LITTLE ROCK — Sweet elementary school teacher Miss Nelson and her witchy alter ego, mean-spirited substitute Viola Swamp, return to the stage Friday as the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre kicks off its 2011-12 season with Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.
Joan Cushing’s musical version of the popular children’s story by Harry Allard is the sequel to Miss Nelson Is Missing, the Children’s Theatre’s 2006-07 season curtain-raiser. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 2 at the Arts Center in Little Rock’s MacArthur Park.
In the sequel, Miss Nelson once again turns into Viola Swamp and returns to whip her elementary-school football team, the Horace B. Smedley Tornadoes, into shape for the big game.
“The kids have been giving Coach Armstrong the business, horsing around” and not giving much of a hoot about winning, which explains why they’ve been losing all season, explains director Katherine Campbell.
“They’re slackers, lazy bums,” says Children’s Theatre newcomer Paige Herschell, who plays MissNelson. “She has the brilliant idea of becoming the evil substitute teacher, whom every child fears, to start whipping them into shape.”
Is she successful? That would require a spoiler alert, Campbell says with a chuckle. “Hey, this is your only chance to root for a Tornado,” she adds.
Herschell, a native of San Antonio, came to the Children’s Theatre via the annual United Professional Theatre Auditions, held in Memphis in February, from which the Arts Center company regularly recruits. Her most recent “gig” was at the Heritage Theatre Festival in Charlottesville, Va.
Rounding out the cast: Chad Bradford as PrincipalBlandsworth and Coach Armstrong; Nate Buursma as Kenny; Mark Hansen as Daniel; Josh Rice as Patrick; and Annie Gaarder as Lauren.
Lori Isner is the musical director.
Miss Nelson
Has a Field Day 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 2, Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre, Arkansas Arts Center, MacArthur Park, 10th and Commerce streets, Little Rock Tickets: $14, $11 children; Arts Center members and groups of 10 or more receive a discount (501) 372-4000; (800) 264-2787 arkarts.com
Weekend, Pages 36 on 09/15/2011