“THE LITTLE PRINCE” To Play December 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19 &
20
Children’s Theatre of Knoxville will present “The Little Prince,” a
play based on the beloved children’s novel by Antoine de Saint-
Expury, for thirteen performances throughout the first three weekends
of December. “The Little Prince” is one of the world’s most famous
books for children, having been translated into over 40 languages.
Thought-provoking, thrilling, and funny, “The Little Prince” tells the
story of an Aviator who crashes his plane into the Sahara Desert,
where he is surprised to find a little boy wandering near the crash site.
As the Aviator attempts to repair his plane, he learns that this is no
ordinary little boy - but a “little prince” from Asteroid B-612 who has
also fallen to Earth. “The Little Prince” is a timeless spiritual
allegory for people of all faiths. Through a series of outer space
encounters and Earthly adventures with The Fox, The Snake, and The
Desert Rose, the Little Prince teaches the Aviator about the power of
faith, the triumph of beauty over ignorance, and the spiritual victory of
good over evil, making “The Little Prince” the perfect holiday
experience for people of all beliefs.
The play will be performed at CTK’s new location in the historic
ballroom of the Farragut Building (530 S. Gay Street) in downtown
Knoxville, immediately next door to The Tennessee Theatre. The show
plays on Thursdays (Dec. 11 & 18) at 7 PM; Fridays (Dec. 5, 12 & 18)
at 7 PM; Saturdays (Dec. 6, 13 & 20) at 1 PM and 4 PM; and Sundays
(Dec. 7 & 14) at 3 PM. Tickets are $9 per person, although CTK is
continuing its popular special rate of $7 per person for any adult and
child entering together. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Tickets may be obtained by calling (865) 599-5284. Remaining
tickets may be purchased in the Farragut Building ballroom, beginning
30 minutes prior to each show. All seating is general admission.
Twelve-year-old Alex Drinnen will play “The Little Prince,” with Ben
Croisdale appearing as The Aviator. UT student Harrison Young plays
The Aviator (As A Grown-Up). Fifteen other children, age 9 to 15, play
the various characters who meet The Little Prince, including Sophia
Abouelata, Marisa Beeler, Mac Bower, Amelia Bryant, Abigail
Coughlin, Gregory Croisdale, English Dougherty, Tessa Goodnight,
Caroline Hartley, Emily Hartley, Amber Latham, Graham Marema,
Juliana Pulsinelli, Sarah Smith, and Rowan Young.
2008 MILESTONES
It has only been nine months since our inaugural production at St.
James Episcopal Church, but we have reached many milestones in 2008
which assert that CTK is the Knoxville area’s fastest-growing theatre
company.
In our fourth production (Little Women in October), we had our
1,000th audience member attend a show. And overall, our four
productions thus far have been attended at 88% capacity. Treasure
Island USA sold out every show! We quickly outgrew our small 50-
seat playing space, which was graciously provided by the Arts and
Culture Alliance at The Emporium. In October, we were given
permission by Kailyn Realty Management to utilize the 100-seat
historic ballroom in the Farragut Building to stage and produce our
shows and classes.
With The Little Prince, we will have had over 120 child actors audition
for - and over 40 receive a role in - a CTK production. Our youngest
actor to have appeared in a production was Caleigh Schaad, who was
only 8 when she made her stage debut as Dolly the Rabbit in The
Velveteen Rabbit. Also, two of our shows, The Princess and the
Pauper and Treasure Island USA have been premieres of original plays
by our Executive Director Zack Allen.
CTK has also been active in the community, having conducted a hands
on Film and Theatre Camp for troubled teens at Peninsula Village, led
numerous workshops at local Boys & Girls Clubs and at the Public
Defender’s Juvenile Facility in partnership with Tennessee Stage
Company, begun a three-month in-school residency at Mooreland
Heights Elementary School (see article below), and led workshops in
conjunction with the Clarence Brown Theatre for Blount County’s Day
for the Arts.
If you have contributed to CTK over the past nine months, we hope you
are as proud as we are of our accomplishments since February. We
simply could not have achieved so much without you.
IMAGI-STAGE CLASS PERFORMS FINAL PLAY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Students in CTK’s Imagi-Stage class will perform their final project, a
dramatic adaptation of the classic O. Henry story, “The Last Leaf,” on
Thursday, November 20 at 5 PM in The Farragut Building (530 S. Gay
Street) in downtown Knoxville, immediately next door to The
Tennessee Theatre. Performers include Jordan Bridges as Miss Sue,
Madison Hamilton as Miss Joanna, Bentley Young as Rand, Will
White as Dr. McMillan, and Savannah Huff as Miss Louisa.
CTK’s Imagi-Stage after-school workshops teach theatre basics in a
practical theatre environment, by rehearsing and performing a highly
dramatic 15-minute play. Students apply emotion, mood, task, and
physical condition to the acting process to create vibrant,
interesting characters. The play is performed with minimal technical
assistance to allow the actors to create the play’s reality. Admission
to the short performance is free. Those interested in taking future
Imagi-Stage classes are encouraged to attend to learn more about this
unique learning opportunity.
Enrollment has begun for the Winter term of Imagi-Stage classes. The
class for students (ages 10 to 14) will be Tuesdays after-school (4 PM
to 5:30 PM) for five consecutive Tuesdays, beginning January 13. The
class for ages 15 to 18 will be Thursdays after-school (4 PM to 5:30
PM) for five consecutive Thursdays, beginning January 15. All
classes are $125 per student, and all meet in the ballroom of The
Farragut Building at 530 S. Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.
TENNESSEE ARTS COMMISSION RESIDENCY AT MOORELAND HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL UNDERWAY
CTK Artistic Director Jenny Ballard is teaching a 3-month residency,
sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission, at Mooreland Heights
Elementary School over the coming months. CTK teaches three 45-
minute drama classes twice weekly at the south Knoxville
school, centering on building verbal skills, self-confidence, and basic
theatre skills. The Tennessee Arts Commission is funding this project,
which furthers CTK’s mission of exposing as many students as possible
to the educational and entertaining aspects of creative dramatics. If
your school is interested in forming such a partnership with CTK,
please contact Jenny Ballard at (865) 599-5284, or e-mail her at
jenny@childrenstheatreknoxville.com .
WINTER TERM OF “MATINEE CLUB” SATURDAY CLASSES SCHEDULED
Enrollment has begun for the Winter term of “Matinee Club” Saturday
classes. For younger students (ages 6 to 10), CTK will offer
“Performance Basics for Young People,” for five consecutive
Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM, beginning January 10. For older
students (ages 11 to 15), CTK will hold another section of our most
popular class “Solo Acting and Auditioning” for five consecutive
Saturdays from 2 PM to 4 PM, beginning January 10. All classes are
$125 per student, and all meet in the ballroom of The Farragut Building
at 530 S. Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. For more information,
contact Zack Allen at (865) 599-5284.
ROTHCHILD CATERING TO DONATE AUDIENCE CHAIRS FOR “THE LITTLE PRINCE”
One of Knoxville’s most respected and community-conscious
businesses will help CTK to produce “The Little Prince.” Rothchild
Catering will donate the use of 100 audience chairs to CTK to use in
our new theatre in the ballroom of the Farragut Building. CTK’s
move to a larger venue (which holds almost 100 theatre-goers per
show) will certainly allow for the organization to grow and expand
programming opportunities and audience capacities. One of the
hurdles to overcome, however, has been to populate the space
with audience chairs. Enter Rothchild Catering! They have graciously
agreed to donate 100 chairs to the new space! If you are considering a
holiday party this season, please consider Rothchild as your catering
source. Not only do they have decades of culinary service to their
credit, but they truly care about our community and its children. Thank
you, Rothchild Catering, for this meaningful donation to Knoxville’s
fastest-growing performing arts group!
AUDITIONS FOR “THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS” TO BE HELD IN JANUARY
CTK’s next production will be a dramatic adaptation “The Wind in the
Willows,” which will play in February 2009. Auditions have been
scheduled for Sunday, January 4 at 3 PM and Monday, January 5 at 7
PM. Up to 12 young people, ages 7 to 17, will be considered for
casting. “The Wind in the Willows” is based on the children’s book
by Kenneth Grahame and tells the story of the forest friendship
between Mr. Frog and Mr. Toad. Auditioners may perform a short 1-
minute monologue, and all will be asked to read from the script. The
play will be directed by Zack Allen. Questions? Call (865) 599- 5284
for more information, or e-mail zack@childrenstheatreknoxville.com .
CTK PARTNERS WITH ACCLAIMED NEW YORK ARTIST APRIL LARAGY FOR 2009 SEASON PROMOTION
Nationally-acclaimed New York-based artist April Laragy created the
remarkably beautiful artwork for our poster of “The Little Prince.”
(See it at childrenstheatreknoxville.blogspot.com). Her national
reputation and the quality of her work so impressed the Knoxville
Museum of Art that the original painting is hanging there now!
Admission to the museum is free through the rest of 2008, so visit the
museum and see the painting for yourself! If you like it, you can take it
home! Yes, the painting is being auctioned online at the above
“blogspot” address! This is your chance to obtain a gorgeous piece of
original fine art for your child’s bedroom and to help CTK! All
proceeds from the sale of the painting will be donated to CTK. Ms.
Larage has agreed to paint five more original paintings for each CTK
mainstage production of the 2009 calendar year, and CTK will auction
each one off, after its display at KMA.
STAGE MANAGEMENT POSITION AVAILABLE
CTK is looking for a stage manager to help with “The Little Prince”
and/or for productions in the 2009 calendar year. This is a paid
position. If you have stage management experience, or would like to
learn about the stage managing, please contact Zack Allen at
(865) 599-5284.
WEBSITE UPDATES / BLOGSPOT
Check out our updated website at www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com !
It has new information about the current play, classes, and outreach
activities. Also, the most up-to-date information about CTK can be
found childrenstheatreknoxville.blogspot.com . Bookmark both sites to
get all the CTK info!
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