Kim Diaz
Special to the Record
Everyone loves a good fairy tale.
The knight slaying the dragon and rescuing the princess, the prince saving a kingdom and choosing his bride . . . but this summer, the princesses are saving the kingdom and the dragons are helping.
Theatreworks’s Summerstage production The Wizard’s Tale: Quest For The Magic Key takes the traditional ideas of fairy tales and turns them upside-down and inside-out.
Written and directed by Theatreworks owner Kymme Patrick, The Wizard’s Tale has a cast whose ages range from five to 12 years old. Patrick has been working with children for many years and she is now seeing a new generation come in. One of her current students is the eight-year-old daughter of one of Patrick’s former students, whom Patrick taught when the alumna was 10.
When writing scripts, Patrick focuses on ensuring that every child has an exciting role to play in the story.
“I never want anyone to have to say, ‘I’m the third tree from the left’,” she says. “I want the kids to have something to do on stage.”
The cast certainly has a lot to do in The Wizard’s Tale.
The characters range from fairies to trolls to princesses, all of whom have to band together to save their kingdom from a smarmy Prince Charming.
The play is witty, with jokes kids will love and even adults will find themselves laughing at. The characters are clever and memorable – the tomboy princess, the squeaky-clean troll, the clumsy wizard.
Patrick plays with stereotypes and assumptions, and her characters will surprise and delight their audience.
Summerstage also has a mentor program, which allows young adults to work backstage with the young cast, learning about directing and stage managing as they assist.
While the mentors learn from Patrick, the young cast of the show learns from them.
This ‘giving back’ environment is one Patrick enjoys and encourages in all her work.
In fact, several of her current mentors are former Summerstage students.
The Wizard’s Tale is a wonderful play full of laughter and fun. It is appropriate for all ages and opens on July 24, with 7 p.m. shows on July 24 and 25, and a 1 p.m. matinee on July 26.
The play will be performed at Gaglardi Academy – 1475 Noel Ave. (formerly Brooklyn Elementary School).
Tickets are $10 each and are available at Laughing Oyster Books and Red Carpet Boutique.