Dartmouth middle schoolers will shine as sea creatures in sequins, feathers, and spandex in a SouthCoast Children’s Theater musical production of the much-loved Disney classic “The Little Mermaid” at Keith Middle School in New Bedford this weekend.

This will be the twelfth spring musical for the theater group, which also puts on non-musical plays in the fall.

“At least 85 percent of the kids [in the group] are from Dartmouth,” said SouthCoast Marketing Director Melissa Boucher.

Kids in the SouthCoast program range from first graders all the way through middle school, with the oldest in eighth grade.

They’ll be singing and tap-dancing through several musical numbers during the show — but for these acting aficionados, it’s all in a day’s work.

Kallie Rose, 13, has done drama for about seven years.

She plays Scuttle the seagull, and she said she enjoys the role. “I like how goofy he is, and how whatever comes out of his mouth — he has no clue, basically,” she said. “And he’s kind of like in the moment.”

Rose also said she sees some similarities between herself and her character. “I’m crazy myself, just as he is. We’re not exactly the same, but we’re not so different,” she explained.

Thirteen-year-old Haley Cabral also really enjoys playing Ariel’s fish friend, Flounder.

“I love it. His personality — he’s bright, and he’s always happy. And he just kind of goes with the flow,” she said.

She also tries to stay positive, just like Flounder does. “I kind of try to keep a positive attitude,” she said. “So whatever happens, happens. And you get through it.”

Meanwhile, other kids get to explore villainy in the show.

Tyler Breault, 13, plays Flotsam, an eel minion for the story’s octopus antagonist. He commented, “It’s kind of fun, actually. I kind of like how he’s kind of creepy, kind of stupid, I guess.”

Describing his costume, Tyler said, “Imagine the grim reaper costume without a mask, and a crazy rock-style wig, and an eel attached to an arm.”

“I’ve never played a bad guy before,” he added with a grin. “It’s different.”

Mason Langlois, 11, plays Prince Eric’s assistant, Grimsby. He has acted in plays for six years now. “I think it’s fun being able to step out of your shoes and play someone else for a little while,” he said.

For thirteen-year-old Robbie Sioch, theater gives him a creative outlet to show off his passion for dance.

Sioch — who has been dancing since he was eight years old — plays Chef Louis and one of the seagulls. “Very different costumes,” he said. “For Chef Louis, I think it’s really fun, because he’s really comedic and he has a lot of funny lines. And he has a lot of dancing roles...So I think it’s really fun being able to express my passion of dance.”

Also playing two roles is twelve-year-old Grace Hughes, who acts as both a sea creature and a maid. “It’s really fun. You get to know each other — some of the people that were in this play I didn’t know at all...but I’ve just really gotten to know everyone,” she said.

She’s been acting for three years in five different productions. “Every show, you meet different people. And for every show, it’s always different…like for Christmas story, I was one of the more main roles, and then for this one I’m part of the assembly. But it’s always fun.”

President of the SouthCoast theater board and executive producer of the show Tracy Oliverio Clarke commented, “I think it’s so fun. The kids are really having a great time...they love the story and the music. They grow up watching Little Mermaid, so they’re having a lot of fun with it.”

“We continually get kids who really love the theater,” she added. “I think we have a lot of talent and real dedication to the show.”