The inspiration for the upcoming bilingual production of "Adalita y Su Caballo: A Rodeo Cinderella" was born from a bilingual production of "The Odyssey Experience," adapted and directed by Christopher Parks four years ago, says Trike Theatre's artistic director, Kassie Misiewicz.
"We did that in the Springdale schools, and they loved it," she says. Trike has been doing theater outreach with Springdale schools for nine years. "We engaged the chaperones as well, and their response was that this was the best show they had seen. So we thought about what would happen if we did a show that was interactive and experiential, and if the story was one that the children were already familiar with."
FAQ
‘Adelita y Su Caballo: A Rodeo Cinderella’
WHEN — 7 p.m. March 31; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 1
WHERE — Arts Center of the Ozarks, 214 S. Main St. in Springdale
COST — Free
INFO — 751-5441 or triketheatre.org
Misiewicz says "Adelita" is a retelling of the traditional Cinderella story, inspired by Springdale's rodeo and Northwest Arkansas' population of bilingual children. The project received funding from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the Endeavor Foundation and Ed Clifford. Misiewicz is directing, Parks is the playwright, and Al Lopez ("Papa Rap") rounds out the creative team.
Misiewicz says the production will be interactive, with a pre- and post-show workshops.
"Pre-show is to get students familiar with the story, and post-show is for students to be able to compare and contrast the Cinderella story they know with this new story," Misiewicz explains. "We're also asking them to do some dramaturgical work for us: We'll be asking questions like 'What else could Adelita do to help with her problems?' This is that age group where they're learning how to write and revise, and that's really what we're going to be hitting home with them -- we're in the middle of this process, we've been revising through rehearsal and we'll revise after these productions. The goal is to get people excited and also get feedback, so that when we really do fully produce this, we'll have a really good idea of how it plays out with both bilingual and English-speaking audiences."
The play will be presented "readers' theater style" for second- and third-graders at Bayyari Elementary School and Sonora Elementary School in Springdale; Arkansas Arts Academy and Eastside Elementary School in Rogers; and Apple Glen Elementary in Bentonville. Free public performances will be at 7 p.m. on March 31 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 1 at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale.
-- Lara Hightower
lhightower@nwadg.com
NAN What's Up on 03/24/2017