‘The Frog Prince’ And Friends Visits Moapa Valley

By CATHERINE ELLERTON

Moapa Valley Progress

“Oh my gosh! I’m so scared of that spider!”
“Spaghetti for breakfast? Again?”
These words of anguish resounded inside the walls of the Mack Lyon Middle School on Monday, March 4. These were not words of torture but words indicating that the auditions for the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) 2019 show “The Frog Prince” had begun.

Tour Directors Tierra Porter and Carolyn Toner rolled into town the day before and got right down to business. They were in charge of auditions, staging, costumes, sets and all that is involved in coordinating the current production of the MCT.

This organization has been in production for 45 years and currently will be working with 65,000 children in more than 1,200 communities in all 50 states and 17 countries.

Toner hails from from Connecticut and attended her first audition when she was in the fourth grade. Porter is from Georgia and stated that it is a wonderful experience to watch kids blossom.

Overton resident Jacqulyn Pray was the local MCT coordinator who helped to keep everything on schedule with no problems.

As the rehearsals continued through the week after school, Toner and Porter ventured to the Bowler Elementary School and MVHS where they presented acting workshops to the students, teaching lessons in concentration, memorization, observation and imagination. In addition, Porter took on the role of Jones Maria Von Fly Trap and that of the Queen while Toner kept the behind the scenes action moving smoothly.

For five days the Directors groomed the local youngsters in assuming the personalities of a variety of characters including a turtle, an alligator, flamingos, ducks and swans as well as flies and Venus Fly Traps, toads, dragonflies, spiders and mosquitos.

The story concerns a frog, played in swamp form by Anna Bush, who used to be a prince, played in castle form by Jameson Cook. This amphibious royalty hopes to return to his human form when he is accepted once again. It tells of the adventures encountered when he helps the spoiled Princess Prim, played by Kelly Robison. The princess doesn’t intend to honor her promise of friendship and comfort when he rescues her favorite gold ball from a well. The characters sing and dance their way through the swamp and the castle grounds.

The lessons they learn along the way were to recognize what things really are and not what they are supposed to be; who you are is more important than what you are and to have a friend you must share yourself.

Soon with the help of dancing flamingos and the knights getting the ducks in a row, Princess Prim apologizes to the Frog who turns back into a prince and all ends happily.

Before the play began, characters from the MV Performing Arts Council’s next Community Theatre production of “Annie Get Your Gun” on March 28-30 presented an entertaining rendition of “Doin’ What Comes Naturally.”

These events are sponsored in part by MVPAC, Individual Partners for the Arts which include Nevada Arts Council, America First Credit Union, Grant and Laurel Bushman, Moapa Valley Telephone Company, Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Board of County Commissioners.