Caleb Wood as Tom Sawyer rehearses a scene with Gwen Boda, who appears as Tom's love interest Becky Thatcher.
The play will be directed by Mark Mannette, a professor of theatre at St. Andrews College. Mannette, a 20-year veteran of the stage, has directed a number of plays including King John, Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, The Sound of Music, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and others.
“I am very excited about this production, and with the way it’s shaping up,” Mannette said following a Thursday night rehearsal at the Arts Center. “The location we’re using is not a traditional theatre, so we will be utilizing the space in a unique, environmental way; instead of set changes, scenes will shift from one side of the building to another. I’ve had to incorporate new terminology into directing the play, so instead of saying ‘stage right’, for example, I say ‘town right’, or ‘cave left’. We will be using the architecture in the space to help tell the story, and it should be very exciting for the audience.”
The 34 member cast will include many local performers, most of them young.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these actors,” Mannette said. “All the kids in the show are serious, and they are there to work. They know their lines, their songs, and they take direction well. It’s been very rewarding to work with them.”
Producer Chris Wood shares Mannette’s opinion of the cast.
“It has been a privilege to work with each of the play’s directors as well as the members of the cast,” Wood said. “The residents of Scotland County should count themselves blessed to have such talented individuals living in their community who are willing to dedicate that talent to bringing a very professional product to the region. I believe that the program will prove to be both an entertaining and a rewarding experience for all who attend.”
This musical version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is set during the year 1840 in the town of St. Petersburg, Mo., a town on the banks of the Mississippi River. In the course of the story, Tom matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, and goes on the adventure of his life with Becky and the renegade Huckleberry Finn. Along the way they meet a terrifying villain named Injun Joe, Tom's half-brother Sid, and all the other boys and girls in the village.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer will be ENCORE! Theatre’s first production in 2009. Dates for the performances are as follows: Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 31 at 2 and at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.; Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.; and Feb. 7 at 2 and at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $10 with children’s and senior citizen’s admission at $8. Tickets are available from cast members or at the door.
For more information on the show or to purchase tickets call 910-373-7176.
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