Plays

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
Surviving the Applewhites
By Stephanie Tolan & Katherine Paterson * Based on the Newbery Honor
Book by Stephanie S. Tolan
Mar. 7-22, 2008 * McColl Family Theatre

Jake Semple is always in trouble. After getting kicked out of yet another high school, his last hope is an alternative home school run by his distant relatives, the Applewhites, in the tiny mountain town of Traybridge, NC. But compared to the Applewhites, Jake seems almost, well, normal. Each Applewhite marches to the tune of a very different drummer. They are flighty, quarrelsome, creative, chaotic, sympathetic, self-absorbed, loving - and utterly delightful. Jake clashes the most with E.D., the 14-year-old daughter determined to organize her way out of her eccentric family. He also finds a friend in the family dog, and he finally finds himself when he gets cast in Randolph Applewhite's latest play. Simultaneously hilarious and touching, Surviving the Applewhites is an unforgettable family tale of love and transformation. Oh, and don't forget the goat! For ages 8 and up.

For more information about Children's Theatre of Charlotte, click here.
To purchase tickets, click here.



Childsplay
A Tale of Two Cities
By Dwayne Hartford
Based on the book by Charles Dickens
March 22 – April 6, 2008
Tempe Center for the Arts

Set during the terror of the French Revolution, Dickens’ story follows the influence of historical and political upheaval on a small group of individuals: Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat who rejects his family and its history of tyranny over the lower classes; Dr. Manette, a physician whose eighteen-year imprisonment in the Bastille left him bereft of his senses and a symbolic hero for the masses; Lucie Darnay, the daughter of Manette who unknowingly marries the descendent of her father’s oppressors; Sydney Carton, Darnay’s drunken lawyer who finds meaning in life through an unrequited love for Lucie; and the unforgettable Madame Defarge, a mob leader whose sheer rage at the oppression of the lower classes is woven into her knitting and schemes for vengeance.

Bookended by Darnay’s two trials (the first, a false accusation of spying against the British, the second a mob trial based on the deeds of Darnay’s ancestors), this adaptation explores the relationship between an individual and the historical and political forces that govern his times. The themes of A Tale of Two Cities are as current for today’s young adults as they were two centuries ago: How does one prioritize loyalty to country? To friends? To a moral code? Is violence in the name of vengeance ever justified? Is imprisonment of an individual permissible in light of larger social and historical injustices? In a time of guilt by association, is it possible for an individual to transcend class, nationality and family in the fight for a just cause? What are the costs to society of a citizenry divided between rich and poor? Can a single act of honor and love counteract a world filled with hatred and vengeance? And, in the face of war and terror perpetrated in the name of a broader cause, what is the definition of a life well lived?

For more information about Childsplay, click here.
To purchase tickets, click here.



People’s Light & Theatre
Getting Near to Baby
Mar. 27 - Apr. 20, 2008
By Y York
Based on the novel by Audrey Couloumbis
Directed by Abigail Adams

After the death of their baby sister, 12-year-old Willa Jo and Little Sister are whisked away from their Mom to live temporarily with Aunt Patty, who has a million rules about everything. Little Sister has stopped talking, so Willa Jo needs to translate for her, and Aunt Patty won't let them play with the children across the street (dirty "mole rats," in Aunt Patty's opinion). A touching and often humorous story of one family's journey toward acceptance and understanding, Getting Near to Baby is a 2000 Newbery Honor book. Best appreciated by ages 8 and up.

For more information about People's Light & Theatre, click here.
To purchase tickets, click here.

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