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A little slice of Arkansaw has been growing at the Frances Marion Brown Theater in the form of a 12-foot tree at the center of The Oswego Players’ April production of Aurand Harris’ “The Arkansaw Bear.”
Directed by Norman Berlin, III, the play is part of double-bill collaboration with the Oswego Opera Company who will present children’s opera “Brundibár” by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása, libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, and directed by Juan LaManna.
The joint production will run April 5th, 6th and 7th at the Oswego Players, “The Little Theatre on the Water.” For more information and ticket sales please visit, oswegoplayers.org or call the Players’ box office at 315-343-5138.
Saddened and bewildered at her grandfather's approaching death, Tish runs to her "special tree." There, in a world of fantasy provided by her wish on a star, she meets the aforementioned dancing bear. He is old, like her grandfather, and is running away. In trying to help him, she begins to understand the meaning of both life and death, which helps her to cope with her own sadness.
Players resident scenic artist Adele Cronk has employed chicken wire and papier- mâché on a very large scale to envision the 12-foot set piece into reality. She began in the basement shop of the theater, only to run out of ceiling space when the tree trunk reached seven feet.
“It was too big for both our backstage and lobby stairs,” Berlin said.
The logical solution was to move the set piece up the basement stairs from the Oswego Art Association’s pottery shop to the parking lot, then around the entire length of the building to the stage door entrance.
Once onstage, Cronk resumed work, bringing the framework to the full 12-foot height. From there she began adding texture and color to a finished work that Berlin is keeping under wraps so that audiences attending the production will be in for a magical treat.
“The Arkansaw Bear” – an important work by America's foremost playwright for young audiences blends realism and fantasy, pathos and humor. It is delightfully theatrical, with music, magic, and dance, and has been enthusiastically applauded by children and family audiences alike.
“The Arkansaw Bear” features the talents of: Nina King as Tish, Joely Sloan as Star Bright, Lilith Pape as the Mime, Stephanie Johnson as World’s Greatest Dancing Bear,
Richard Carpenter as Great Ringmaster, Mallory Gordon as Little Bear, Lori Blackburn as Mother and Adele Anesko Cronk as Aunt Ellen.
“The Arkansaw Bear” is presented by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois.
