All Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) High School students in grades nine-through-12 performed Bedtime Stories (As Told By Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up), story by Ed Monk, in three curtain times on Thursday night, January 12; Friday night, January 13 and Saturday afternoon, January 14, in the school’s Music Room.
The play presentation was the culmination of the student thespians’ semester-long Drama class.
The synopsis focuses on a tired, hassled Dad facing his three rambunctious kids – and his turn to tell them their nighttime bedtime stories. However, he gets a bit fuzzy on the details – and the classics get creative.
“The Princess and The Pea” was spiced up by a prince with a snoring problem. “The Boy (or Girl in this case) Who Cried Wolf” instead cries dinosaur. And, “Rumpelstiltskin” lends an assist to turn priceless gold into straw in a turnabout wealth exchange.
The play was directed by Aaron Petersen, the school’s music and drama teacher. Students on the crew included Carter James, assistant director/backstage guru; Cheyanne Courts, stage manager and Rachel Sajban, lighting/graphic design.
Cast members for the three not-so-classic tales were:
“The Princess and The Pea”
+ Wally – Bryce Adrian.
+ Ashley – Sarah Sajban.
+ Katey – Katelyn Fast.
+ Dad – Aaron Petersen.
+ Prime Minister – Kylie Klassen.
+ Queen – Paige Riihl.
+ Prince – Zadok Ford.
+ Princess 1 – Summer Janzen.
+ Princess 2 – Regan James.
+ Mindy – Sarah Sajban.
“The Girl Who Cried Dinosaur”
+ Bo Peep – Regan James.
+ Sheep – Zadok Ford and Abraham Stoesz.
+ Bertha (The Dinosaur) – Kylie Klassen.
+ Mayor – Jade Wright.
+ Mom – Danica Dick.
+ Father – Bren Toutges.
+ Captain – Bryce Adrian.
+ Militia – Summer Janzen, Paige Riihl and Emily Schroeder.
“Rumpelstiltskin”
+ Prince 2 – Zadok Ford.
+ Poor Old Woman – Danica Dick.
+ Daughter – Summer Janzen.
+ Cows – Levi Stoesz and Kylie Klassen.
+ Rumpelstiltskin – Bren Toutges.
A TIRED AND frazzled Dad (Aaron Petersen, right) – whose turn it was to tell the children their bedtime stories – falls asleep mid-scrambled tale. His curious kids are, from left, Katey (Katelyn Fast), Wally (Bryce Adrian) and Ashley (Sarah Sajban).
IN THE “PRINCESS and The Pea,” Prime Minister (Kylie Klassen), right, discusses how the Queen (Paige Riihl), left, could hand over the boring duties of the throne to her son, the Prince. The Queen decides that, in order to achieve her goal, the Prince must be married.
THE PRINCE (ZADOK Ford), left, is summoned by his mum, the Queen (Paige Riihl), center, to the Throne Room. At that point, the Prime Minister (Kylie Klassen), right, calls out for all of the eligible princesses in the kingdom to assemble.
THE PRINCESSES PROVE to be not as advertised, and the Prince dismisses them. From left, the allergy-prone Princess (Summer Janzen), the linguistically-challenged Princess (Regan James) and the Prince (Zadok Ford).
WHAT’S A QUEEN who wants to retire to do? The Queen (Paige Riihl), left, addresses the issues that her son, the Prince (Zadok Ford), has in finding a suitable wife. (But maybe he will give the Maid a chance!)
THE PRINCE (ZADOK) Ford, left, concocts a scheme to determine if Mindy the Maid is a suitable Princess bride, and shares his idea with the Prime Minister (Kyle Klassen), right. The plan involves the placement of a CAN of peas under a soft mattress to see if it disturbs Mindy’s sleep – as it would for ONLY a Princess.
THE CAN OF vegetables didn’t determine the couple’s fate in the end, but the Princess did have a restless night – due to the snoring of the Prince outside her bedroom door. The end of the story? The Prince (Zadok Ford), right, asks for the hand of Mindy the Maid (Sarah Sajban), left, in marriage. The new royal couple takes over the duties of the kingdom – and the Queen jets off to the warmer climes of Arizona.
SOME DANCELINE BONDING time between Bo Peep (Regan James), left, and one of her Sheep (Zadok Ford), right, in the opening to “The Girl Who Cried Dinosaur.”
WHEN A DINOSAUR startles Bo Peep, she cries out for “Help!” and her parents, the mayor and the captain with his militia respond. But – they see no dinosaur. (Pssst – it’s standing still camouflaged amidst the pine trees at right.) From left, Militia members Paige Riihl, Emily Schroeder and Summer Janzen; Captain (Bryce Adrian), Bo Peep (Regan James), Mom (Danica Dick), Father (Bren Toutges) and Mayor (Jade Wright).
MOM (DANICA DICK), right, tries to persuade her daughter, Bo Peep (Regan James), left, to closely follow all concussion protocol in order to eliminate her alleged dinosaur “hallucinations.”
BERTHA THE DINOSAUR (Kylie Klassen), right, quickly shushes another outcry of fright from Bo Peep (Regan James), left, with a well-placed hand over the mouth.
AS AN EXCHANGE for eating her sheep (or herself), Bo Peep (Regan James), left, talks Bertha the Dinosaur (Kylie Klassen), right, into eating the sugary and saturated fat artery-clogging, teeth-rotting lunch in her basket instead.
THE FINAL BEDTIME tale was “Rumpelstiltskin” – with quite a twist. A Poor Old Woman (Danica Dick), second from right, works out a deal with the Prince Part Two (Zadok Ford), second from left, to take her Daughter (Summer Janzen), left, back to his castle because she has a special talent (not) of turning gold bars into straw (just cause that’s the flow of this story) – in order to keep him from taking her Cow (Kyle Klassen), right.
A LITTLE EXTRA lobbying by the Poor Old Woman (Danica Dick), right, eventually convinces the confused Prince (Zadok Ford), center, that gold-to-straw is the proper conversion. However, her Daughter (Summer Janzen), left, is wondering what in the world her mother is talking about, for she does not have that skill.
IN THE PRINCE’S castle, the Daughter (Summer Janzen), right, hopes for someone to help her with the gold-to-straw task – and Rumpelstiltskin (Bren Toutges), left, appears in the room to handle the work – because gold bars look pretty good to him.
THE DEAL THE Princess (Summer Janzen) made with Rumpelstiltskin in order to thank him for his good dead was to offer up her first-born. That is – unless she can come up with his name.
RUMPELSTILTSKIN (BREN TOUTGES), left, reveals he is a he, not a she. Princess (Summer Janzen), right, now married to the Prince and together they have a newborn child, and Rumpelstiltskin dispute which of the two will care for the baby.
ALL IS WELL that ends well. The Prince and Princess keep their child, Rumpelstiltskin keeps some of the gold and returns some to the Prince – and they all enjoy a hot Godfather’s Pizza, delivered by the Prince, leading a double-life as a Godfather’s Pizza Deliveryman. From left, Prince (Zadok Ford), Rumpelstiltskin (Bren Toutges) and the Princess (Summer Janzen).
THE BACKSTAGE BRAIN trust. From left, Rachel Sajban, lighting/graphic design; Carter James, assistant director/backstage guru and Cheyanne Courts, stage manager.
