Clothes don't make the man in next outdoor production
Classic cover up
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, August 08, 2008
The cast of "The Emperor's New Clothes" takes a break during rehearsal. From left are Donny Short, Wendy Joy Bryce, Randy Peters, Geana Schneider, Trey K. Blackburn and seated are Joey Myers and Matt Walker. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
Clothes, or the lack thereof, don't necessarily make the man.
That's the message Hans Christian Andersen wanted to communicate in his 1837 children's story.
"The Emperor's New Clothes," the classic tale of a vain emperor and his new set of clothes, will be presented this weekend in the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center on the Morningside College campus.
According to Randy Peters, artistic director for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series, "The Emperor’s New Clothes" is especially suited for children.
"It is just silly, fun entertainment," Peters said. "The performance includes a chase scene and a zany cast of characters. But adults also will enjoy it."
"Once upon a time," Hans Christian Anderson wrote, there lived a vain emperor (Peters) whose only worry in life was to dress in elegant clothes.
The emperor gave two con men, Miggot (Donny Short) and Ziff (Wendy Joy Bryce), a bag of gold coins in exchange for their promise to begin working on the fabric for some new clothes. The farce continues as these "tailors" weave the fabric and pretend with great flourish to cut into thin air.
Ultimately, the scoundrels convince the emperor his subjects would like to see his new clothes, so he struts out his new stuff, confident that only the "stupid and incompetent" would not see the clothes. That attitude puts folks such as the jester (Matt Walker), the magician (Trey K. Blackburn), the empress (Geana Schneider) and the cook (Joey Myers) in somewhat of a predicament. Who will be the one to reveal the emperor's folly?
Contemporary author Stan Gill with music by Cindy Bright adapted the tale to also include audience participation, Peter noted.
"Theater is a wonderful learning tool for children," he said. "One of the goals of the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series is to start building in Sioux City area children a lifelong love of the arts."
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is the third of four productions scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside’s new outdoor amphitheater-style performance center. The first presentation in June was a concert of show tunes, featuring Peters and "friends." The second production in July was the Tony-nominated hit "Side Show" directed by the playwright and former Morningside College student Bill Russell.
"The response to the first two shows was far and beyond what we ever expected," Peters said. "The people of Sioux City came out in droves to support us. We were all so very grateful."
"The Emperor's New Clothes" will be presented in the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center at 3625 Garretson Ave. on the Morningside College campus. The free performances are at 2 (with beverages and popcorn) and 7 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, featuring an ice cream social with free treats for kids and discount coupons for adults from the Morningside Dairy Queen. In the event of rain, the performance will be moved to Klinger-Neal Theatre, 3700 Peters Ave., on the Morningside campus.
The next performance scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series is "Symphony in Sneeze," a family concert of symphonic music play, on Aug. 23.
That's the message Hans Christian Andersen wanted to communicate in his 1837 children's story.
"The Emperor's New Clothes," the classic tale of a vain emperor and his new set of clothes, will be presented this weekend in the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center on the Morningside College campus.
According to Randy Peters, artistic director for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series, "The Emperor’s New Clothes" is especially suited for children.
"It is just silly, fun entertainment," Peters said. "The performance includes a chase scene and a zany cast of characters. But adults also will enjoy it."
"Once upon a time," Hans Christian Anderson wrote, there lived a vain emperor (Peters) whose only worry in life was to dress in elegant clothes.
The emperor gave two con men, Miggot (Donny Short) and Ziff (Wendy Joy Bryce), a bag of gold coins in exchange for their promise to begin working on the fabric for some new clothes. The farce continues as these "tailors" weave the fabric and pretend with great flourish to cut into thin air.
Ultimately, the scoundrels convince the emperor his subjects would like to see his new clothes, so he struts out his new stuff, confident that only the "stupid and incompetent" would not see the clothes. That attitude puts folks such as the jester (Matt Walker), the magician (Trey K. Blackburn), the empress (Geana Schneider) and the cook (Joey Myers) in somewhat of a predicament. Who will be the one to reveal the emperor's folly?
Contemporary author Stan Gill with music by Cindy Bright adapted the tale to also include audience participation, Peter noted.
"Theater is a wonderful learning tool for children," he said. "One of the goals of the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series is to start building in Sioux City area children a lifelong love of the arts."
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is the third of four productions scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside’s new outdoor amphitheater-style performance center. The first presentation in June was a concert of show tunes, featuring Peters and "friends." The second production in July was the Tony-nominated hit "Side Show" directed by the playwright and former Morningside College student Bill Russell.
"The response to the first two shows was far and beyond what we ever expected," Peters said. "The people of Sioux City came out in droves to support us. We were all so very grateful."
"The Emperor's New Clothes" will be presented in the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center at 3625 Garretson Ave. on the Morningside College campus. The free performances are at 2 (with beverages and popcorn) and 7 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, featuring an ice cream social with free treats for kids and discount coupons for adults from the Morningside Dairy Queen. In the event of rain, the performance will be moved to Klinger-Neal Theatre, 3700 Peters Ave., on the Morningside campus.
The next performance scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series is "Symphony in Sneeze," a family concert of symphonic music play, on Aug. 23.
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