Community Education summer performances

Waseca Community Education Children's Summer Theater in conjunction with the Waseca Drama Department proudly presents “Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit,” performed by Waseca’s Little Rascals’, written by Jonathan Rand. Directed by Karen Pfarr Anderson with assistant director, Sadie Schimming, the play opens Friday, June 27 and Saturday June 28.

 

All the students on stage were dressed in relaxed summer clothes and everyone is still cutting their teeth with their lines. With two weeks before opening night, most are still in the learning process and need assistance with spacing and placement. Director Anderson said, “This week is our tech week, lighting, sound and background. We brought projections into it for the backgrounds, which really makes the scene transitions easier and much smoother not having to build all the sets like in the old days. We even have two moving lights and that adds to it as well. I directed at the central building in town for 13 years until this auditorium was built and the differences are very noticeable.” Anderson was also very proud of the fact, “We have 18 actors playing 42 different roles in this play, giving all of the kids a lot of acting room to move around in.”

 

For anyone who’s ever seen the show “Law and Order,” when the show opens what sounds like a hard-nosed cop says, “Law and Order Special Victims Unit, these are their stories.” Anderson noticed one of her students had a pretty good voice for that, Keegan Rodriguez, who’s going into ninth grade was asked into the booth, “They had me up there for about 20 minutes speaking into a microphone.” He was asked who he most wants to see the play and he replied, “I’d really like it if my grandpa can come, but if he can’t my grandma will, and she’ll tell him all about it.” Besides the voiceovers, Rodriguez is also playing the Big Bad Wolf.

 

Olive Scheffert, future eighth grader who is playing Detective Humpty Dumpty said, “During the audition we all were handed the same sheet to read from, then Mrs. Anderson cast us accordingly. I think she did a good job with casting and everybody agrees with me.” She added, “Everyone is in a pretty good mood and that makes things so much better, we rehearse Monday through Friday, but we get the weekends off.”

 

Sophiel Weber, who is playing Little Red Riding Hood and Doc (Seven Dwarves) said, “I couldn’t wait to be in this, we started rehearsal on June 3, for now we’re working on lines and making our marks. We will have the dress rehearsal on the 23rd and the 24th, then we take pictures on the 25th, I really hope my parents come.” For everyone else, “Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit” opens on Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m., ticket price is $5 with another showing Saturday, June 28 at 2 p.m.