Imagination Stage Presents Rumpelstiltskin (Photos & Video)

Rumpelstiltskin is playing now through March 16 at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Avenue, Bethesda. This is the familiar fairy tale of how a girl turned straw into gold and one that the audience is sure to know. Directed by Janet Stanford and written by Mike Kenny, Rumpelstiltskin is a unique interpretation of a fairy tale in which the characters discover their true place in the world, complete with witty poetry, exquisite movement, and original music performed live by a fiddle player. Best for ages 5-10.

Rumpelstiltskin is a popular Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale about a poor miller who wants nothing more than for his daughter never to work a day in her life. However, he brags that she can do anything, including spinning straw into gold. A greedy king commands her to make gold for his coffers, but unable to perform this magical feat, the Miller’s Daughter enlists the help of a rotten riddling fairy named Rumpelstiltskin. The naughty imp assists the helpless girl after he makes her promise to give him her first-born child. But with a bit of lucky help from a friend, the young girl manages to out-trick the trickster.

Photos courtesy Imagination Stage. Photo credit Margot Schulman

Enjoy this short video from Imagination Stage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egdhqig_SKE

Tickets start at $12 and may be purchased online at Imagination Stage or by calling 301.280.1660 or visiting the box office 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily.

A fairy tale by Mike Kenny; Directed by Janet Stanford

Cast:
Matthew Pauli will play the title role of Rumpelstiltskin. He is an actor, clown, and puppeteer, and he most recently worked as the puppet designer on Imagination Stage’s production of Lulu and the Brontosaurus. Matthew is a graduate of Georgetown University, as well as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Clown College. He also holds an MFA from Shakespeare Theatre Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University.

Katherine Renee Turner will play the Miller’s Daughter. Katherine is new to Imagination Stage and was recently seen in The Laramie Project at Ford’s Theatre. She is a native Washingtonian and a graduate of Ithaca College. Ricardo Frederick Evans will play the Miller. Ricardo is also a native Washingtonian and has been seen at Imagination Stage in Dr. Dolittle, Perseus Bayou, Disney’s Mulan, and many more. He is a graduate and faculty member of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.

Jason Glass will play the King and is also new to Imagination Stage. Jason graduated from the University of Florida in theatre performance and has been seen locally at Forum Theatre, The Studio Theatre 2nd Stage, Discovery Theatre, and others. Kathryn Kelley will play Mess and the Queen Mother. She has previously performed at Imagination Stage in The Borrowers and Miss Nelson is Missing. Kathryn performed for many years at Round House Theatre and has also been seen at many other local theatres.

Anthony Hyatt will be the fiddle player, performing live for each performance. Anthony is not only a musician, but a keynote speaker and teaching artist, as well as the founder and principal of Moving Beauty, an organization that inspires groups of seniors in music and dance.

Janet Stanford (Director) is the Artistic Director at Imagination Stage. She has helped transition Imagination Stage from a community-based arts organization to a nationally significant regional Theatre for Young Audiences theatre and arts education program. Janet has established a record for ongoing funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Theatre Communications Group, and The Shubert Foundation, among others. She has commissioned U.S. and international playwrights including Kevin Kling, Karen Zacarias, Joan Cushing, David S. Craig, and Charles Way, whose plays and musicals have gone on to be produced at other theatres in the U.S. and as far away as China. She is delighted that the summer 2012 production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (which she wrote and directed) received two Helen Hayes Awards.

Production Team:
Set Designer Daniel Pinha
Lighting Designer Rob Denton
Costume Designer Katie Touart
Sound Designer Christopher Baine
Movement Specialist Gwen Grastorf

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