Taking a river cruise along the Rhine River in Germany was not what I expected. I expected to see a few castles and some quaint villages and lots of beautiful countryside. But what I didn't expect to see was a castle on nearly every hilltop. Then there were the stories of the Robber Barons who would do what ever it took to charge tolls as boats with goods passed along their stretch of the river.
I guess seeing how close the historical sites are throughout the countryside in Europe, this American from the West had to adjust her views of historic veracity somewhat. (In the American West, we have nothing like that. Sure we have great snowcapped mountains and vast windswept valleys, but NO navigable rivers to move freight along, and, oh yeah, no castles from the Renaissance period.)
During the process of writing "The Frog Prince" I had hoped the scene where the daughters of nearby noble families who were invited to a Princess birthday party would ring true. Come to find out, during the Renaissance, that could have been completely plausible. (So nice to be validated!!!)
I guess seeing how close the historical sites are throughout the countryside in Europe, this American from the West had to adjust her views of historic veracity somewhat. (In the American West, we have nothing like that. Sure we have great snowcapped mountains and vast windswept valleys, but NO navigable rivers to move freight along, and, oh yeah, no castles from the Renaissance period.)
During the process of writing "The Frog Prince" I had hoped the scene where the daughters of nearby noble families who were invited to a Princess birthday party would ring true. Come to find out, during the Renaissance, that could have been completely plausible. (So nice to be validated!!!)
One of the little princesses twirling before her bow to greet the main Princess
For the premiere production of "The Frog Prince," I knew from preregistration numbers, that I would have 12 little girls between the ages of 5 and 10. That's a lot of little girls who would want to be "the" princess. Fortunately, this show could accommodate as many "princesses" as necessary.
The big surprise was how many boys decided to sign up to join the cast. So we made them all knights, gave them a "training" sword-play scene, and a chance to chase around a dragon. We even convinced the main characters that there was NO LOVE SCENE (they were both rather relieved).
The big surprise was how many boys decided to sign up to join the cast. So we made them all knights, gave them a "training" sword-play scene, and a chance to chase around a dragon. We even convinced the main characters that there was NO LOVE SCENE (they were both rather relieved).
Cast photo of "The Frog Prince" outside on a very sunny day.
The show turned out really cute. It was also cost effective because so many of the little girls already owned their own Princess dresses. The magic was handled with puppets, funny sound effects, and tongue-in-cheek comedy.
This is one of those shows that works well for a company with children of a wide range in ages. However, I believe it could work just as well for 3rd-5th graders. We had a lot of fun mounting it as a Summer Theater Camp in just two weeks with limited sets and props. Obviously, it could be polished even more during a longer preparation period. Still, it was a lot of fun for all!
This is one of those shows that works well for a company with children of a wide range in ages. However, I believe it could work just as well for 3rd-5th graders. We had a lot of fun mounting it as a Summer Theater Camp in just two weeks with limited sets and props. Obviously, it could be polished even more during a longer preparation period. Still, it was a lot of fun for all!
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