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Wild
Swan Theater presents ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes this March |
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Wild Swan Theater will present A Thousand Cranes as part of its 38th season of bringing high quality professional theater to young audiences in southeast Michigan. Wild Swan is very proud to be bringing A Thousand Cranes back to the stage. This very beautiful and moving play tells the true story of a young Japanese girl's experience after the bombing of Hiroshima. The play recounts Sadako's illness from radiation poisoning and how her friend Kenji teaches her to fold paper cranes as a way of getting well. Sadako's story became a catalyst for children from all over Japan to begin to fold paper cranes in her memory. Now there is a monument to Sadako at the Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan and people from all over the world bring garlands of cranes to it.
As the play begins, Sadako (Monica Mingo) is practicing for a race with her best friend Kenji (Jeremy Salvatori). Without warning, she suddenly falls ill and is hospitalized. As her parents (Jeff Miller and Elaine Riedel) try to keep up her spirits, she begins to fold paper cranes, having learned from Kenji that if she folds a thousand, the spirits will grant her a wish. As her condition worsens, she is visited in a dream by her grandmother (Slavka Jelinkova) who takes her to the spirit world. There she meets and learns the stories of many people who were killed when the atomic bomb fell. As she joins her grandmother in the spirit world, Sadako changes her wish from getting well to hoping for peace in the world.
"A
very beautiful and moving play."
A
Thousand Cranes,
Wild Swan Theatre, Ann Arbor MI
The style of the production is very theatrical with music and masks playing very important roles. University of Michigan Professor of Music Erik Santos has written the haunting score for the production, and the music is integrated completely into the production. An array of unusual percussion instruments underscores the flute (played by Lisa Warren) and creates many of the sound effects. All the cast members join the percussionist to play such instruments as drums, bells, glass bowls, a rain stick, and a marimba when they are not acting in a particular scene.
Seven austerely beautiful red and white masks, created by costumer John Gutoskey, help shift the scene, first to the hospital and then to the world of the spirits. Actors Don White masks as they create the hospital scenes. The red masks are worn by actors as they create the world of the spirits.
As is customary in Wild Swan productions, American Sign Language Interpreters take an active part in the production. In this production, Marin Goldberg and Erin Parrish are dressed as the rest of the cast in flowing black Japanese robes. As well as interpreting all the spoken lines of dialogue, they also join other cast members as doctors and spirits and dance with the grandmother and Sadako.
Today there is a monument to Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and garlands of cranes are hung there from all over the world. As in past performances of this play by Wild Swan, attending families are invited to bring paper cranes to the theater or make them after attending the A Thousand Cranes. Origami paper and instruction will be provided after each performance so that those audience members can make their own folded paper crane with their own message of peace. All the cranes will be displayed in the theater during the run of the production and will be sent to the Children's Peace Monument in Japan afterwards. If you have visited Hiroshima, you might have seen cranes folded by children from throughout southeast Michigan, transported to the monument after one of Wild Swan's earlier productions of the play in 1994, 1998, and 2005. This production is recommended for children in grades 3 - 12.
This production is supported in part by the Ford Motor Company Fund, James A. and Faith Knight Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Michigan Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Backstage touch tours and audio-description are available for blind theater patrons. These services are free but must be reserved in advance by calling (734) 995-0530.
Wild Swan Theater is dedicated to making professional theater of the highest artistic quality for young people and families that is accessible, diverse and inclusive, through affordable ticket prices and innovative outreach programs. For more information about the company, its current season, touring programs, drama classes and camps, visit the Wild Swan website at wildswantheater.org. For interviews, contact Michelle Trame Lanzi at (734) 995-0530.
A
young girl’s search for peace in ArtReach's ‘A
Thousand Cranes’
Roxanne
Ray, The International Examiner, Seattle
Since its inception 19 years ago, SecondStory Repertory (SSR) has offered both a mainstage season and a season of Theater for Young Audiences every year. This season, Kathryn Schultz Miller’s play, A Thousand Cranes, which tells the story of young Hiroshima resident Sadako Sasaki’s pursuit of peace following the dropping of the atomic bomb, will be featured during weekend matinees for children for four weeks.
Mark Chenovick, executive director for SSR, feels that A Thousand Cranes is especially appropriate to the winter season. “I first became aware of A Thousand Cranes while working for the Nebraska Theatre Caravan,” he said. “They had mounted a production in their previous season and everyone who worked on the show was profoundly moved.”
The show’s director, David Hsieh, also finds the show’s timing notable. ”I’m certainly familiar with the story of Sadako, having read the children’s book, and having folded many, many cranes in my lifetime,” Hsieh said. “It’s funny because I recently performed in a new play that also had many paper cranes featured in the plot and referenced Sadako’s story, so it has been my winter of paper cranes in theatre.”
"It’s
definitely an important story to tell.”
A
Thousand Cranes, SecondStory Repertory, Redmond, WA
Current events also highlight the story’s importance. “With growing concerns over North Korea’s atomic bomb threat, it’s definitely an important story to tell,” Hsieh added, “and spreading and keeping Sadako’s wish alive is of utmost importance.”
The timing was also perfect for actor Tomoko Saito, who plays the roles of Grandmother Oba Chan and the Mother, and who felt compelled to audition. “This is a famous Japanese story, but I had no idea that it was adapted to a stage play, so I was very curious about the script,” Saito said. “I heard so many good things about SecondStory Repertory, and I always wanted to work with David but never had a chance before, so this production had everything I wanted in one package.”
The artistic team is focusing on staging the play to maintain the interest of all grade school age children. “Being a children’s show, this adaptation as written is fairly short, almost too short,” director Hsieh said. “One of our challenges has been finding interesting and culturally significant ways of expanding what the audiences will experience when they see this production.”
Actor Saito relates one instance of this process from rehearsal. “I thought it was funny that we all got notes from David to ‘use force’ – as in Star Wars – during the course of rehearsals,” Saito said. “I learned acting in the U.S. so my initial characterization for my roles were very modern U.S. I was having trouble shifting the gear to be a more traditional, restrained mother, and David advised to not physically show affection but ‘use the force to love.’ It was effective, too!”
Chenovick hopes that these choices will welcome a broader audience to SSR. “The original artistic director of SSR had written a number of plays and musicals based on well-known fairy tales aimed specifically at young children,” he said. “When Jen Klos and I began our tenure at SSR, we kept the program alive but shifted the focus to plays and musicals based on contemporary children’s literature. This allowed us to cultivate a larger age range in our audiences and appeal to an increasingly diverse patron base.”
He also strives to make SSR a place that kids want to return to. “SSR is a wonderful venue for children to experience theater for the first time,” he said. “We lay carpet down on the floor so the kids can be as close to the action as possible, and we maintain a relaxed and supportive atmosphere in which children can learn the basics of theater etiquette and parents can gauge their children’s attention spans for potential theatrical endeavors in their future.”
At its heart, this production of A Thousand Cranes is intended to present serious issues in a way that sparks compassion. “Although suffering is universal,” Chenovick said, “so is the hope for a better tomorrow.”
A Thousand Cranes runs from Jan.13 to Feb. 3 at SecondStory Repertory, 7325 – 166th Avenue NE, Suite F250, Redmond.
Amelia
Earhart "What happened, Amelia? What happened?"
Dennis
Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the St. Louis theater scene
Riverfront
Times, St Louis MO: St.
Louis Repertory Theatre's Production of ArtReach's Amelia
Earhart
Amelia Earhart "What happened, Amelia? What happened?" So asks a reporter who tries to unravel the fate of the celebrated aviator who disappeared in the Pacific Ocean during the final leg of her around-the-world flight in 1937. Who doesn't love a good mystery? This 45-minute inquiry by Kathryn Schultz Miller wastes little time in painting a surprisingly dispassionate portrayal of Earhart: too little experience, too much hubris.
"Who
doesn't love a good mystery?"
ArtReach's
Amelia Earhart - Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
In the title role, the ideally cast Amanda Williford conveys Amelia's brash allure while not shying away from her fallibility. The other three actors (Ann Ashby, Lakeetha Blakeney, Chauncy Thomas) are all over the place in various roles. Jeffery Matthews' direction keeps the pace building to strong effect. No one is credited for the striking sound design, but it functions almost as a fifth actor. The show comes recommended for kids age nine to eleven, but don't let that scare you off.
I'm older than eleven and I had a fine time. Performed by the Imaginary Theatre Company through March 28 at the Missouri History Museum, Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue (in Forest Park). Tickets are $6 ($5 for MHM members). Call 314-968-7344 or visit www.repstl.org/itc.
Rose Children's Theatre Puts
on a Classic:
Robert
Louis Stevenson's “Treasure Island”
By Randi
Bjornstad, EugeneScene.org, Eugene, OR
More than 125 years after it was written, “Treasure Island” still captures imaginations with its wild tale of searching for buried treasure, running off to sea, fighting evil pirates, actually finding the treasure and finally, returning home to live happily ever after.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote his adventure novel in the early 1880s, with the express purpose of entertaining youngsters yearning for excitement. Besides becoming a classic in book form, the story has been made into movies several times, as well as adapted as plays, including one that appeared on Broadway for more than 200 performances in 1915.
This time, though, it’s the Rose Children’s Theatre’s turn to take “Treasure Island” to the stage, which they will do for four performances on Feb. 16-18. Their story is a bit different from the usual. In their version, young Jim Hawkins has a very bad day, dreams of becoming a pirate, meets up with Billy Bones and Long John Silver and has his own pirate-and-treasure adventure.
"A
wild tale of searching for buried treasure."
ArtReach's Treasure
Island, Rose Childrens Theatre, Eugene, OR
Also unlike Stevenson’s story, the Rose Children’s Theatre play also incorporates an expanded number of colorful characters such as mermaids, dancing crabs and a bevy of very talkative parrots.
The cast includes 51 actors in third through tenth grades, directed by Judy Wenger and Rebekah Hope. The script was adapted by Kathryn Schultz Miller of ArtReach Children’s Theatre Plays.
Featured actors are Jack Perini as Jim Hawkins, Isaac Lonergan as Long John Silver and Elias Santin as Ben Gunn, with Enzo Valdez playing Captain Smollett, Clara Christensen as Squire Trelawney, Henry Davis Piger as Dr. Livesay and Ellie Williams as the pirate known as Blind Pew and Hugh Brinkley as Billy Bones, another pirate.
Additional pirates are played by Natalie Stern, Casey Beasley-Bennett, Maren Nixon, Raiden Kautzman, Flynn Miller, Sydney Sattler, Addison Sattler and Noah Wagner.
The cast also includes mermaids Bella Morgan, Vera Lichvarcik, Alana Strand, Peyton Anderson, Sofia Kovash; crabs Nate Rosenfeld, Kevin McCoy, Ethan Park, Tristan Riplinger and August Santin; parrots Gage Wagner, Siena Buchanan, Peter Christensen, Eli Turanski and Greenley Robinson.
Sarah Pearson plays the mother, and storytellers include Avery Puhn, Owen Colley, Ben Carson, Ruby McKrola-Dey, Vivien Tritch, Jani von Ammon, Gus Nelson and Caroline Robinson. Ruby McPherson and Anna Pierce are teachers, and the inhabitants of Skeleton Island are played by Natasha Dracobly, Kaitlyn Pintens, Piper Kyle, Kennedy Powell, Meridian Hula, Dora Boos, Ellie Park, June Robinson and Elena Morris.
Theatre:
Emperor caught with no clothes
By Susan Benitez/Appeal-Democrat
"'The Emperor's New Clothes' is a good story, it's a classic," said director Joe Moye. The production is the latest to be staged by the Magic Theater in Yuba City. It opens Saturday and runs through July 2.
In this script, written by Kathryn Schultz Miller, the tailor is a child, Moye said. "He's a dreamer, and his mom tells him he's got to go get a job or do something because they're out of money. So he comes up with this plan to say that he has this magic cloth, and only stupid people can't see it - everyone else can see it just fine.
"It's a cute show," Moye continued. "I am really excited with the group (of actors) I've got. I only have two full-fledged adults (Michelle Rewerts, who plays Grandmother, and Samira Fraher, who plays the Empress). The rest of the cast is all children varying in ages from about 16 down to about 6.
"The story is, there is an emperor (played by Noah Enderton) who is very vain, and he's a clothes horse - he loves to wear fine clothes. He has an army of tailors who do nothing but make him clothes," Moye said.
"There is a young man (Peter, played by Aaron Davis) who is trying to make it rich without working; he comes up with a scheme to convince the emperor that he can weave magic cloth that's invisible to anybody who is stupid," Moye said. "And he figures - rightly so - that no one is going to want to admit that they are not smart.
"So he manages to con the emperor into coming out in public in his underwear. And it's going along fine until somebody is brave enough to say: 'But you're not wearing anything!'," Moye said.
"The
cast is all children varying in ages from about 16 to 6."
The cast includes Jon Socha
as Ivan/Maxim; Molly Enderton as Milo/Isadora; Chloe Newlove as Horse;
Tatum Newlove as Fruit;
Mariana Fraher as Baker/Viktor; Alesander Fraher as Blacksmith; Kylie
Guererro as Narrator;
Heidi Weinrich as Narrator;
Joshua Keiser as Milkman/Vonda; and Breanna Dawson as Igor/Misha.
"Basically, the play is a parable, I think," Moye said. "It has a couple of different lessons: Don't believe everything you hear - and also, you can't get something for nothing, the ethic of hard work.
"In this version, the lessons are toned down; it's more of just a cute story," he added. "There are a lot of funny things. And it also has an audience-participation part, which I love - especially with children: Children love to be engaged.
"I love getting children involved in theater. It teaches you that you can get up in front of people and speak. It's so exciting to see them shine on stage, and they come off stage so excited because they did it. It is a lot of work, but it's worth it," Moye said.
"If you come to the show, you're going to laugh," he said. "It's a good show for young children because it's only 45 minutes long. We're going to have a lot of color, and there's a lot of action - it moves along pretty quickly - and there are things to laugh at, and it's fun.
"If you want your kids to be interested in theater, bring them so they can see other children doing theater and realize that this is something they can do. It empowers them. They realize: He did it; I can do it, too," Moye said.
Theater
performs fun Christmas musical, ArtReach's Twas
the Night Before Christmas
Lake
Fenton Actors collecting health and hygiene items for 'Hope at Home' program
The
Lasco Press, Linden, MI
"Performed by 50 Intermediate students."
Photo: Tracey Rimarcik finishes getting her son Logan, 9, into his homemade Abominable Snowman costume before rehearsing the Torrey Hill Intermediate School play "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" at Lake Fenton High School Thursday afternoon.
Lake Fenton - 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
With that classic story in mind, families and community members will want to attend a performance of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, an original musical by Kathryn Schultz Miller presented by Torrey Hill Play Production.
Although everyone knows the classic story by heart, people might not know that the mouse's name was Izzy and that he was shut out of his snug home on Christmas Eve. People might not also know that Christmas was nearly destroyed by a wayward elf.
"Guests
will be drawn into Izzy's adventure to the North Pole."
Lighthouse Theatre Company,
Guntersville AL
With Torrey Hill Play Production's performance, guests will be drawn into Izzy's adventure to the North Pole where he meets Santa's elves, Rosie the Reindeer and comes face-to-face with the Abominable Snowman. Izzy and Rosie save the day, helping Santa and his reindeer deliver the goodies just in time for Christmas morning.
The one-hour play will be performed by more than 50 Torrey Hill Intermediate School students at the Lake Fenton High School Auditorium. There will also be special appearances in the commons area by Santa and his frosty friends following the performance.
Each guest who donates three health and/or hygiene items to Lake Fenton Theatre's "Hope at Home" health and hygiene drive will receive a $3 discount.
More
spooky than scary, ArtReach's 'Sleepy
Hollow' is a delight
By
Candace Chaney - Contributing Theater Critic - Lexgo - Lexington Herald
Just after the curtain figuratively dropped at Lexington Children's Theatre's opening performance of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a young boy turned to his mother and said, "It wasn't very scary."
No, it wasn't very scary, but this Katherine Schultz-Miller stage adaptation of Washington Irving's famously haunted short story is still a thriller, though of a more buoyant variety than typical theatrical Halloween fare. Rather than taking an overtly dark and gothic path (think of Tim Burton's movie of the same name), director Vivian Snipes takes a gentler, more sophisticated route that is part period piece, part comedy - elements that generally compliment but occasionally eclipse the show's tell-tale spookiness.
Think of it as Halloween Light.
Set in 1795, this classic American tale centers on the arrival of teacher Ichabod Crane (Adam Montague) to the ghost-ridden, quiet Dutch town of Tarry Town, New York, in the small glen of Sleepy Hollow. Lean, lanky, and superstitious, Crane falls for the town's rich farmer's only daughter, Katrina Van Tassel (Kristen Smiley), but ghostly events soon threaten the success of his courtship. One particular haunting particularly disturbs Crane: the headless horseman that haunts the covered bridge.
"Quick
character changes, creative mastery of versatile stage elements."
The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow - University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
The bulk of the play consists of light, romantic foibles, with Crane and the big and burly Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt (Brian Gray) comically attempting to one-up each other in their clumsy pursuit of the same woman. Here actors Montague and Gray have a charming rapport and Smiley is sufficiently both pleasant and petty. A scene in which Crane is giving himself a romantic pep talk in an imaginary mirror garnered a round of hearty chuckles, namely because Gray was identically mimicking Crane's every move.
The three-person cast also deserves praise for mastering some of LCT's signature moves - quick and convincing character changes and complex, creative mastery of versatile stage elements. For instance, two-dimensional life-size figures carved out of wood represent townspeople, with whom the actors vibrantly interact, moving them swiftly around the stage to drive the action forward. Gracefully swirling big wooden characters around the stage for nearly an hour is likely much more difficult than the actors make it appear.
"We
learn the identity of the headless horseman."
The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Coal City High School, Raleigh NC
Another nice touch is that the flip side of the figurines are painted to blend in with the stage's wooded, scenic background. When the audience views this side, it suggests a ghostly figure of a human outline is lurking in the forest, underscoring the trick of the eyes that the midnight woods can play on you.
Perhaps the most satisfying design element of the show is the subtle, cohesive inclusion of handwritten script within both the scenic and costume design. In the program notes, Snipes, the director, alludes to the magic and potency of words, both of which are literally woven into the fabric of the show. If you look closely, you can see that Kiersten E. Moore's sylvan set design is formed from the shape of curly, inky words that blend beautifully with Lindsay Schmeling's costume design. Knowing the professionalism of LCT, I would guess that the script is probably drawn from Irving's original copy of the story, or something with similar period-correct authenticity. Either way, the faded script draws you inside the literal and figurative rewards of reading. A few consistent period-appropriate speech affections on the part of the cast also emphasize how the particulars of language can shape the tone and rhythm of a story.
In the end, we learn the true identity of the headless horseman, a discovery that is as much trick as treat.
A
packed house for the Hemingford Holiday Play, ArtReach's
A
Christmas Peter Pan
Star
Herald, Scottsbluff NE, Kay Bakkehaug
The Hemingford Holiday Play drew a large crowd in both Hemingford and Alliance this past week. The double feature of A Christmas Peter Pan and The Polar Bear Prince both consisted of a cast of over 60 young people and adults. Both shows were a delight to watch.
Staring Hemingford Public School students from preschool age to high school was the first act A Christmas Peter Pan. Both shows featured a lot of new crew mentioned producer/director Tabi Bryner.
"The
Hemingford Holiday Play drew a large crowd."
Hemingford
Public School performed
ArtReach's A
Christmas Peter Pan
Tinker Bell (played by Natalie Mullen) summoned Wendy (played by Ainslee Woltman) to help save Peter Pan (played by Sofia Gomez) from the terrible Pirates of Captain Hook (played by Cash Keane).
Since Tinker Bell does not actually speak, Mullen performed the entire play with a kazoo in her mouth to imitate the sound of Tink's "voice".
"It was a tiny bit hard to not actually talk during the play," Mullen said. "I had to keep that thing dangling so during rehearsals when I throw myself on the floor it jammed up in my mouth. But I bounced back."
"Students
preschool to high school performed A
Christmas Peter Pan."
Hemingford
Public School performed
ArtReach's A
Christmas Peter Pan
Instead of Wendy's traditional brothers John and Michael, Tinker Bell and Wendy had the help of Wendy's sisters Johnna and Michelle, played by Delilah Long and Lilli Cullan.
The group helps to save Peter Pan only to learn that pirates have captured and frozen Santa Claus. Without Santa the elves are left sad and lonely.
"It was so much fun but I was very nervous," said Lanee Sorensen who played Pinkie, one of four Santa's Elves.
When asked who her favorite character was she said, "Probably me" with a smile.
"Everyone
did such a wonderful job."
Hemingford
Public School performed
ArtReach's A
Christmas Peter Pan
Her favorite part of the play was when Captain Hook and his band of pirates tried to make Pinkie and the other elves walk the plank.
The audience was taken on an adventure as Captain Hook and his pirates sung "On the Worst Day of Christmas" and a group of cute lost toys sang "Toys to the World for Everyone".
In the frozen tundra, Snow Fairies (played by Kamryn Haas, Adde Bryner and Kennedy Mahony) asked for help from audience help un-freeze Tinker Bell and then Santa Claus.
The Lost Toys gathered on Santa's sleigh and off he flew to deliver Christmas toys to children all over the world.
Director Tabi Bryner said: "We had all sort of excitement during the Hemingford show. Everyone did such a wonderful job."
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