Ava Little plays "Stephanie" in the popular and humorous story Stephanie's Ponytail. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Coming attractions

You’ll love it a Munsch! Odyssey Productions brings popular childhood stories to local stage

Apr 25, 2022 | 11:41 AM

The stories you likely heard as a child and fell in love with are making through to a small stage.

Munsch at Play, the latest show by Odyssey Productions, is a collection of beloved Robert Munsch stories, and can be seen at the John M. Cuelenaere library starting Thursday night. Director Trent Gillespie, a longtime fan of Munsch’s books, told paNOW he had a lof of fun with the script.

“Anytime you take a kids story and put it on a stage, it just allows for a lot more creativity and fun,” he said.

The collection of plays was adapted for the stage by experienced playwright Irene N. Watts, and is the first Odyssey show featuring a mixed cast of children and adults.

“It was very important that I mixed the cast up so everyone could play off each other. The adults could help mentor the kids in acting, and sometimes the kids could teach us about the wonder it is to be silly,” Gillespie said.

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The cast has been rehearsing since early March. Elizabeth Chamberlain plays a narrator in Angela’s Airplane; Jule Anne’s mother in Mud Puddle; and the dragon in Paper Bag Princess.

“I’ve studied theatre for youth audiences in university and so it does have a definite style to it that other theatre doesn’t. It’s really important to have the action and the words separate and have them very clearly laid out on stage so it does seem like you are just reading a storybook,” she said.

Chamberlain explained the stories are told through the perspective of a child, and the young characters get to outsmart the characters played by the adults.

“Watching this will definitely bring you back to your childhood and make you feel youthful and joyful and I think that’s what we all need,” she said.

Cast members find themselves in a hairy situation. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Ava Little goes for a ride on her airplane. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Ava Little, 11, plays Elizabeth in Paperbag Princess, Stephanie in Stephanie’s Ponytail, and Jule Ann in Mud Puddle. While this is her first show with Odyssey, Little has acted with Broadway North Youth, most recently she performed in Frozen Jr.

“It’s great exposure for kids to like theatre and I think they should come to get a good laugh,” she said.

Munsch at Play will be staged at the John M. Cuelenaere Public Library on April 28 through May 1.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for Youth and are available online at odysseyproductions.ca or at the door.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell