Each night, the elder daughter of the Royal Vizier, Scheherazade, has told a story to her younger sister, Dinarzade. So skillful is Scheherazade at weaving tales that, when Dinarzade begs the favor of the Royal Sultan to let Scheherazade tell one last tale before the Sultan takes Scheherazade’s life, the Sultan agrees. As the fascinated members of the royal court listen along with the entranced Sultan, Scheherazade spins “The Story of the Speaking Bird.”
And the tale will come to life before the eyes of the audience members !
This version of The Arabian Nights is adapted by Lowell Swortzell from the classic The Entertainment of One Thousand and One Nights. While no flying carpets will be available, the play will be family entertainment at its finest.
Director Felicity Enas had a difficult time selecting a cast from the 50 talented persons who auditioned. The final cast includes 12 persons who, although some have been in Acting Conservatory classes, have not appeared previously in a full production for the Rogers Children’s Theatre or the Braithwaite Theatre – another illustration that newcomers are welcome at TCTC! Producer Cindy Fowler will work with the director to create colorful and exotic costumes for the cast.
As Scheherazade, newcomer Hannah Jacobsen will tell “The Story of the Speaking Bird” to TCTC veteran Dwain Hare, playing the Royal Sultan. Newcomer Jeff Regian will play the Royal Vizier, with Bryn Birt as Dinarzade.
The characters in “The Story of the Speaking Bird” are listed below, with an asterisk indicating that the actor is making his or her TCTC debut:
The Eldest Sister - Ashlee Lanning*
The Middle Sister - Callie Crozier*
The Youngest Sister - Mackenzie Fowler*
The Sultan of Persia - Jeremy Kelly*
The Vizier - Mar'Cordric Collins
The Cook - Austin Sheridan
The Baker -James Dent*
The Stream/the Belly Dancers - LeeAnna Burgdorf, Shela Burgess*, Jasmine Hubbard*, Jessica Purser, Whitney Rogers, Amanda Wells*
The Gardener's Wife - LeeAnna Burgdorf
The Princess - Kailey Kotter
Prince Bahman - Christian Carter
Prince Perviz - Hunter Regian
The Old Woman - Lexie Rains
Four Stones - Stone 1, Austin Sheridan; Stone 2, William Rischard*, Stone 3, James Dent*; Stone 4, Zach Belk
The Speaking Bird - Joel Gibson
The magic tale opens on Friday, October 10, for ten performances. The six public performances will be at 7 p.m. on Fridays, October 10 and 17, and Saturdays, October 11 and 18, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoons, October 12 and 19. The performances at 9:45 a.m. on October 13-16 will be for school classes.
The play is the first production of the Rogers Children’s Theatre seventh season.
As an added attraction, at each public performance audience members will have the opportunity to purchase a chance ticket for a real-life story-telling workshop conducted by Evelyn James, founder of East Texas Storytellers. Ms. James is donating this opportunity as a fundraiser for the theater’s 2009 U.K. Troupe, a group of 22 young actors who will take an American play to England and Scotland next August. Chance tickets will be sold for $1 apiece or six tickets for $5, with the winning ticket drawn at the closing matinee on October 19.
The prize, which has a $400 retail value, is a two-hour storytelling workshop for children, ages 11 or older, or adults. Students will learn to create original stories and polish their telling of traditional tales and/or Biblical tales. Travel up to 40 miles from Tyler is included, with a minimum number of three students and a maximum number of 15 students. The workshop must be held before February 15, 2009.
Tyler Civic Theatre Center’s mission is to entertain, educate, and enrich, through theater. TCTC is entering its 60th year of continuous production. Please direct any queries to info@tylercivictheatre.com.
