Young Actors Guild presents new ‘Wonderland’ Feb. 23-24 in Van Buren

Alice meets some strange characters in Wonderland

Maylie Martin, Annabelle Hinton, Eleanor Lachowsky, Nora Lodes, Maddy Webb, Lillie Vansell, Madison Montague and Easton DeLude rehearse for “Wonderland: The REAL Story,” in which Alice goes down the rabbit hole to meet “Dracula, Little Bo Peep and Cinderella, as well as some of the beloved Wonderland characters like the Mad Hatter and the Tweedles,” says playwright Missy Gipson.

(Courtesy Photo)
Maylie Martin, Annabelle Hinton, Eleanor Lachowsky, Nora Lodes, Maddy Webb, Lillie Vansell, Madison Montague and Easton DeLude rehearse for “Wonderland: The REAL Story,” in which Alice goes down the rabbit hole to meet “Dracula, Little Bo Peep and Cinderella, as well as some of the beloved Wonderland characters like the Mad Hatter and the Tweedles,” says playwright Missy Gipson. (Courtesy Photo)


You'll often find Missy Gipson, executive director of the River Valley's Young Actors Guild, adapting a popular fairy tale or fable for her students to tell on stage. But you can never be quite sure who will pop up in the plot.

Considered to be the oldest youth theater in Arkansas, YAG produces five shows a year -- two musicals in the summer, two non-musical plays in the winter/spring, and the annual alumni fundraiser. You'll see titles you know like "Peter and the Starcatcher," "Annie" and "Into the Woods," but the schedule has also included half a dozen of Gipson's "REAL Story" series -- taking those beloved folk tales and giving them a twist.

In "Wonderland: The REAL Story," up next, a quest to find Alice's cat Dinah brings together "Dracula, Little Bo Peep and Cinderella, as well as some of the beloved Wonderland characters like the Mad Hatter and the Tweedles," Gipson says. Along the way, they -- "and some other unusual characters" -- find what they have lost, figure out who the thief is and get their treasures back.

It's all about creating a show that YAG can take on the road.

"About seven years ago, when I was looking for scripts for our touring program, I wasn't really able to find stories that would interest a wide variety of people and were short enough to tour," Gipson explains. "To save us money on rights and tell stories about characters people knew, I decided to adapt fairy tales or fables that were well known. I was also interested in mixing up some of the stories, and bringing characters from well-known stories into other stories to see how those characters would interact.

"This show is a touring outreach show. The set and costumes are minimal so that we can pack it up and tour it around to different organizations of need in our community."

Apparently youngsters like Gipson's combination of concepts. "Wonderland" has two full casts, totaling about 40 actors between the ages of 8 and 18. And it helps that YAG doesn't charge a participation fee for any of its productions. Gipson thinks the process is worth plenty without requiring parents to make a financial commitment.

"There is something extremely valuable about a group of kids, most who don't know each other, coming in to a space for the first time and deciding that this is their focus and goal -- to put on a great show," she muses. "And then the magic really happens. Through the process of rehearsal, we see kids form friendships, step outside of their comfort zones, and learn to use gifts they may never have known existed. All of this results in the one thing that we hope every child leaves this process with, and that is confidence."

Gipson says the youngsters are in good hands with director Kim Pierson.

"She is a longtime YAG volunteer as well as the president of our Board of Directors," Gipson explains. "I love watching her communicate with our young actors and guide them toward their best selves in this process.

"I also love the mentoring that happens between our oldest and youngest actors. I remember being a young kid and being in a show with older teens and thinking they were the coolest people ever, and it's really nice to see these teens live up to that in this process."

Audiences, Gipson hopes, will leave with "a big smile on their faces."

"This show is campy and over the top and just a silly good time," she enthuses. "We just want families to come enjoy spending time together watching the show and hopefully share some laughs."

FAQ

Young Actors Guild:

'Wonderland: The REAL Story'

WHEN -- 7 p.m. Feb. 23-24

WHERE -- King Opera House in Van Buren

COST -- $7-$10

INFO -- weareyag.com

  photo  Nora Lodes, Agatha Lachowsky and Claire Lodes rehearse for “Wonderland: The REAL Story,” a new script by Missy Gipson written for the River Valley’s Young Actors Guild. (Courtesy Photo)
 
 


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