Eighty hopefuls auditioned and now, an excited cast of 58 is about to start rehearsals for The Little Mermaid. 

The musical is the second Disney franchise to be staged in two years, with Mary Poppins taking flight in 2016. 

Leading the cast will be Bella Sattler, 16, as Ariel, the mermaid who falls in love with a human and defies her father in an effort to join her prince on dry land. 

It is the second title role for Bella after also playing the lead in OTC’s 2015 production of Annie. 

“It’s a more grown-up role,” she said, comparing the two. 

“She’s very bright and driven.”

It will also be a challenging role for the young performer, with Ariel giving up her voice to Ursula the seawitch for part of the show, in exchange for legs. 

“There’s a lot of miming involved,” Bella said. 

Joining Bella will be Amelia Punch, 12, who will play Ariel’s sidekick, Flounder. 

Amelia was just eight when she appeared in Annie as the hilarious and very cute orphan, Molly. 

“I was so excited,” Amelia said, admitting she squealed when she found out about her casting. 

Production director, and mother to Amelia, Lindsay Punch said she looked forward to bringing the production together.

“There’s lots of colour, lots of energy but there’s beautiful and sincere moments as well and there’s things at a level only adults will get,” she said.

Tickets are on sale for the production, which will run from Friday, October 26 until Saturday, November 3, available from Ticketek.