July 27, 2006
Warren Gerds
Green Bay Press-Gazette
If the Brothers Grimm were alive today, maybe they’d do what Venture Theatre is doing to present their age-old story of “Rumplestiltskin” — adding cartoon images and animation.
“Instead of building a lot of set pieces, we are using the artistic animation talents of Dan Ritter,” said director Peggy Eserkaln. “Dan drew and animated nearly all of the major scenery in a computer program that will be projected onto the walls of the stage throughout the production.”
The new musical theater version of the classic fairy tale is written by Pat Quigley, who also wrote last summer’s children’s musical, “Hansel and Gretel,” and the winter production, “Black Peter.”
“Rumplestiltskin,” which opens Aug. 3 at the De Pere theater, features original music by Kevin MacLeod.
At its core is the familiar tale: A father lies to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. It’s the imp Rumplestiltskin who can — for a price.
“This version has mostly ‘lighter’ moments with quite a bit of comedic bits in it, but Rumplestiltskin himself is costumed and portrayed with a bit of spooky edge,” Eserkaln said.
The title role is played by Nick Ludy, a senior at Green Bay Preble High School who performs in the high school league of ComedyCity. In the show, he uses a real spinning wheel, which Eserkaln is thrilled to have found.
Other members of the cast are ComedyCity and Venture Theatre veterans: Maribeth Weidner as Lily, the daughter; Mike Lorenz, the father; Joe Abrahamson, King Rupert; and Jared Knobenbauer, the page.
“Doing some type of family oriented production in August works well into our schedule,” Eserkaln said. “Also, we get a lot of requests and response from the child care community to provide an entertainment option that day care centers can attend.”
The animation adds a visual element for kids — “one more way to enjoy the production,” she said.
“In addition, Dan is creating a small coloring book for the production. He took photos that he will use as a template to create coloring book pages that will be available for purchase after the show.”
Characters will meet and greet the audience in the lounge after performances.
What: “Rumplestiltskin”
Who: Venture Theatre
When: 10:30 a.m. Aug. 3-4 and 10-11; 7 p.m. Aug. 4, 11 and 13
Where: Venture Theatre, 380 Main Ave., De Pere
Tickets: $5; Aug. 3 and 10 sold out; (920) 983-0966
