The Prince and the Pauper
-- adapted by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low
-- from the novel by Mark Twain

"Thou lookest tired and hungry; thou'st been treated ill. Come with me!"

Auditions:
    September 5 & 6, 2001
Performances:
    October 26, 27, 28 and November 2, 3, 4, 2001

We begin our season with one of the most wonderful adventures based on mistaken identity in all literature. This is the story of two boys born on the same day of the same year in the same town - London, 1500. One is born to a life of street squalor and poverty and the other is royalty and riches. What would happen if these two boys changed places and lived for a time each others' lives? What lessons would be learned, what mix-ups would occur? Only Mark Twain with his ever-fertile mind could manage a story like this with humor, grace and wisdom.

Hansel and Gretel
-- adapted by Phillip Andrew Bennett Low
-- from the story by the Brothers Grimm

"Nibble, nibble like a mouse. Who is nibbling on my house?"

Auditions:
    September 5 & 6, 2001
Performances:
    December 7, 8, 9 and 14, 15, 16, 2001

Fairy tales have always presented us with dilemmas, such as the under-appreciated child who achieves against the forces of evil through his own creative gifts. Celebrate the Holidays with us as we present for you on our stage this classic tale of good and evil. Innocence defeats and outwits evil in an amusing and sometimes spectacular way. The remembered devices of a Gingerbread House, a wicked witch, a red hot oven and the resourcefulness of two clever children are all there. Through their efforts, evil is outwitted and a loving reunion is the outcome between father and children.

Helga's Dowry
-- adapted by Sylvia Langworhty
-- from the book by Tomie dePaola
-- Produced by special permission from Tomie dePaola

"Oh, pish! Why should I sit here and pout. I'll just go out and earn myself a dowry."

Auditions:
    January 2 & 3, 2002
Performances:
    February 15, 16, 17 and 22, 23, 24, 2002

Helga, the most beautiful troll in three parishes, is cheated out of her LOVE of choice (Handsome Lars) by lack of money. Plain Inge, daughter of Rich Old Sven, has a huge dowry and wins marriage to Handsome Lars. Helga, in the best tradition of emancipated women, decides to earn herself a dowry far bigger than the one which had lured Handsome Lars from her side. In the process, she and the rest of the trolls in the three parishes learn a great deal about themselves. Her methods are charming, her disguises delightful and the end result . . . unexpected!

Merchant of Venice
-- by William Shakespeare

"The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as gentle as rain from heaven."

Auditions:
    February 27 & 28, 2002

Performances:
    April 26, 27, 28 and May 3, 4, 5, 2002

In the spring we bring you one of Shakespeare's better known plays. It is both controversial and much loved and often called the Grand Equivocal Comedy. Bonds stronger than life, stronger than love, stronger than revenge tie the various plots together. Caskets of gold, silver, and lead, and exchange of rings, girls disguised as boys, a pound of flesh and the Quality of Mercy conspire to lead us on this journey of discovery. Along the way we shall encounter our own differences and responsibilities as only Shakespeare can show them.

Just So Stories
-- adapted by Masque Playwrights
-- based on Rudyard Kipling's collection by the same name

"Hear and attend and listen; for thus befell and behappened and became and was, O, my Best Beloved, when the tame animals were wild."

Performances:
    June 15, 16, 17 and 21, 22, 23, 2002

All cultures have different beginnings and stories of how things came to be. From the creation of the world and its inhabitants to the roles they play as they relate to one another . . . man and beast shall be our field of exploration. Join us as we tame, change, and discover these delightful stories and place them on our stage in their original rollicking rhythmic language.