HURLOCK — Dress rehearsals for theater productions of any sort are usually nightmarish. There is lighting for the first time, props, sets, costumes, music, curtains, missed lines, and a director who often wants to tear out his hair. Not so with Michael Pagliaro, director of last year’s North Dorchester High School (NDHS) production “Mary Poppins,” and director of this year’s musical production, “The Little Mermaid.” He is used to the stress, has boundless energy, and notices every detail of a production. Also experienced in the chaos of dress rehearsal week are Choral Music and Key Club teacher, Sabra Steward who is the show’s music director; and, English/Theater teacher Adam Wilson whose expertise is as technical director. The NDHS auditorium will become a captivating under-the-sea world next weekend, as the annual Senior Play splashes onto the high school stage from March 3-6. The musical was adapted from Disney’s Broadway production of “The Little Mermaid” based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story by Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who dreams of the world above the sea and gives up her beautiful voice to find love. Mr. Pagliaro explained that initially there were three choices: The Little Mermaid, Grease, and High School Musical. Initially, he said, “the panel chose ‘Grease’ but when we spoke with our principal ‘Grease’ presented a lot of technical challenges. And, we wanted something new and Mermaid was brand new off Broadway. This is the first year schools can do the show.” The costumes were challenging. But junior Georgia Fried was up for the challenge. With aspirations for a future as a Broadway costume designer the talented young woman created some stunning costumes. Mr. Pagliaro noted that she created Ariel’s costumes with fins and small hoops that transition as the whole skirt folds up so she’ll have legs for her magical transformation. Mr. Wilson is the main construction person with “loads and loads of help from a fantastic stage crew. I feel strongly we need to involve students as often as possible.” Auditioning for parts can be nail biting for the young actors. Director Pagliaro explained the process: “We auditioned them per character and students had to learn and sing the main song of that character. Then we compared notes and decided where students fit best; in some cases for roles they hadn’t even auditioned for. We said something like, ‘ok, you would fit better for a Mer-sister than a sea creature’ for example.” The Montgomery County native received his master’s degree in education and secondary English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. “I was in high school theater very briefly and then hadn’t touched it. I like directing very much although, while it’s some of the most stressful part of my job, it’s also the most rewarding. There are big highs and big lows.” Interviewed during the week of dress rehearsals, Mr. Pagliaro said, “Every year it feels like it’s never going to come together and then in the last week and a half suddenly all of the projects begin getting completed, all the pieces begin to fall together and then all of a sudden we have a show.” The show opens on March 3 at 7 p.m. It runs on March 4, 7 p.m.; March 5, 1  p.m. and 7 p.m.; and closes with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 6.