CABOT – The Cabot Community Theater demonstrated the fruits of its week-long summer theater camp by presenting four comedies Friday, Aug. 15, at 5 p.m., in the Cabot School Performing Arts Center. The plays were short and designed for children’s performances, giving everyone a limited number of lines to memorize and deliver.
The first piece was “Belle and That Beast Guy,” written by Jacob Dorn and directed by Jessica Della Pepa-Clayton. A parody of the traditional “Beauty and the Beast” tale, there were two Belles, Ella Lacelle and Ariella Heldard, appropriately good looking, and one Beast, Mary Rogerson, who was easily identified by horns on her head and later a full-length beard. The Beast takes Belle away to temporary danger. After various shenanigans she is rescued and everything returns to normal.
Lucas Vitale was TickTock, with a clock hung around his neck. Liam Waugh was the Candle Guy, with a candle hat and Henry Everhart was an Old Woman; Jessica Della Pepa-Clayton was Mama; Simone Kulsick was Gastoff; Ariabella Clayton was Snively; Moriah Usinowicz was Goofus; Norah Rader was Tipsy; Edy Auerbach was Flushing and Enid Hammond was Chip.
The second comedy was “Simply Cinderella,” also written by Jacob Dorn, and directed by Karen Mueller-Harden, a take on the classic rags-to-riches story of a young girl much abused by her stepmother and stepsisters but who eventually marries a prince. Judzia Bubrouski was well cast as Cinderella, subject to amusing outbursts, while Eve Gordon was her cruel stepmother. Lily Dunbar as Helga and Karen Mueller-Harder as Olga, were her two obnoxious stepsisters. Fortunately Cinderella had a Fairy Godmother, played by Reagan Rich, who enabled her to go to the ball at the castle where Emmett Gordon as Prince Sherbet falls in love with her. Later, the shoes she dropped, when hurriedly departing from the ball, fit her foot perfectly, and Cinderella and the Prince live happily ever after. Other supporting actors in the play were Ruthie Podolin as Gunter, Fern Hammond as Jim, Elfi Goldenrose as Queen Hobnail and Sharon Kulsick as Heely.
The “Big Picture” was conceived by Mark Harvery Levine and directed by Cabot High School student Spencer Vitale. Each character in this play had a different feature color in their costume; Ariella Hefland was Peach, Lily Dunbar was Olive Green, Nora Rader was Sky Blue, Spencer Vitale was Burnt Umber, Elfi Goldenrose was Copper and Ella Lacelle was Lemon Yellow. With this palette, they talked about painting a picture of nature, including a lot of sky, and they said without them the world would just be black and white.
The last play, “Twelve Hangry Jurors” by Steven Hayet, and again directed by Karen Mueller-Harder, was something of a satire on a play and film, “Twelve Angry Men,” a courtroom drama. But instead of arguing the legal case before them, the jurors get bogged down trying to decide what they should have for lunch. Unable to come to a unanimous verdict; in the initial vote, 11 wanted hamburgers, but one held out for a pineapple pizza. Going to a local steak house was suggested, but then determined to be too expensive. A cheaper steakhouse was mentioned, as well as mac and cheese, spaghetti or even cake. One person spoke forcibly about ordering something big and bold, to make you feel you’re in another country, or something really American like an oven stuffed burrito. Perhaps a salad? Finally, everyone just walked about, finding better things to do. Spencer Vitale was the Bailiff, and the jurors were Mary Rogerson, Ariabella Clayton, Judzia Bubrouski, Karen Mueller-Harder, Liam Waugh, Orion Vitale, Lucas Vitale, Elizabeth Vitale, Eve Gordon and Emmett Gordon. There were a lot of laughs in the dialogue over this ridiculous situation.
It is great to offer such a summer theater camp to local children, allowing them to explore their talent and charm, discovering the fun of live performance. May it grow into a life-long love of acting.
David K. Rodgers
David K. Rodgers is a writer, mason and card carrying dilettante, who dabbles and babbles in art. He has lived in East Craftsbury for the past 40 years.
