7th grader Nathaniel Oaks and 8th grader Laura Ryan both agreed it was an amazing time.

“I feel […] it was definitely worth it. It blew by so fast. Performances were so nerve racking before the show, but after, it felt almost life changing,” said Oaks.

“Because of O’Maley drama, I plan to continue doing theater throughout high school, and hopefully as a career after graduating. I have gained so many friends and so much confidence and have nothing but drama to thank for that,” added Ryan.

O’Maley’s production of Mulan is powerful and unique, and a can’t miss play. It combines emotional moments with great comedic timing to produce a well rounded show that displays the different talents of O’Maley’s students. This coming weekend, from March 17th through 19th, is the final weekend of showings, and tickets are 5 dollars for students and 7 dollars for adults.