Williams Street Rep presents ‘Short Stories and Tall Tales’

Submitted by Raue Center for the Arts

Enjoy classic American folklore with Williams Street Repertory at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 13. The company’s newest production titled “Short Stories and Tall Tales of the American Hero” is high-energy, fast-paced, and vaudevillian-esque that uses a mixture of song, dance and storytelling. The original production — developed for Mission Imagination — is written and directed by Raue Center and WS Rep’s producing director T. Paul Lowry. Mission Imagination is Raue Center’s education outreach program for the area schoolchildren.

“Short Stories and Tall Tales of the American Hero” weaves together the stories of Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and John Henry — America’s original superheroes. Filled with both facts and silliness, this production hopes to engage kids and make learning fun.

Lowry also created the original folk music heard in the show that includes songs, “Keep Your Stories Short, Cause Your Tale’s Too Long” and “Walk With Me.”

“Short Stories and Tall Tales of the American Hero” tickets are $10 for students and $20 for adults. Group pricing is available. Tickets can be purchased online at wsrep.org, rauecenter.org, at (815) 356-9212 or 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake.

Williams Street Repertory is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit production company in-house at Raue Center for the Arts. WS Rep is a theater company dedicated to sustaining an artistic process of innovative and emotionally charged work, telling diverse stories with an ever growing company of well-respected local, regional and national artists. For additional information, visit wsrep.org, facebook.com/wsrep and twitter.com/wsrep.