Mill Mountain Theatre presents exciting programming for their Young Audience Series as two productions: Mother Goose Tales and Shakespeare’s The Tempest run in repertory on the Waldron Stage, May 5-12. Audience members of all ages can see both productions on the same day, as the performances are alternating in the same theater space.
Mother Goose Tales (May 5th & 12th at 11am & 1pm)
An original play by Christopher Castanho features all of the Nursery Rhyme characters you know and love, perfect for younger audience members and entire families. When siblings Jack & Jill decide they’re too old for bedtime stories, they suddenly are whisked away to a strange land and have to find their way home. On their journey they meet Nursery Rhyme characters: the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Little Bo Peep, Humpty Dumpty and more, who lead them to the Queen: Mother Goose, who will help them get back home! A collection of well-known fairy tales and nursery rhymes will come to life in song and pantomime. Children from MMT’s Conservatory will perform these classic tales for other children, the production is directed by MMT Outreach Coordinator and Teaching Artist: Emma Gwin.
The Tempest (May 5th, 6th, 12th @ 3pm and May 9th @ 7pm)
Sorcerers, sprites and spirits meet villains, and monsters, and kings in Shakespeare’s tragicomedy set on a remote island complete with a shipwreck. Romance and a raging storm end in revelations, redemption and marriage as Shakespeare’s plays so often do. MMT’s shortened adaptation of the original script by Travis Kendrick is an excellent introduction to Shakespeare for Middle and High School students, acted by MMT Conservatory students, and directed by Resident Creative & Teaching Artist: Christopher Castanho
In conjunction with these productions, Mill Mountain Theatre will distribute free books to student audience members, as part of their initiative connecting theatre to literacy.
Sponsors of the 2018 Young Audience Series of performances include: Roanoke Valley Orthodontics, Lanford Brothers Co., Business Solutions, Inc., Davis H.Elliot Company, Woods Rogers, The Rotary Club of Salem, Carilion Clinic, and Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation. Grantors include: City of Roanoke Arts Commission, City of Salem, Friendship Foundation, Star City Reads, Turn the Pages Foundation, Center in the Square, Theatre Communications Group, National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts.
The Tempest and Mother Goose Tales open on Saturday, May 5th on MMT’s Waldron Stage (20 Church Ave, SE). Performances of The Tempest: May 5th, 6th, 12th @ 3pm and May 9th @ 7pm. Mother Goose Tales will perform May 5th & 12th at 11am & 1pm. Admission is ‘pay-what-you-can’ at the door. No advance tickets will be sold for the listed performances above. Visit millmountain.org for more information
