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Children’s
Theatre’s “Surviving the Applewhites” Opens US Airways New Plays Festival
for Families
From
March 7-22, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte presents “Surviving the
Applewhites”, a coming-of-age story set in
North Carolina
and based on the Newbury Honor Book by Stephanie S. Tolan. Adapted for the
stage by Tolan and award-winning author Katherine Paterson, this show is the
opening production of Imagination Begins With US - The US Airways New Plays
Festival for Families, a three-city festival promoting innovation and excellence
in theatre for young audiences.
“Surviving
the Applewhites” tells the story of Jake Semple, a young teen seemingly
destined for juvenile delinquency who finds himself living in rural
North Carolina
with the eccentric Applewhite clan. After being kicked out of every school in
his state, Jake’s last hope is a homeschool run by this family of creative and
chaotic artists. Although he clashes with daughter E.D., the organized
“non-artist” of the family, Jake finds unexpected friends as well, and he
begins to realize his own potential when he gets cast in patriarch Randolph
Applewhite’s production of “The Sound of Music”. Simultaneously hilarious
and touching, “Surviving the Applewhites” is a family tale of love and
transformation.
Stephanie
S. Tolan and Katherine Paterson have collaborated on several plays, including a
musical adaptation of “Bridge to Terabithia”, based on
Paterson
’s acclaimed novel of the same name. Tolan and
Paterson
will participate in a talkback after the March 7 opening performance.
The
professional cast includes Nikki Adkins, Steven Ivey, Barbi VanSchaick, Caroline
Bower, Nicia Carla, Michael Mattison, John Wray, Mark Sutton and Mary Eva
Gibson, with student Stephen Friedrich playing the role of Jake Semple.
Children’s Theatre’s Artistic Director
Alan Poindexter
will direct “Surviving the Applewhites.”
Imagination
Begins With US - The
US
Airways New Plays Festival for Families
“Surviving
the Applewhites” is presented as part of Imagination Begins With US - The US
Airways New Plays Festival for Families. This three-city festival is supported
by a major $300,000 grant from US Airways to promote new plays for young theatre
audiences. This season, each world-premiere production is a “page-to-stage”
adaptation for young people aged 8 to 18 and their families: Surviving
The Applewhites at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte in
Charlotte
,
North Carolina
; A Tale of Two Cities at
Childsplay in
Tempe
,
Arizona
; and Getting Near to Baby at
People’s Light & Theatre near
Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania
.
“We
are extremely proud to be spearheading such an innovative festival. This is the
first time that three theatre companies in three different cities are
collaborating to produce new plays for young audiences. These plays promote
literacy, creativity and ultimately academic success for students,” said C.A.
Howlett, Senior Vice President Public Affairs of
US
Airways. “The festival is a triple-header for us, for our three partner
theatres, and for young audiences in our hub cities.”
For
more information about Imagination Begins With US - The US Airways New Plays
Festival for Families, contact Pam Hait or Martha Hunter (602) 952-0040 or email
pam@strategies-az.com.
Performance
times and dates are:
Friday,
March 7
7:30 pm
Saturday,
March 8
4:00 pm
Sunday,
March 9
2:00 pm
Saturday,
March 15
7:30 pm
Sunday,
March 16
2:00 pm
Friday,
March 21
7:30 pm (SOLD OUT)
Saturday,
March 22
4:00 pm
Performances
will be held in the McColl Family Theatre at ImaginOn,
300 East 7th Street
. Front Orchestra tickets are $21.00; General Admission tickets are $16.00. For
tickets to the production, call the Children’s Theatre Box Office at
704-973-2828 (10 am-5 pm, Mon.-Fri.) or visit our website: www.ctcharlotte.org.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Children’s
Theatre of Charlotte is supported by the Annual Fund Drive of the Arts &
Science Council, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc., ArtsTeach, and the North Carolina
Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National
Endowment for the Arts.
The media sponsor for the 2007-08 season is WCNC-TV.
US
Airways: the 2007-08 Official Airline of Children’s Theatre of Charlotte.
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