By JULIANNE HOMOKAY
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
On Tuesday, October 28 in the late morning, VOE Elementary’s kindergarten and 5th grade classes were invited to Rim of the World High School’s Performing Arts Center to see Act One of Rim High Theatre’s latest offering, Crowns & Chaos.
Theatre teachers S. “Nic” Nicholas and Teddy Nicholas, the play’s director, created a special presentation especially for the students. After a brief lecture on theatre etiquette, Ms. Nicholas introduced the show and had the kids meet the cast before explaining a few things about how the technical elements of theatre are created. The students got to meet the stage manager and the crew, and see the lighting instruments as a crew member lowered the electrical rails to the stage. “That was amazing!” said one of the kindergarteners, perhaps a future Lighting Designer.
The cast of “Cinderella: A Fairy Godmother’s Tale” in action.
Ms. Nicholas also explained how a digital backdrop was used in place of a traditionally painted one. She offered ticket vouchers to the kids so that they could return during the official run to see the whole show. She explained that the kids were there to see a dress rehearsal. “Are the actors allowed to make mistakes today?” she asked. “Yes!” the kids yelled back, already somewhat familiar with what a rehearsal process is for.
The first act of Crowns & Chaos, “Cinderella: The Fairy Godmother’s Tale” by Louise Keeton, relays the classic story about the mistreated stepdaughter through the lens of a fairy-godmother-in-training who is trying to earn her wings. Starring a polished and confident Orya Cohen as Fairy Godmother Superior, and firecracker Alex Cortez as her protégé, Phoebe, the play offers a new and refreshing spin on the oft-told classic fairy tale. Act Two, “Princess Party Smackdown” by Dan Zolidis, concerns protagonist Olivia at her seventh birthday party, and how that party devolves into chaos courtesy of “the hodgepodge character actors hired to perform,” said Ms. Nicholas via email. As both plays are comedies geared toward young audiences, the evening is most definitely family-friendly, and Mr. Nicholas’s skilled direction and deft hand with comic timing is bound to keep the kids in the audience laughing.
Crowns & Chaos opened last Friday night, November 1, but there are still three opportunities to see the play: Friday, November 7 at 6 p.m., and Saturday, November 8 at 2 and 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at rimhightheatre.com or at the door.
Also stay tuned for future Rim High Theatre offerings: a holiday maze in December; “Bad Auditions by Bad Actors” by Ian McWethy, a one-act, in January; and their spring play, The Play That Goes Wrong.
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