CLC theater department ready to present ‘The Horse and His Boy’
A children’s theater production of “The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis will be presented Sept. 27-30 by the College of Lake County theater department.
In this adaptation by Glyn Robbins of one of the “Chronicles of Narnia,” horses can talk, adventure abounds and destiny awaits.
To escape the clutches of the evil warlord Rabadash, the horse, Bree, and the boy, Shasta, run away together from the cruel land of Calormen. When they discover Rabadash has plans to invade Narnia and neighboring Archenland, they must race ahead to warn the people of Narnia. Blending drama, fantasy and humor, “The Horse and His Boy” is a timeless tale about identity, friendship, loyalty and courage that is suitable for grades three and above.
Show times are Thursday, Sept. 27, at 10 a.m.; Friday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m.; Saturday, Sept. 29, at 3 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre at James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts.
Two talking horses, Bree and Hwin, play central roles in the show. Each horse is manipulated by two actors. The horses were built by Amy Holsman, the puppeteer and scene painter who built the large puppets for the 2008 CLC production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Two of the characters, Shasta and Aravis, “ride” the horses during the show’s various adventures and escapes.
In keeping with the college’s focus on sustainability, green practices are being used in technical aspects of the production. Director Thomas B. Mitchell, who researched sustainable/green theater design during a sabbatical leave last year, has put his knowledge to work on the set of “The Horse and His Boy.”
“Scenery used in the production is recycled from past sets or built using environmentally safe materials,” Mitchell said. For example, sets were painted with low VOC paints and some props were made from a mushroom-based Styrofoam. Recycled pulp paper board was also used to make stone walls.
The lead actors are Karis Wentz as Aravis and Michael Wentz as Shasta (a brother and sister from Grayslake), Maxwell Lambert of Gurnee as Corin, Anthony Maggioncalda of McHenry as Rabadash, Dominic Donato of McHenry as Bree, Evelyn Elbe of Waukegan as Peridan, Elizabeth Erickson of Gurnee as Lasaraleen, Lauren Tebben of Lake Villa as Queen Susan, Rebecca Van Sickel of Mundelein as Tumnus and Jonathan Metzger of Lake Villa as the voice of Aslan, the lion.
Tickets are $7, $5 for school groups of six or more in advance. For more information about group rates, call (847) 543-2431. For regular tickets, call the box office at (847) 543-2300 or visit clcillinois.edu/tickets.
Box office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.