Meridian Little Theatre’s CenterStage youth division will present Disney’s “Finding Nemo JR.,” its annual school production, to students from more than 20 schools in the region, beginning Monday and running through Friday.

Public performances of the musical adaption of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie “Finding Nemo” will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 11-12, at the Meridian Little Theatre.

“Finding Nemo JR.” is a story of family, friendship and adventure. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his little clownfish son Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. When Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean, according to a description of the musical.

Bringing the vibrant, underwater world to life on stage, the production features such fun songs as “Just Keep Swimming” and “Fish are Friends Not Food.”

“An exciting part of this show is the introduction of puppetry to the performers,” said Artistic Director Tiffany McGehee. “We are using the Louisiana-based Lagniappe Theatre Company’s puppets and creating some of our own for use in training these kids in a contemporary version of an ancient art form. We are dedicated to making each CenterStage production both educational and experiential.”

McGehee said MLT is also excited to pilot its first sensory friendly event with its newest community partner, the local organization Special Place for Others to Thrive, or SPOT.

“We’ve invited SPOT families to enjoy our final dress rehearsal for a theater experience with relaxed stage lighting and the freedom to experience theater in an environment that is welcoming and supportive of everyone’s needs,” she said. “We look forward to working more closely with SPOT to learn how to better serve our community members with unique and varying sensory needs and sensitivities.”

MLT Board President Diane Freeman, who serves as director of special services with the Lauderdale County School District, has worked with SPOT on other events they have held.

“The MLT Education Committee discussed the idea of a sensory-friendly show, so I reached out to see if they wanted to partner with MLT to make this a reality,” Freeman said.

For more than three decades, MLT has served the community with high-quality, educational productions for area schools. Student performers participate from all over the area, including some students from Kemper County and Enterprise, as well as local city and county schools, private schools, and homeschool.

Lydia Brand, a theater instructor at Quitman High School and frequent MLT performer, will make her directorial debut with the “Finding Nemo JR.” production.

“My goal was to create a positive, safe environment to help children build confidence in their abilities,” Brand said. “I wanted kids to walk away from this process saying, ‘Wow, I can’t wait for the next show!’”

She said MLT will share 20 performances of the musical with schools across the county, in addition to two shows that will be open to the public.

“This is a chance to show other children in the community the magic of theater,” she said. “Few have an opportunity to see a Broadway show, so imagine bringing Broadway to Meridian, Mississippi. MLT is for families; MLT is for education; and MLT can’t wait to share this big blue world of ‘Finding Nemo JR.’ with our community.”

Trinton Nash, a senior at Clarkdale High School, will play Bloat, the pufferfish, in the musical. “Finding Nemo JR.” marks Nash’s third performance on the MLT stage, including CenterStage’s previous production of “Mary Poppins” and MLT’s “Big Fish.”

“Nemo is going to be such a fun show,” Nash said. “It brings back so many childhood memories when I first saw the movie.”

Nash plans to pursue a theater degree after graduation, and he credits his experiences with MLT for creating his love of performance.

Seats are still available for Thursday night’s performance of “Finding Nemo JR.” and limited seating is available for Friday. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students. Tickets can be purchased at meridianlittletheatre.com.