Theresa Dardanell
Guilty or Innocent? The audience was the jury during the production of Fairy Tale Courtroom, a comedy by Dana Proulx, presented by Catoctin High School in November.
This show brought together many of the fairy tale characters and added a twist in the story. In Act 1, the Big Bad Wolf was accused of crimes against the three Little Pigs, as well as Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother. In Act 2, the Wicked Witch was accused of kidnapping and poisoning and other crimes by the Scarecrow, Dorothy, and Toto, a Flying Monkey, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel.
The stage was set up to look like a typical courtroom, with a judge and attorneys. The trial had the usual questioning of witnesses, but also had a talking magic mirror, a fight between Snow White and Sleeping Beauty over the Prince, and decisions resolved by “rock, paper, scissors.” The witch and the wolf tried to convince the jury that their actions were misunderstood. Many of the characters were seated throughout the audience until they were called to the stage to tell their story. They kept the audience entertained with their noises and outbursts: the three pigs snorted, the badger heckled, the grandmother complained.
The “jury” determined the outcome during each performance. The wolf was able to convince the audience that he was innocent during the Thursday night performance, but on Friday, the jury decided that he really was a big bad wolf. The witch did such a great job of being wicked that the jury found her guilty both nights. Director Cheryl Ehrlich said that the audience was enthusiastic and excited about being part of the show. Ellen Slotwinski, one of the parents, said, “The kids are enjoying seeing story characters they are familiar with in a new way. The cast is keeping it light and fun, so kids can enjoy the show.”
Ehrlich chose this particular show not only because of its appeal to an audience of children as well as adults, but also to give a large group of students an opportunity to perform. She hopes to inspire these students to continue in theater. She also worked with student director Anthony Robertson and student stage manager Tyler McNally, to give them experience in these positions. The students in the cast each had one or more roles to play. They changed costumes after Act 1 and did a great job of getting into character for a different role in Act 2. The actors were: Madeline Wehler (Judge/Grumpy/Scarecrow); Hernajen Tundag (Mini Judge/Bashful); Heidi Selders (Bailiff/Sneezy); Casey Ecker (D.A./Hansel); Chris Reed (Big Bad Wolf/Attorney); Aubrie Gadra (Wolfie/Happy); Madelyn Smallwood (Pig#1/D.A.); Lauren Wotring (Reporter/Gretel/Doc); Eliza Phillips (Pig #2/Sleepy/Mirror); Tyler McNally (Pig #3/Prince); Madelyn Jones (Police Officer/Dopey); Amanda Smallwood (Little Red Riding Hood/Dorothy); Victoria Hoke (Grandmother/Bailiff); Jean Pembrooke (Boy who cried wolf/Sleeping Beauty); Coleen Slotwinski (Badger/Witch); Louis Tennent (Chef/Judge); Tomas Ubilla Echavarria (Tree/Dog); Matthew Wilson (Tree); and Josephine Isaacson (Flying Monkey/Snow White).
The dates for the spring show will be March 23, 24 and 25, 2017.
