Cedar Way Elementary students took to the Mountlake Terrace High School Theater stage Wednesday for their first dress rehearsal of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians KIDS.

The main cast of 51 excited students toured the Mountlake Terrace theater’s backstage area, which included dressing rooms and storage for costumes and equipment, before stepping out for a performer’s view of the theater.

Located in Mountlake Terrace, Cedar Way Elementary was one of four schools to receive the Disney Musicals in Schools grant through the Seattle Theater Group. The production includes  73 actors – with 51 main cast members from grades 4-5 and 22 students from grades K-2 in the opening act.

Both groups will perform at Mountlake Terrace High School at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21 and again at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22.

The main cast will also perform a musical number during the Student Share Celebration at The Paramount on April 3.

Mountlake Terrace High School Theater Manager Vincent Orduna explained the rules for stage conduct, including how to stay out of sight while backstage.

“If you can see the audience, the audience can see you,” Orduna said.

Another important rule, which Orduna had the student actors repeat twice, was, “Do not touch the curtain.”

Orduna, the theater’s stage manager for nearly a decade, explained that the curtain was treated with fire-repellent chemicals and weighed several hundred pounds. If it fell on someone, they could get seriously injured.

The Cedar Way students got the stage not just through talent and months of hard work but also through a grant application submitted by Cedar Way Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) President Kelcie Trine on behalf of the students.

“We collectively decided as a PTO to prioritize accessibility to the arts for our students, and we’ve been fundraising for the past several years,” Trine said.

Trine explained that some Cedar Way families come from low-income households. Because of these limitations, Cedar Way has a PTO rather than a traditional parent-teacher association (PTA).

Association members pay dues, but organization members do not, which Trine said keeps it accessible to all families.

Disney provided the grant through the Seattle Theater Group, which provides a free performance license to the Disney KIDS musical of their choice.

Disney also provided two teaching artists for 17 sessions, a show kit containing director guides, scripts, accompaniment music, a choreography DVD, a piano and vocal score and a parent’s guide to theater booklets for free.

The Cedar Way Elementary PTO only had to provide the costumes and backgrounds.

“Fortunately, our PTO has enough funds to support this, along with a few generous donations from student’s families,” Trine said.

Trine added the students have been working since Oct. 8, 2024, and during that time have made friends with students in other grades — something that doesn’t typically happen.

“I feel like the kids have gotten very comfortable because we’ve spent so much time together – twice a week since the fall,” Trine said. “There’s a special bond that’s been created among these students, especially for those new to the theater, which is most of them.”