Director’s Note - A Play About a Dragon
“There are dangerous creatures about…!” Freedom Theatre is incredibly excited to start off the 2023-2024 season with A Play About a Dragon, a hilarious new comedy with unique characters and high stakes, namely the slaying of a dragon! A Play About a Dragon is about exactly what it says: a dragon! A small and dysfunctional acting troupe confuses a plea from the King to kill a real dragon for an invitation to perform in the King's Midsummer Festival, and chaos and confusion ensue. Will they all be eaten by the ferocious monster or find a way to band together to defeat the fearsome dragon? Come along with us as we travel from Castle Darkendank to Castle Pilorox, and through the forest in between to find out!
In an age when children struggle with creativity and imagination in the face of multimedia stimulus, this play returns us to the roots of storytelling and allows for creative interpretation of its characters and world. As a tradition in Freedom Theatre, our show features many new faces on stage, each one bringing a distinctive element to their character that is special and specific to Freedom Theatre. The production focuses on The Company, a group of actors that includes Roland, Morton, Lady Gwen, Folly, and Grub as they travel through the medieval land from castle to castle performing their show and pick up new friends along the way. During intermission, be sure to get back to your seats early for a surprise from "The Betters," who make an appearance in Scene 2 of the show!
The technical elements support the creation of the medieval world filled with magical creatures and the action of the story of the fight against a giant monster. The design development and execution of the dragon you will see on stage tonight has been a passion project of the technical students since the show was first announced in June, and we are delighted to show it off to you! Affectionately known as “Big Sparky” by the team, the dragon puppet is one of our greatest technical feats yet, and it would not have been possible without the dragon design and construction team: Skylar Leonard, Gina Latorre (Sky’s Mom), Natalie Davis, and Maggie Crumbliss.
This production allowed for a depth of creativity in many elements and, more importantly, provided an opportunity for students to take artistic leadership on creating the world that you see on stage. Each scene takes place in a nondescript medieval European location, and the world we are depicting on stage takes exceptional collaboration between all technical elements to create a cohesive vision. The actors not only had to play incredibly humorous characters, but also tell an epic tale of adventure, betrayal, and courage.
Without the passion and imagination of this cast and crew, our play could not have come together to be the production you are watching tonight. I am deeply honored to be a part of such a creative and unique group of young artists, and I would like to express my extreme gratitude for the hard work put into this production. The incredible parent support provided the backbone for us, while the sincere dedication of the actors and technicians allowed the show its grace. Thank you to Maddie Amme, my assistant director, for her passion and creativity, and for being half of my brain and my second pair of eyes for the past two months. Finally, thank you to Jay Bercher and Barb Oliphant for guiding the show’s technical teams, and to Colleen Hilliker, our production photographer. It took the commitment and innovation of every person involved to make this show successful, and I could not be more proud of the work we have done together.
- Rachel Wickham a.k.a. Wicki
