The Trinity Valley Community College Department of Theatre is preparing to open the season with a family-friendly play that will be as long on smiles as it is title words.
The department will officially kick off the 2014-15 production slate with “Johnny and Sally Ann: The True-Life Tall Tales of Johnny Appleseed and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind.” Two private shows will be held for area elementary school students on Oct. 1-2, and a public performance is set for Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. at the TVCC Auditorium. Ticket prices are $2 for children and $5 for adults. TVCC students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a school ID.
TVCC Theatre Director Craig Lee said he’s expecting more than 1,000 students to come to the campus to watch the show over its first two days. That’s more than last year, when the department’s colorful “Pinocchio Commedia” attracted hundreds of students.
“We love having kids here on campus and allowing them to experience theater,” Lee said. “For us, this is part of our outreach program, and it’s a great way for us to be involved in the community. We love the idea that we may be exposing a lot of kids to theater who may not otherwise get to experience it, and children’s theater is a great style to teach to our own students.”
The play is set during a time when Johnny Appleseed and his friend, Pete, are traveling in the American wilderness to distribute apple seeds to the poor. On their journey, they encounter Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind – the future wife of Davy Crockett – who proves that a girl can do anything a boy can.
Johnny and Pete also find themselves face-to-face with none other than Betsy Ross, who tells them about the creation of the American flag, and Belinda, who seeks the men’s help to save an orphanage. Throughout the play, Johnny shares many of his adventures that have made him famous – both true stories and tall tales.
The cast is comprised of Eric Nelson as Johnny Appleseed; Ashton Milton as Pete; Shaydi Parramore as Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind; Chelsey Everitt as the woman; Miracle Lewis as Belinda; Savannah Joblin as Betsy Ross; Kim Templin as Mrs. Tannehill; and Brenda Forman, Ambrosia Hagler, Sydney Cates, Ashley King and Gaubriella Drollinger as the students.
Lee said casting is already complete for the theatre department’s second show, “Playhouse Creatures,” which will debut in mid-November. The spring will bring the audience-favorite musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” in April 2015 and the department will close out the season with a year-end showcase featuring a collection of scenes and short plays titled, “All in the Timing,” in May.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Lee at [email protected] or call 903-675-6290.