Applebox
theater presents ArtReach's The
Jungle Book
By Audrey Caro,
Polk County Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH —
The themes of community and family that run through The
Jungle Book also are apparent in The Apple Box Children’s
Theater production of the Rudyard Kipling classic.
The theater
collaborated with several other entities, including Arts Integrated
Ministry, Children’s Educational Theater and Central High
School’s performing arts department, said Rob Harriman.
“It’s
really cool. I’m really enjoying it.”
Rob Harriman
coaches the cast of The
Jungle Book before rehearsal
Most of the
masks used in the play are from Central High School, he said, and
Apple Box has lent costumes to CHS for other productions. Western
Oregon University is taking care of the sound.
“It’s
a reminder that for as small of (an area) as this is, there is a huge
pool of people invested in doing this,” Harriman said.
“There are four solid kids’ theater programs (in the area).”
Harriman is
directing the play and Barbara Harriman, his wife, is the production
manager. Rob read through the book with their daughter Fiona and she
added some scenes, he said.
Kathryn Schultz
Miller adapted the book.
“The
author of the play said do whatever you want with it,” Harriman
said. “We recalibrated the play to make it fit into our vision
of the author’s vision.”
Harriman said
he enjoys the theme of community and working together that is implied
throughout The Jungle Book.
"This
production
of The
Jungle Book is
truer to the source material."
Kankakee Valley Theatre
Association, Wheatfield IN
The story
follows the journey of Mowgli, a boy who was raised by a family of
wolves since his birth, but must flee his home for safety from Shere
Khan, the tiger.
“The
biggest challenge will be breaking away from the Disney version of
the story,” Harriman said.
The Apple Box
Children’s Theater production of The
Jungle Book is “truer to the source material,” he said.
They reinserted
the poems that are at the beginning of each chapter in Kipling’s book.
In its eighth
season, the theater group is experiencing some firsts with The Jungle
Book production — it’s the largest cast, at 51, and it is
the first production that features choreography.
Children from
The Dance & Fitness Studio were in last year’s play and were
asked to be involved this year, Harriman said.
“That’s
how we got so many kids,” he said.
There are four
dance numbers, choreographed by Janey Jefferson and Bethany Allen,
the dance studio.
“In
auditions, we asked if they wanted to dance,” Harriman said.
“A lot of the kids were really excited about dancing.”
"The
story follows the journey of Mowgli."
The cast of The
Jungle Book rehearses a scene at Western
Oregon University.
The casts for
Apple Box Theater productions are 8 to 14 years old. Veteran
participant Haley Taylor, 16, passed the age limit to act in the
plays, so she is taking on the role of assistant manager/stage director.
“It’s
fun to see from new perspective,” Taylor said. “It’s
really cool. I’m really enjoying it.”
Mulan
play entertains area children
Panola College
Theatre Department presented “The
Legend of Mulan”
The Panola College Theatre
Department will present “The
Legend of Mulan – A Children’s Play” at 10 a.m.,
Friday, May 3, and at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, May 4, in the Q.M. Martin
Auditorium. Both performances are free and open to the public.
“’The Legend of
Mulan’ is an interactive play for children of all ages,”
said Karen King, theatre director. “This play is our annual
children’s event for area schools. We have invited several area
schools to bring their students to the play.”
The 1998 Disney movie is now
considered a classic, but the story of Mulan is adapted from ancient
Chinese legend about a young girl who takes her father’s place
in battle. She becomes a warrior-heroine and her story is a cultural
icon for the Chinese people.
The Legend of Mulan is an
exciting play about the tale of the heroic Mulan, a woman living in
Northern Wei Dynasty China, who has snuck into the army to save China
so that her wounded father will not have to fight again against the
barbaric Huns. Mulan takes her father’s sword and rises to the
challenge to fight in the Chinese Army.
"The
audience was invited to hold their swords high, shout, stomp and clap."
The Panola College Theatre
Department, TX - ArtReach's The
Legend of Mulan
Panola College Theatre
Department presented “The
Legend of Mulan” on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4, in the
Q.M. Martin Auditorium. Designed for children’s theatre, the
play invites the audience to interact with the cast. Theatre students
handed out play swords and, on cue, the audience was invited to hold
their swords high, shout, stomp and clap.
Set in ancient China, “The
Legend of Mulan,” involves the audience in assisting Mulan in
her efforts to defeat the Huns.
Cast members included Peyton
Proffitt, Justin Gonzales, Tony Jeter, Jasmine Ryan, Abby Parrish,
Sarah Owens, Christian Kotara, Keath Kibbey, Bethany Crowe, Lacie
Sepulvado, Angel Kammer, Addie Pope, Tailer Chong and Shelby Watson.
Crew members included Maria
Mejai, Kyree Williams, Katy Chance, Bethany Crow, Catalina Zoyquilla,
Hannah Williams and Jesse Williams.
The play was directed by Karen
King, professor of theatre, and Kyree Williams, student director. The
play was presented with special permission from ArtReach
Children’s Theatre Plays.
Photos by Katy Chance.
'The
Wizard of Oz' by Middlebury Elementary School
One hundred
sixty students took part in their first theatrical experience; one
played the Wizard of Oz.
"A
heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are
loved by others."
Wizard in The
Wizard of Oz
Middlebury, CT - One hundred
sixty students that attend Middlebury Elementary School are clearly
loved a lot by others. With great joy, they presented a lovely
production of ArtReach's 'The
Wizard of Oz' on the stage of Memorial Middle School on Thursday
evening with the help of many parents and staff members of their
school. Only one performance remains on Friday evening at 7pm and
admission is one item for the Middlebury Food Bank.
Director MaryLou Torre, the
interim principal of Middlebury Elementary School, understands the
importance of theatre in our schools. "The project was all about
process. The rehearsals and practices were as much as a part of the
experience as the performance you will see tonight. Fun and freedom
of expression for the students and the directors were key goals along
this journey."
"Fun
and Freedom of Expression"
Middlebury
Elementary School (CT) - ArtReach's
The Wizard of Oz
This version of the classic
book by L. Frank Baum is a play adapted by Kathryn Schultz Miller. It
included a huge chorus of "vivacious" students in a rainbow
of t-shirts that narrated the story with choral reading from the
bleachers house left. The cast included six different girls in the
role of Dorothy, four different Scarecrows, two Tin Man characters,
two Lions, two Gatekeepers and many, many others. Everyone had their
own wonderful costume; kudos to Amy Raefski on her adorable design
work and to the large costume crew.
Corinna Flanagan and Kathy
Miller served as the Art Director/Set Design team. The panels of the
set were painted by a large group of students (shout out to Nick
Salvucci) that got to wear cool painted t-shirts on opening night.
Michael Kaulins served as AD and Lydia McCarthy did the choreography.
Chris Turecek was the Music Director/Tech Director. Community theatre
actor/dad Ian Diedrich did the prop construction, including the head
of the wizard painted on a white curtain; shout out to Kalman Zold
who played Oz. Michaela Turecek did the pretty impressive make-up for
the actors that needed an unnatural face color. I had a great
reserved seat in the front row, but the sound with microphones on
stands was really very good throughout the gym.
A bunch of young male actors
was the pretty adorable Flying Monkeys with Luke Humphrey as Chimp,
Emma Taglialatella as Scamp and Kyleigh Favale as Rascal. Eva
Guerrera rocked the role of the "they don't call me wicked for
nothing" Witch and melted impressively. Addison Mitchell and
Owen Lattanzio did well with the shared role of the Gatekeepers. Ryan
Dawes and Madison Ferguson were both good Lions and Cole Hughes and
Luke Jackson in full silver were effective Tin Man, I mean Men.
Scarecrows were Matteo DelBuono, Caitlin Flaherty, Peter Skabardonis,
and Kiera Daweese.
"They
don't call me wicked for nothing..."
Middlebury
Elementary School (CT) - ArtReach's
The Wizard of Oz
Glinda in the classic pink
dress and crown was played well by Rachel Anderson, accompanied by
bubbles. Featured Munchkins included Ryan Murray (Joe,) Emily Raefski
(Curly,) and Hunter Diedrich returned to the stage to play Burly.
Leah Wasserstein was Auntie Em and Jack Sedensky was Uncle Henry.
Joey Bernardi barked well in the role of Toto because there was no
stuffed dog in a basket in this play. The poppy scene gave new
meaning to "pulling my leg" in a cute way.
The gaggle of girls in the
blue and white gingham included Emma Kulla, Faith Graziano, Lauren
Anderson, Grace Jackson, Elizabeth Raefski and Aubrey Guiditta. The
most adorable Munchkins specialized in stealing hearts in their
floral hats and technicolor outfits. Best featured ensemble was
billed as "The Forest" and included Brailee Batista, Evan
Deschaine, Lilyana Reed and Shaelyn Walsh as the apple-throwing trees
with lots of attitude.
"Congratulations
on a job well done."
ArtReach's
The Wizard of Oz
- Gaslight Kids Drama Camp, Enid OK
The curtain closed between the
scenes and if the transitions were a bit long, what the audience saw
when they reopened was worth the wait. The students could never be
heard backstage and that can be hard for the very young. The director
shared during her curtain speech that the young thespians, some as
young as six, had been practicing since January, during which time
their "little school play" grew into a full 55-minute
production. The students all knew their lines and if they hadn't
expected to perform in front of people sitting in the 600 seats, it
did not show.
Thank you to this elementary
school staff for giving most of these young performers their first
theatrical experience in a safe setting. Congratulations on a job
well done.
ArtReach's
'Velveteen Rabbit' brings holiday magic to musical life
The
Journal, New Ulm, by Clay Schuldt
NEW
ULM - State Street Theater Company (SSTC) is kicking off the holiday
season with a Christmas version of Margery Williams' book, "The
Velveteen Rabbit."
Performances
of ArtReach's "The
Velveteen Rabbit: A Christmas Musical" are 7 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 26, 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28.
"The
Velveteen Rabbit," tells the story of a stuffed rabbit
(played by Karina Koracan) given to a small boy named Michael (Emmett
Gaalswyk) as a Christmas present.
At
first, Michael prefers the mechanical toys but later comes to love
the velveteen rabbit the most. The rabbit hopes to someday be a real
rabbit, but can only achieve this through the love of his owner. The
story follows the relationship between the boy and rabbit as he grows older.
This
production of the story emphasizes the Christmas elements of the
story. Several classic Christmas songs are interwoven through the
play but sung using different lyrics based on the Velveteen Rabbit story.
"The
musical promises to be fun for the whole family."
State Street
Theatre Company (MN) - ArtReach's The
Velveteen Rabbit
The
cast of toys gather with young Michael on the bedroom set of
"The Velveteen Rabbit: A Christmas Musical." Back row L to
R: Paul Henning (Skin Horse), Monkey (Elijah Friese), Jacob Haugen
(Jack in the Box), David Henning (Donkey) Ash Larson (Robbie) and
Lucy Gaalswyk (Tin Soldier). Front row: Karina Koracan (Velveteen
Rabbit), Evelyn Helget (Raggedy Anne), and Emmett Gaalswyk (Young Michael).
The
Velveteen Rabbit, played by Karina Koracan, climbs out of a sack
after being thrown away.
Actors
range in age from 8 to their 60's. The play is directed by Sarah
Tetzloff, with Bonnie Lantz as assistant director. Undertaking
costume design and prop selection are Deborah Ingle and designing and
constructing the set were done by Eric Fliszar. Lantz and Ingle are
also cast in the production.
"The
play is a heartwarming Christmas tale."
State Street
Theatre Company (MN) - ArtReach's The
Velveteen Rabbit
The
play has been in rehearsal since late September. Tetzloff described
the play as a heartwarming Christmas tale. She praised the cast for
making it a fun experience.
"I've
been having a lot of fun with the actors it has been great working
with them," Tetzloff said.
Another
fun aspect of the play is the set. The musical has two set
locations, Michael's bedroom and the woods outside the house. Fliszar
was able to create two sets in a single location. The main set was
built on wheels that can rotate during scenes. The cast can
spin the bedroom scene around to the outdoors set within 20 seconds.
Assistant
director Lantz added the details to the bedroom scene, painting
letter block stools for the toy characters and detailing the
wallpaper. Lantz said she used every trick to bring the set to life.
The set even includes a picture of the original Velveteen Rabbit book cover.
Lantz
said one of the best parts of doing this production is everyone
likes the legend of toy rabbits coming to life through love.
"Audience
members are invited backstage to meet the cast."
State Street
Theatre Company (MN) - ArtReach's The
Velveteen Rabbit
The
musical promises to be fun for the whole family. The first
production starts immediately following the New Ulm Parade of Lights.
Following the Sunday matinee performance, audience members are
invited backstage to meet the cast and enjoy cookies and hot cocoa.
Tickets
for performances are available at the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce,
New Ulm Hy-Vee, and online at statestreetnewulm.org. Patrons are
asked to park either in the theater parking lot off Washington Street
or on the street.
The
Velveteen Rabbit: A Christmas Musical is presented by special
arrangement with Art-Reach Children's Theater Plays. The production
is also made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from
the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts
Board and legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural
Heritage Fund.
Annual
holiday production has delightful shenanigans
ArtReach's
Twas
the Night Before Christmas
Sandy
Strickland, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville
The
Abominable Snowman was sprawled on the tile floor solving a
crossword puzzle. But when he stood up, his shaggy white fur causing
his palms to sweat, he tried "to look mad, really mad."
The
glowering was a way of psyching himself up to kidnap Santa's
signature red-nosed reindeer. Santa, meanwhile, was cooling off with
a hand-held fan as dance teacher Debra Rankin adjusted his flowing
white locks and chest-length beard. It was getting a little steamy
inside his padded red velvet suit.
"It
felt like I was in the hot sun," said Santa, alias 9-year-old
Dylan Emerick of the Northside. Meanwhile, dancers were doing
impressively agile splits. Elves and reindeer were working on
geography lessons or putting puzzles together. As show time neared
for the annual holiday production at Pine Forest Elementary School of
the Arts on the Southside, the 70-member cast and crew passed the
minutes in a variety of ways.
"I
like doing plays. I
got
to act silly."
Richmond Hill Community
Theatre, Richmond Hill GA
"At
rehearsal, we encourage students to bring classwork that they're
missing and do it during their down time," said Jill Herkel,
director and head drama teacher at the Grant Road school. "We
always want them to understand that performing in these productions
is a privilege, and academics do come first."
The
show is 'Twas
the Night Before Christmas, Kathryn Schultz Miller's adaptation
of Clement Clarke Moore's classic A Visit from St. Nicholas, telling
how the poem came to be. There are shenanigans afoot as the Moore
family prepares for Christmas. It seems that the Abominable Snowman
captures the family mouse, Izzy, as well as Rosie the reindeer, in an
effort to ruin Christmas and prevent them from arriving at the North
Pole to save the broken toys.
You
see, there are three misfit toys - a toy soldier that marches
backwards, a Chatty Cathy doll that speaks gibberish and a purple
lump of Play-Doh.
The
cast of fourth- and fifth-graders performed the play for the student
body, parents and community. This month, the dedicated magnet arts
school, a feeder to LaVilla School of the Arts, is taking the show to
Crown Point and Greenland Pines elementary schools in Mandarin.
Matthew
Johnson, a 9-year-old Arlington resident, said it was fun playing
the Abominable Snowman. It was a pivotal role: he got to chase his
friend around the stage and laugh and joke with classmates.
"I
like doing plays. I like acting, and I got to act silly," the
fourth-grader said. "I love Christmas. It's my favorite season
of the year." For Dylan, Santa is the ultimate role. Even when
he wasn't in costume, classmates recognized the brown-eyed
fourth-grader and told him what they wanted for Christmas. "I
had to tell them I wasn't Santa Claus anymore," he said. Though
he'd never heard of Moore's poem, Dylan dubbed the rhythm "really
cool" and said the words matched brilliantly.
The
show is a team effort. Music teacher Terri Wester worked with the
singers, Rankin the costumes and choreography and Herkel the
directing and technical end.
