By: Sue Kramer
NEW HOPE The members of New Hope-Solebury Middle School’s theater club, Center Stage, are in their final rehearsals for this weekend’s production of "Short Stuff."
The production, consisting of four one-act plays, will be held at the Stephen J. Buck Theater on the school’s Route 179 campus Friday and Saturday, May 4 and 5. Showtime Friday is 7:30 p.m. with 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday shows. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for students, children and seniors.
The four plays, "The Real Inspector Hound," "The Ugly Duckling," "Say Goodnight, Beauty" and "Competition Piece," feature the talents of 35 middle school students. Jill Blevins, a junior, and Erin McCarthy, a senior, are directing two of the plays as part of their theater arts course work. Another senior, Rachael Scharff, also is directing. The overall direction is by high school teacher Melanie Pittner.
Fifth-grader Ali Hassell, 11, plays the queen in "The Ugly Duckling," her debut stage performance at New Hope-Solebury. The play, written by A.A. Milne, author of numerous children’s books including "The House on Pooh Corner" and "Now We Are Six," tells the story of a princess of questionable beauty who finds a prince who sees her true beauty.
"I’m very bossy. I’m a witch," Ali said of her character. "I personally run the kingdom, and I boss the king around. The chancellor (played by Trevor Johnson), I just beat up."
She added, "I really like this play because it actually relates to my personality. I’m kind of witchy to people."
Playing opposite Ali, in the role of the King, is Alex Hura. The 13-year-old seventh-grader also is appearing in his first production at New Hope-Solebury.
"It’s very helpful for the mind, but it’s difficult at times," he said of acting.
Alex also is playing the role of Inspector Hound in "The Real Inspector Hound," a comical parody of an English murder mystery written by Tom Stoppard. The show recently was produced at The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia.
"It’s sort of like a spoof on a murder mystery," he said.
Trevor, 12, is making his second appearance on the stage as the chancellor in "The Ugly Duckling." The seventh-grader, who played the page in "The Mouse That Roared" last year, likes acting.
"I think it’s fun," he said.
This year’s role required a British accent, and Trevor mastered it beautifully.
"I just like doing accents," he said.
Trevor also plays Ike in "Competition Piece." The play by John S. Wells is the story of a play within a play the sometimes warped view of traditional one-act play competition between the "artsies," "preppies" and "metal heads."
"It’s a play about one-act play competition," Trevor said. "There’s three groups from three different schools. I’m in group three; they’re supposed to be the metal heads."
Other actors include Charlie Abolt, 12, who was in last year’s Center Stage production of "The Mouse That Roared." The sixth-grader plays Travis in "Competition Piece" and Carlo in "The Ugly Duckling." The plays, he said, "are overall pretty funny."
Christian Rees, 10, plays Elliot, an "artie" in "Competition Piece." This is his first time acting. He was in the stage crew last year.
"I think they’re really funny, and their plot is really good," the fifth-grader said. "You never know what happens at the end of them."
Max Zelenevich plays the role of Dr. Albert Siskell-Ebert in "Competition Piece." The 11-year-old who is in sixth grade will be celebrating his birthday on the fourth.
He said, "Come see it, because it’s my birthday."
The fourth play in "Short Stuff" is "Say Goodnight, Beauty," a "fractured" version of "Sleeping Beauty." The play, written by Andrew Lloyd Baughman, features a malevolent clown, three good fairies moonlighting as a polka band and a pair of spies who are double agents.
Ali summed up "Short Stuff."
"They (the four plays) have everything you could want. Each play has something: mystery, fantasy, romance. It’s actually funny. It’s got everything, and I think that people will really enjoy it," she said.
For further information or to reserve tickets, call the middle school at (215) 862-0608.
